Nothing comes easy.

That’s one of life’s truisms. Throughout life, one faces adversity from time to time. Injury or illness present unique challenges. Within that broad injury category, concussion and TBI have even more issues. Navigating a concussion recovery journey may be one of the more difficult experiences of your life. Accordingly, reaching a finish line is likely to be a highlight of your life. It’s a tremendous achievement. It can become a benchmark against which to measure adverse situations that follow.

You’ve got this.

Recovery might take some time. Broken bones don’t resolve overnight. The same goes for concussion. So how do you get through to the finish line? Here are a few tips.

Set a Goal

Select some aspect of your life that you’d like to return to. Let it compel you to continue moving forward through the difficult days. A goal out on the horizon can definitely help. For my own recovery, I decided I wanted to return to participating in sprint triathlons. I envisioned returning to it, to standing a beach ready to start the swim. I imagined hurrying through the transitions and zipping around a corner on my bike. I thought about all of it. I left “Tri Mom” license plate frames on my car the whole time. Triathlon was my goal. I wanted to get that important part of my life back. That was a major goal that got me through it. The license plate frames repeatedly reminded me of that goal. I eventually returned to tri and had a great time!

Choose something. Then select something to remind you of it that you can see on a regular basis to serve as inspiration. It might take a while to reach the goal, and you might not get there fully, but there may be successes along the way.

Pace Yourself

You won’t be able to do everything at once at the speed and intensity you did previously. Take it slow and steady. If you overdo it, you might end up with a setback for a few days, at least. As long as you’re making progress, it’s all good. Adjust as you go. With regard to my tri goal, the year before I participated again, I worked a race as a volunteer. It enabled me to participate and be around all that energy. One step closer!

It’s not all or nothing. Do what you can do, and keep making progress!

Focus on Successes

Like anything, there will be ups and downs during your recovery. Roll with whatever each day brings. Zero in on whatever success you had that day. Focus on it and set aside whatever else happened. Eventually, you’ll be having more successes than setbacks.

Celebrate successes throughout your journey. Everything counts!

Watch for Developments

There’s much more interest and research regarding concussion than in previous years. There are multiple symptoms possible, and each might have new developments. I’ll share as much as I can, but it’s worthwhile to look for changes and developments – for concussion in general and for any symptom you’re experiencing.

The Payoff

My gosh. Once at the finish, you’ll be able to look back at all you’ve been through. You persevered. You continued moving forward. Maybe your life changed in some new way that opened new doors and experiences. You never know! Pat yourself on the back for getting through tough, tough times and know you can handle anything moving forward. In addition to whatever parts of your life that return and how much you overcome, that’s a huge payoff.