Brain Injury Recovery – Taking Back Control

I have only just realised it, but it is only now that I have written the previous four posts on Independence, health, Employment as well as the idea of Gradual Gains as a method of obtaining these goals, that I am in a position to write this particular post. It all comes back to that idea of self-assessment regarding ABI recovery that I posted at the start of the New Year. We have to be constantly aware of our weaknesses and the issues we have after suffering something as life changing as an ABI. Not only that but we have to always be conscious to the potential challenges, struggles and, sorry to say this, prejudices we may come up against when it comes to addressing those difficult tasks.

Back To That Metaphor

I come back to the same metaphor, the idea of building a house, using that metaphor has allowed me to prioritize what I am hoping to achieve regarding my recovery and given me some kind of perspective in terms of what a successful life after ABI means, just how difficult it will be and how long it could take. To say it could take a long time is silly really, it is now six and a half years since my injury, I live at home with my mum and dad, I have no job and my situation regarding health such as epilepsy, anxiety and anger is still in bad shape. Since I have shared with you what my main goals are, I am now going to share with you the order in which I am going to prioritize and pursue them.

1. Health Is My Foundation – I have realized as my struggle with an ABI continues that if your health, whether the state of health is an affliction that is a consequence of the injury or a pre-existing condition, a poor state of health always has the potential to pull you back. Take me for example; I am currently working hard to change my life style in a way that may positively affect my epilepsy and the frequency of my seizures. I have drastically reduced my caffeine intake, given up smoking, and started taking multi-vitamins and drinking pro-biotic drinks as well as undergoing a drastic change in types and amounts of medication. The main reason for these changes is due to the fact that so long as epilepsy still has the potential to disrupt my life at random and, often, inconvenient times, my chances of progress are poor. If I can conquer epilepsy, if I can control it and have it not control me, then it will provide me with a foundation I can build on to move forward with my life. The problem is that this can take time, so the best way to approach it is to concentrate fully on the health situation. Not to have any other distraction or targets in mind and gain as much control over your mind and body as you can.

2. Employment & Financial Independence Are The Walls – When, and only when, I am sure that I am in control of any illnesses or conditions I have, I intend to start pursuing more ambitious goals regarding my writing ambitions. I have tried the paid work route, working for someone else and it has not worked mainly because of the restricted abilities I have as a result of my ABI. As such, I have decided to try and set up my own business as a freelance writer (which this blog is the start of really). As well as the idea of starting a business, other options are to find work within a private business, there is the option of seeking out businesses who profit from running programs by providing paid employment and empowering the disabled, or it could be that you will find fulfillment simply working voluntarily with charities. You will also find that there is government funded financial aid available. Once you have gained, hopefully paid employment, then you can start to dream about the idea of independence. Employment and hopefully, the wages you will be paid as a result will provide the walls that surround you and protect you; if you need something to help your situation you can buy it, if you wanted to obtain some kind of private medical care you could get it. It seems to me to be the next logical step in this recovery process.

3. Full Independence Is The Roof – I think I can speak for many people who have suffered an ABI when I say that this is the overall goal. I think it would be naïve of me to suggest that we can live alone with no support ever again. However I do believe it is achievable for many of us to live a life where we have our own place of residence, we support ourselves or are as active as possible whether that is through paid employment or voluntary work.To say we can achieve these things alone would be, as I said, naïve, but with more than six years experience of living with an ABI, I know from experience that improvement and movement towards independence can happen. We can get the roof over our heads, the last part of our building project. It will be long, it will be difficult and it will be slow but we can move forwards and start to take control of our lives back, slowly but surely.
4. Any Successes That Come After Are The Decorations

Taking Back Control

When it comes to all of the things I have posted about in previous weeks and prioritized above, as time progresses with an ABI,we come to the realization that it is not going to mend the same way a broken leg does. We will most likely be living with the consequences for the rest of our lives. So we start to question, if we are facing hardships (using my situation as an example) such as living at home, no job and not much of a social life, we start to question, “will things ever be better than this?”

The answer is that they can be. It is the changes we fear and the unknown challenges we are to face that frighten us most. But with the right attitude, a steady platform of health to build on, ensuring we know our limitations, we certainly can overcome those daunting tasks. Finally my most important point I think, is not trying to take on too much, too soon and to take on more than one thing at a time. When my situation gets me down, I try to think of it like the story of The Tortoise & The Hare, slow and steady wins the race!