Increasing My Awareness

Do you talk about your brain injury to family and friends?

I never thought about it as a problem because I am constantly teaching others about so many aspects of it. I am using my education and experience for the positive.

I feel like I have gotten to certain milestones so much later than some other brain injured people I have spoken to. It took me 12 years to join any kind of brain injury support group because I dedicated myself, my thoughts, my energy, and my time to Veronica, because her injury is so much worse than mine. My life revolved around her and her needs. I like that I have finally joined support groups on Facebook and only recently, Zoom groups. Here I am now, 16 years post-accident and injury, and I am finally, FINALLY! ready to use my awareness and still control to whom and when I speak of it.

I have come to a decision. No more brain injury talk in front of Greg or Kylie. They don’t want to hear about it, because it hurts them. Veronica and I talk about it as a coping mechanism. It’s been five days and the only ones I have talked about it with are brain injury support group members at an online support group. It really hasn’t been difficult.

At first, I went back and forth…

Do I continue in my support groups or cut that part of my life off completely? For now, I am going to continue in the weekly online-Zoom support group, where I look forward to seeing some friends and joining in conversations and I will continue on the Facebook brain injury support groups I am part of. I feel like that is an important part of my life that I am not willing to give up.

I will work on increasing my awareness, being thoughtful around Kylie and Greg, and try to find a happy medium. I want to and must talk to Veronica about it sometimes.

I will treat talking about brain injuries, mine, Veronica’s, and others, like an eight hour a day job. Veronica and I teach high school classes together. I will think about it and talk to Veronica about it for:

• My book
• My blog
• Brain injury support groups
• Brain injury education/teaching in High Schools

**And I will continue to be a proud and positive advocate for Brain Injury Awareness**

I guess I just need to know my audience. I am and always will have a brain injury and unfortunate continual deficits from it. I will not completely let it go or ignore that part of my life to make others feel comfortable. I think as I have written this, I have answered my own questions and found my happy medium. 

If you would like to know more about our lives and how we live it with brain injuries, please read my book titled,

A Miracle a Day, One Day at a Time: Hope After Traumatic Brain Injury

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/a-miracle-a-day-one-day-at-a-time

Press the link above and it will take you directly to it if you are interested in purchasing it.

We are all ready to do things in our own time. Some of us more quickly than others. I am a bit slower. That is ok. Be patient with yourself as I am learning to do. And have a beautiful week loving yourself just the way you are.