Tips From Forty Years of Life With a Brain Injury

By Ken Collins, long-time advocate for people with brain injury

The following are lessons I have learned in my forty years of recovery. They work for me, and I hope that some of them will help you!

• Take it one step at a time. You’ll get there.
• Learn from every experience and move on without dwelling.
• Slow down and let yourself rest. Sometimes trying to do too much results in doing nothing at all. Taking a beat to think about an issue may help you figure it out. It may also help you get the energy you need to push past it.
• Try not to be critical of any mistakes you make. In the early years of your recovery, there will be too many to count.
• Reduce stress and anxiety to make life easier and increase your self-esteem. Mindfulness-based stress reduction strategies can help. Stress and anxiety trigger the fight or flight response; this is beyond your control because it’s part of the “emotional nervous system.” When fight or flight is activated, you are more likely to be confused and find processing information difficult.
• Take deep breaths because nothing works better than getting blood-filled oxygen to your brain. This will also relieve stress and anxiety.
• Keep an open mind.
• Making a to-do list may help you stay organized. A tablet, smartphone, or just plain paper and pencil can make a real difference. Whatever works for you, use it!
• Stay calm.
• Set a routine. This will make it easier to follow through with your intentions and stick to a schedule. You may feel more hopeful as you remind yourself of your capabilities.
• Hope. Nothing is possible without hope.
• Eat healthy foods, hydrate, and exercise regularly. Your body needs energy and blood and oxygen circulating to your brain. Plus, endorphins feel good!
• Surround yourself with positive people and those who care about you. Friends who judge and criticize aren’t friends. Be careful that negative people don’t rub off on your own behavior.
• Don’t hold a grudge. It will tie you down like an anchor.
• Pay attention. Become an active listener and watch people’s body language.
• Don’t take life too seriously and don’t let the little things get you down.
• Remember that your family and friends want to help but sometimes they don’t know how. Many people won’t understand what you are going through, and sometimes that will mean that they will provide negative feedback or criticism. Try not to hold it against them.
• Set realistic expectations for yourself. Don’t put up unnecessary obstacles for yourself to overcome.
• If you can, get a pet. Taking care of an animal can give you something positive to focus on and relieve stress. I have several dogs. They take me for walks every morning and night and give me unconditional love and companionship.
• Take an active role in your recovery. Eliminate the word “can’t” from your vocabulary.
• Get out of your head and into the outside world. Do something every day to show yourself that you are motivated. Thinking too much about a problem or issue can be depressing. Distract yourself when you start to ruminate.
• Don’t give up. Push through the adversity and embrace the journey.
• Enjoy what life has to offer.
• Celebrate and take pride in every accomplishment, no matter how small.
• Be patient. Life after a brain injury will get easier.
• If I can do it, so can you!

 

Ken Collins sustained a traumatic brain injury on December 31, 1976 at his home in Oakridge, Oregon as a result of a snowmobile accident. Over the past 38 years, Ken has become a prominent member of the brain injury community. Among many accomplishments, he served as a founding member of the Oregon Head Injury Foundation and a Board member for the National Head Injury Foundation, has held numerous attendant care jobs as part of Oregon’s Client/Employer Program, and was appointed by three Governors to the Oregon Disabilities Commission. Ken currently works at the Hozho Center in Gallup, New Mexico. Learn more at hozhocenterforpersonalenhancement.com.

 

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This article originally appeared in Volume 16, Issue 2 of THE Challenge! published in 2022.