So, you’ve made it through the chaos hospital and the various therapies and treatments. Now you are at home—in close quarters with family and friends who can’t even begin to imagine what your mind and body has gone through. Many of them are seemingly smothering you with concern and with what appears to be lack of trust, (not much in you personally but the stability of your current condition.) It seems like a lot to wrap your mind around. Here are some tips to help you cope with your traumatic brain Injury.
Start to become acquainted with your new surroundings
You may be well acquainted with your home after you are discharged from the hospital, In any foreseeable case, if you have been in a hospital or inpatient rehabilitation facility for a significant length of time, things have changed—rooms rearranged, you belongings put in places where you don’t remember leaving them. Don’t let this make you feel uncomfortable or alienated. While at home, carefully check out your surroundings. Claiming a sense of ownership and belonging will help you in coping with your trauma and dealing more smoothly with the transition from hospital to home.
How to deal with emotional depression anger, anxiety and distress
It is natural after any traumatic injury, illness or invasive surgery, for a person to experience depression—a sense of loss. You will no doubt experience “emotional downtime” or heaviness for different periods during your recovery. Many doctors and psychologists will misdiagnose this as clinical depression and attempt to prescribe certain medications to remedy it. This type of misdiagnosis can cause issues like worsening of depression, suicidal tendencies, or drastic changes in behavior which will be unnoticeable to you, but dangerous to you and to your recovery. If you have any reservations about being prescribed a regimen of anti-depressants, speak up. It is your body and you need to reclaim it by taking charge. In a situation like this, your entire life feels like it has been irrevocably altered. That, in combination with any unresolved life issues, along with adjusting to the whirlwind of events since your stay in the hospital may cause feelings of loss, sadness and even anger. It is important for the sake of the progress of your recovery to deal with any negative feelings you might be having by speaking to a trusted impartial friend or family member about your injury, your current situation or the events that may have led there. You should feel free to clearly express how you are feeling; keeping it to yourself will only set you back in your recovery.
In finding someone to confide in about your feelings, do not be intimidated by likely speech issues such as stammering. Continuing to speak will allow those problems to slowly resolve themselves by giving you a sense of release. The important thing is that you do not isolate yourself and let your feelings be heard by someone you trust—someone who can point you in the right direction.
You should find a psychotherapist who is experienced in speaking to patients with post-traumatic emotional distress. Seeing a professional about these pressing mental and emotional issues may be crucial to the opening stages of your healing process. There is no shame in seeing a professional about whatever emotional issues you might be facing after your release from the hospital.
When you are feeling down a times, don’t let yourself slip into a mode of self-pity. Remember: You are not a victim, you are a survivor. Find something that engages and motivates you, like reading a book, exercising, watching a movie or starting a safe project. These things will take your mind off of your situation long enough for you to realize that you still are the same person you were before you became injured.
Understand and respect your limitations and restrictions
Once you return home from the hospital or rehab center, you will most likely have to make certain lifestyle changes. These restrictions, recommended by the doctor or therapist are suggested for your safety and for the sake of your recovery. Such restrictions might include activities that involve, contact sport activities, being in extreme temperatures, smoking, drinking alcohol or drug use. For any problem with addiction, you or your family may wish to consult an addiction therapist to help with these issues.
You should always be mindful of places or areas in your home where there is potential to fall or bump your head. Try to avoid these areas in the beginning of your recovery.
Scars and deformities and coping
Severe injury to the head or face such as a traumatic brain injury may result in the need for surgery to remedy or save lives. Unfortunately, any invasive surgery may result in scarring or swelling at or near the surface of the injury. Looking in a mirror and seeing your appearance alter so drastically and quickly can be emotionally disturbing. It is perfectly natural to be shocked by your appearance and feel awkward about your appearance after a major injury or surgery. You need to focus on healing and recovering from your injuries. Many of your bruises, burns and scrapes will heal and fade given a few weeks to months. Give your body the appropriate time to let these issues resolve themselves and don’t allow yourself to become depressed, anxious and withdrawn over it as it will only slow the progress of your healing and recovery. You should consult your doctor immediately after noticing any, unusual swelling or markings around the injured or operated on areas. Though you‘ve emerged from the operations performed on you, you should know that the operations leave permanent scars. Though all scars fade in time and scarring along the head and skull can be covered by hair growth. There are some creams that work to reduce the appearance of unsightly scars. If you choose to style your hair in a manner that may reveal your scar, you should be bold enough to keep in mind what you’ve been through and not be intimidated by anything you can’t change. It is this mentality that makes the difference between victims and survivors
Establish a routine
Once you return from the hospital and begin your recovery at home, life for you will come to an immediate and sometimes unnerving halt. This usually leaves a person in recovery with long days and nights with little constructive activity in between. In order to help start the recovery of the brain, you must begin the recovery of the mind to enable you to get through these days. Doing this means establishing a routine for yourself to follow (Some of the same things you probably did before your injury). This routine should include activities like:
- Awakening and getting showered and dressed at the same time every morning.
- Beginning a mental/ visual exercise like reading the news,
- doing daily household chores (avoiding contact with substances and chemicals not recommended by your doctor).
- Carefully preparing your own meals
- Any other coping or stress-relieving techniques you may have adopted.
Establishing routines like this improves memory, coordination and confidence, all of which may have been somewhat impaired from your injury. You’ll be surprised at how much you improve at getting things done and how much closer you’re getting to being back to where you were before your injury.
Practice physical and occupational therapy exercises between sessions and understanding your therapists
You may have regular outpatient therapy sessions, taking place in your home or a medical center during your week. These sessions most likely focus on common activities, most likely practiced during your time at the hospital. Getting introduced and learning to trust your new therapist is a process. Don’t be surprised or discouraged that you have trouble discerning how they communicate. All people communicate and convey information in different ways. You, as the patient are in charge of making sure how the information given to you during those sessions is communicated. YOU should feel free to tell them if and why you do not understand your therapist. No matter how frustrating the process, treat them with respect and be sure that you are given the same respect.
Sometimes a speech, physical or occupational therapist will give you an exercise to practice between sessions with them. It is important to do this consistently. Doing this helps nurture parts of the brain and body that were injured and make your subsequent sessions and other areas of your recovery show results of improvement.
Dump the “one year” theory
When being asked about the recovery process of a traumatic brain injury, there are some doctors who will tell you that most of the signs of a brain injury (such as speech coordination and visual difficulties) should not be permanent after that first year. And that any impairments and difficulties experienced after a year are permanent. This can be both encouraging and devastatingly discouraging to the survivor of a traumatic brain injury. This has been experienced by many survivors as well as discovered by many high-ranking medical professionals on the subject to be not true.
This idea does not take into account the severity and separate circumstances of each injury. The healing process cannot be put on a time table. It does not recognize time of day or year and allows for every step of the process to happen or not happen in its own time. Healing from a traumatic brain Injury is a lifelong process that will allow you to compensate for any deficiencies as long as you continue to try.
The “one year theory” also does not take into account that every patient is different—their biology, current health or even genetics can affect the way a survivor heals. In the beginning of a brain injury recovery process, jumping a lot of the healing hurdles happen quickly, and eventually plateau. These long periods in the healing process can be discouraging. So, enjoy all of the healing strides and continually work toward achieving a full recovery and move onto a life beyond your traumatic brain Injury.
Exercise both sides of the brain
The human brain is divided into two hemispheres. Science continually tells us that every person is either right –brain dominant or left-brain dominant. Before going on, it is also well known that the each side of the brain controls the opposite body. (Whereas the left side of the brain controls the right eye, leg or arm and vice, etc. and versa) It is also theorized that the logical centers of the brain are based on the left hemisphere of the brain while the more creative centers of the brain are based on the right side of the brain.
Whatever school of thought you subscribe to, if your injury happens to be based on one side of the brain, it is most likely the opposite side of the body was affected. If the right side of your brain has sustained the most critical parts of your injury, the left side of the body will most likely experience a loss of strength, muscle control and dexterity. For this reason it is important to practice physical and occupational therapeutic exercises on that side of the body. Strengthening the brains communication with each of those parts helps to stimulate the injured side of the brain. You shouldn't completely neglect the other side. You need to work both sides to build coordination and balance. While practicing these physical exercises, it would be best to start work on mental exercises such as a creative project like painting and focus on a more logic-based exercise, such as reading and understanding a newspaper. This will enable for you to have a more well-rounded recovery.
Start a long-term project from start to finish
While you were in the hospital or rehabilitation center, your life after your injury was most likely hectic, full of medical tests procedures and therapies, allowing you little time to focus on anything significant. After your release from inpatient care, you will most likely notice or be told by others that there is a significant deficiency in your ability to maintain focus for long periods of time as well as your attention span. In order to remedy this, you should practice some of the exercises mentioned above, but rather make them into long term projects. A creative project would include something like drafting a manuscript about your experience. A more logic-based project would be something like reading a long book. Exercises like these work to enhance memory, concentration and the ability to sustain linear thought. Completing these projects instills one with a sense of pride and accomplishment, letting you know where your strengths and weaknesses are and how you might go about making them stronger.
Coping
