Here is a list of a few rules, related to brain injures that I posted on my social media. They are little rules, that may seem simple. But I struggle with them on a daily basis, despite the help they bring me!
Each brain is unique. As is each brain injury. The hashtag #myBRAINmyRULES is therefor a strong symbol to me. It says that my rules might not apply to someone else. But also that no one can judge them, or me, because they are not me.
It also means that everyone should take care of his/her brain..
RULE #1
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It's ok to not be ok.
Took me a very long time to realise this rule applies to me....I wasted a lot of energy fighting this, because I was too scared to admit it was real. But I slowly realise that you need to acknowledge that you are not well to be able to get better. It is ok to ask for help and it is ok that you are not invincible...
RULE #2
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Don't hide or minimise your symptoms and disabilities.
I'm very rubbish with this rule.. A mixture of shame and difficulty to understand what's wrong with me pushes me to try to appear as normal as possible. I also don't want to scare people or make them feel bad because of me...
However this impacts my recovery as it represents massive efforts and also prevents people around me from realising what I'm going through. So I am trying to follow this rule as much as I can!
RULE #3
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Respect your brain. Give it the rest it asks for, and try to love it for what it is now.
This rule is much harder to follow than it might seem. The amount of rest an injured brain needs can be endless. When it means sleep, it's not too hard to accept it. But when it means staring at nothing for hours because sleep is out of brain reach (yes, getting to sleep is also a brain function), it's much harder to give. Especially when pain or crazy symptoms are involved... However I try to keep in mind that my brain is doing all it can to fix itself.
RULE #4
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You're not crazy!! (At least not more than before ;)
It might be a difficult one for others to grasp from the outside. But when so many strange things are going on in your head, it's easy to think you've gone mad... It's scary. But you haven't. It's just your brain being injured...