Tag: Brain injury

Negativity: It can hold us back

After a brain injury, negative emotions consume your every thought. It is important to battle the negativity and change to positive thoughts.

We live in a world where negativity is all around us. Since it is all around us, we need to be extra careful to find the positive in life. This is easier said than done.

It is also something that requires practice. To be able to find the positive in life, you need to start off by carving out time to look for the positive.

I understand, when you get in a negative state, it is difficult to get out of it. This can be especially tough when you are dealing with a brain injury.

I have found that when I started, I needed to find something small and simple. Start with the fact that you are alive, or you can read.

These two examples are things you are actively doing right now. It doesn’t have to be significant. Some days I can be thankful that I got out of bed.

Negativity will not allow for progress. It is crucial not to dwell on the past. You need to work on focusing on what you can do.

After a brain injury, your life has changed. That is okay. Focus on what you can do and what you have accomplished since your injury.

I have found that it is also useful to look towards what you could accomplish in the future. There is a world of possibilities for your future after your injury.

Negativity can push others away

Recovering from an injury can be difficult and requires social support. Nobody enjoys being around someone who is negative all the time.

The people around you understand it is difficult to be positive; it will go a long way if they can see that you are trying to be positive.

It will take time to be used to find the positive in life and it will get easier as time goes by. Believe in yourself.

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Bedtime Routine: Relax after a long day

After a long hard day, it is important to start to wind down and get ready for bedtime. To get a good night sleep, you need to be relaxed.

After a long, hard day, I have found it necessary to have a bedtime routine. This routine helps slow your mind down and prepare you for a restful sleep.

A night of restful sleep can allow you to be ready to be productive for the next day. There are many benefits to a good night’s sleep. This routine has proven excellent for me, but it may not work for you.

Take some time for yourself to figure out a good routine to help you relax after a long day. It took me many tries to figure it out. Be patient.

Bedtime Routine: Shower

I start after dinner. To begin my routine, I take a nice warm shower. This helps wash all the dirt and grime off of me. I can feel the day washing off and begins my relaxation.

The warm water also helps relax my muscles and can help release some of the tension I gathered during my day. Another reason I find showering at night helpful, I find brushing my hair soothing.

Bedtime Routine: TV

After that, I watch an episode or two of the current show I am watching. The show allows me to escape from the happenings of my world for a bit.

If I am really into the show, I do watch more episodes. When I begin to get tired, I start writing in my journal. When I journal, I have a few different sections that I write about.

I always start my entry by writing one thing I am grateful for. This keeps me finding a good thing even after a bad day.
I then do the classic, write about my day. I write down anything memorable and I have two prompts that help my self-discovery.

These prompts are to help me figure out what I want and who I am. I write down a memory from the day that I want to remember.

Reading

Once I am done with my journaling, I turn off my show and grab a book. I always make sure I read, even if it is a few pages or half the book.

Once I am done reading, I turn off my light, do a crossword puzzle on my phone, and go to sleep. I find a bedtime routine is crucial. It helps the body know that it is time to go to bed.

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Morning Routine: How to make it count

How you start your day in the morning set the mood for your entire day. It needs to be started off right. The morning is a time for fresh starts.

Mornings can set the whole mood of the day. It helps me determine if my day will be good or bad, productive, or unproductive. A morning routine is how you start your day.

I have experienced that in this time of uncertainty, my morning routine is how my day will go. I try to stick with it every morning, even on the weekends.

On the weekends, I adjust my wake-up time so that I can sleep in, but I always set my alarm. I have a time where I don’t let myself sleep past. This consistent time can guarantee that my day won’t be wasted.

No matter what time it is, I spend a few minutes lying in bed. I check the news and my email. There are a ton of articles saying you shouldn’t check your phone first thing, but I choose to.

What you want to do when you first wake up is totally up to you. Maybe jumping out of bed and going for a run is your cup of tea.

When I get out of bed, I go to the living room and socialize for a bit. There I play a strategy game. This game allows my mind to wake up.

Morning: Breakfast

I then decide what to make for breakfast. My go-to breakfast is scrambled eggs with cheese and toast with honey. I have found that it is the best breakfast to hold me over.

I change it up from time to time. Variety is important. I will also have oatmeal some days and cereal with milk others. Breakfast can fuel you for the day, so I can move from my morning properly.

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Schedule: Find normalcy during quarantine.

With the current stay at home orders, happening, schedules have changed. It is important to keep a sense of normalcy in a world of uncertainty.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, our lives and schedules have abruptly changed. Our daily routines look different. It is essential to find some sense of normalcy in your everyday life.

The idea is to work from home. For some, this can be difficult. There are many more distractions around. There is a chance that productivity can decrease.

I have found that sticking to a schedule or close to a schedule keeps me productive. If I schedule my day correctly, I can complete everything I need to do and still have time for leisure activities.

I start with a consistent wake-up time. I find that with a regular wake up time, I can plan out my day, so I know my day won’t be wasted because I slept in too long.

After I wake up, I go through my morning routine (which I will discuss in a later post). I eat breakfast and then figure out what I need to do that day. I am in school, so at the beginning of the week, I decide what needs to be done each day.

Schedule during the day

Based on the amount of work I need to get done that day, I decide when I will take a walk or do household chores. I have found that I work best when I break the homework with the housework.

Before any work begins, I shower and get dressed. It puts me in the mindset of working. I also move down to the dining room. Wherever I move to, I get off my bed.

Throughout the day, I do my homework and my schoolwork. I put my phone on silent, so I don’t have the distraction of people trying to communicate with me.

I have found an app that has made my schedule does work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After doing 2 hours of this, I take a 15-minute break. This has proven to work for me. But you need to find a routine that makes for you.

At the end of the day, around dinner, I change into comfortable clothes and do what I feel like doing. The only scheduled thing about my night is when I go to bed. Going to bed at a consistent time allows me to wake up and not be tired.

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Quarantine: stimulate the brain at home

In this different time of being told to stay home and quarantine, we need to find activities to do. I have activities in this post that stimulates the brain

In these times of self-isolation and quarantines, it is easy to become bored and not sure what to do. I feel as though it is essential to keep the mind stimulated. There is plenty to do that doesn’t include watching Netflix all day.

Netflix or watching tv is excellent and can be a nice break from the news. A lot is going on in the world right now.

Puzzles

One option is to do a puzzle. These puzzles can be the cardboard kind or a crossword puzzle or sudoku. According to a USA Today article, puzzles have a lot of benefits. They improve memory, visual-spatial reasoning, lower stress levels, and can improve one’s mood.

Mood improvement can be a vital benefit. Being cooped up in a house with either just yourself or your housemates can drive you crazy. We all need some mood-boosting at this time in the world.

Reading

Another thing you can do to pass the time is read. Reading can transform your world. There is potential to get into a different world and maybe forget about the crazy times we are in.

Reading can expand your vocabulary, improve memory, stimulate your brain, improve your focus and concentration, and increase your knowledge. It has also been known to reduce stress. (Lifehack.org)

Writing

I have personally found that writing is a great thing to do. I have been keeping a personal journal for quite some time now; this allows me to write my thoughts down. Once they are on paper, I can make sense of what I am feeling.

This process allows me to feel relaxed and see the issues I am facing with a clear mind. I find it like talking to someone without them talking back.

Self-care

The critical thing to remember during these times is self-care. Take care of yourself. This may mean taking a break from the news for an afternoon, getting outside, and get vitamin D. I strongly feel like making sure you keep in contact with friends. We are lucky enough to be in a time where it is easy to communicate with each other from a distance.

Just remember to listen to what your body and mind are saying you need. This is a time where we need to take care of ourselves. Good luck with your quarantine.

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Transferring schools: How to deal with change

The decision to transfer schools can be stressful and nerve wracking. There is a lot of unknown and the process of relearning can be difficult.

My decision to transfer schools after my first year of college was not one I made lightly.

When I went applied to college, I thought I had some idea of what I wanted to do. I did have an idea. I looked at schools, but I had not idea what I was really looking for.

It wasn’t until part way through my freshman year when I realized I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. With my injury, learning takes me longer to learn than others.

Luckily, when you go to college, where you go is not set in stone. There is always the option to take a year off or change schools.

With the friends I had made at school, it was quit the unpopular choice. They did not want to see me go. I was so unsure of this decision I didn’t tell my family. They only found out when the acceptance letter from the new university came.

I was extremely nervous to make the change. I really wanted to stay at the school where I was already comfortable at and with the friend, I had worked so hard to make.

Transferring: Getting used to it

Putting nerves aside, I knew this was the right choice. In the long run it was going to safe me money and I was closer to home. It felt like the right choice.

I did have one person step out of my life because of the decision. He thought I was selling myself short and wanted nothing to do with it.

I worked hard to stay in touch with the friends I had made at the first school. We talked via skype many times throughout the semester and we talked many times during the week.

 It was difficult for me to make new friends at the new school because I had missed orientation. I was lucky enough to find one friend who I loved to hang out with. From there I met people in classes and through that good first friend.

Switching schools was the best decision I made. Do not be afraid to make decisions because of nerves. I am an anxious human. But, the ability to push through the nerves and go with what you believe is right for you.

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