Tackling Work After Brain Injury
- Life Beyond Rehab
- Jan 9, 2020
- 4 min read
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about boundaries. I don’t usually like to talk about myself because I feel like I don’t have as much to offer as a person versus what I can offer as a professional – I feel like a major boundary I need to respect is knowing the difference between living a life with a brain injury and one without.
However, I think this has placed another boundary on my ability to help – by making it seem like there is something different between myself and who I am trying to help - when really the whole point is to recognize that we are all people.
So, to start something new, I want to share a little something about changes in my life and what it has shown me.
Recently I started a new job.
After the initial excitement (and relief), the fear started to set in. I took a job working with a population (e.g. kids) that I had very limited experience with, doing a job that I NEVER thought I would do.
First, I just sat in my fear, letting that feeling in my belly take over and I felt lost.
Embracing “New Learning” and Making a Plan
When I talk about new learning I am referring to something that your brain is not familiar with that you have to teach yourself to do. It can be as simple as learning a new game or as complex as taking on a whole new career – luckily, this challenge of mine fell somewhere in the middle.
The thing with new learning is: it is REALLY great for your brain and often your brain REALLY hates it. I know we have talked before about how much our brains love routine. There is a time and place for creating routine like helping with your memory, getting you organized, and decreasing anxiety. But, it is equally important for your brain to be challenged. In this case, my new learning task meant I either do it and keep a job that provided flexibility and financial security or I become unemployed. Sometimes it can be even harder to take on the challenge of new learning when it’s something seemingly ‘low stakes’, such as choosing to play a game that you know and love instead of trying something that is different – there’s really no immediate consequence or outside factor motivating you to take the path less traveled (in this case, a game).
When recovering from a brain injury, the importance of giving your brain a challenge increases substantially. Now, it doesn’t mean you have to do something new every day, it just means that if you feel yourself doing an activity mindlessly (an example would be zoning out when playing candy crush), then the cognitive stimulation that you were once getting is no longer as potent and the benefits go down. Time to mix it up a little bit!
Now, let’s talk about the big new learning after a brain injury.
When we are presented with a much more complex task, for example, having to get a new job after your injury because you weren’t able to return to your previous employment, it becomes crucial to make a plan for how your brain is going to tackle this level of new learning.
Making a plan:
First, think about the resources at your disposal.
Ask yourself:
“Where and how can I find the information that I need?”
With this question comes another important consideration:
“How do I learn best?”
What is the best/most successful way for your brain to take in, comprehend, and recall new information?
For me, it meant talking with my friends who currently work (and excel) in this field, reading through notes that I took while I was in college, reading through information online, and finally, pulling out my college textbooks.
You know I always say how important it is to ask for help when you need it and this is no different.
Remember, our brains love information in as many different ways, involving as many different modalities as possible, especially when learning something new.
So, this may mean coming up with a list of resources that involves lots of different avenues such as:
- Watching an instructional You Tube video
- Talking with a friend
- Request time to meet with a new colleague
- Take a class
- Reading a book
Another benefit of making a plan and having a concrete list of all the assets surrounding your new learning journey? Decreasing your stress and helping you find a way to break through the fear that’s keeping you from getting started. Once I found that there were lots of ways for me to access the help that I needed, I felt a million times better.
So many of my patients have told me how alone and isolating a brain injury can make you feel and often I have found it is because they have lost perspective on all the places they can go to for help. I think as humans we like to think that every new challenge should be tackled independently, otherwise, it means we’re weak, but I personally feel that the opposite is true.
Weakness only happens when you’re too afraid to ask for help.
Look for support wherever you can.
If you are starting a new job or looking for ways to find what will work best for you after your brain injury, here are some vocational rehabilitation resources to help get you started:
US Department of Veteran Affairs:
Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies by State:
Finally, if you are struggling with completing your job since your brain injury, if you need extra support for identifying strategies to make returning to work successful, or you just need an advocate to help you get what you need in your current occupation, Life Beyond Rehab is here for you.
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If you or your caregiver need help navigating life after brain injury through education, support or individualized strategies, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give us a call at
480-881-1487
for your free 15 minute consultation – we’re here to help guide you through
LIFE BEYOND REHAB.
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