Traumatic Brain Injury
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The following is an on-line version of text from
Getting Better (and better) After Brain Injury/A Survivor's Guide--
25 Ideas for Living Smarter and Happier. Text and formatting have been modified for viewing in various browsers.
Idea # 6
Patience is Important
but Not Easy to Find

Some people openly admit that they weren’t patient before their injury. Yet, impatience is one of the most common after effects of neurological injury.

  • I want to get better now!


  • Setting up doctors appointments, getting better in therapy, finding my own place to live, getting back to work or driving – all seem to take too long!


  • I want my old life back!

Patience is a skill you can learn. Count to ten, take slow deep breaths, or focus on your improvements. Try to realize that neurological problems are far different from other kinds of health problems. Getting better often takes years.

Working hard to help yourself is ultimately the best way to improve your life. Getting irritated or angry with your progress makes your bad feelings worse. Perhaps even worse, you can scare off people whose support you need.

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Last updated  -  10/02/2008