In this video for the PCS Resilience Collective, David Brimacombe shares his 20‑year journey through seven concussions and chronic post‑concussion syndrome (PCS). He describes how PCS narrowed his perception, trapping him in a cycle of symptom‑focused anxiety, brain fog, nausea, and dizziness. Realizing that his constant focus on symptoms worsened his condition, he adopted a daily gratitude practice: noting one thing he was grateful for each day, using sticky notes, phone reminders, and mindful walks without distractions. He explains how this simple shift creates ripple effects—reframing neural pathways, fostering a more positive internal dialogue, and building belief, momentum, and resilience. Brimacombe emphasizes that gratitude won’t eliminate pain but can change perspective, allowing one to coexist with lingering symptoms while finding meaning in the “mess.” He concludes with a concrete challenge: place a gratitude reminder on a mirror, set phone alerts 2‑3 times daily, and commit to small, consistent actions that reinforce a resilient mindset.
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What if this year isn't just one that you survive, but is one that helps reshape you and your recovery? The goal of this video is to help you find gratitude in the tough places and eventually see the meaning in your mess. Hi and welcome to the PCS Resilience Collective. My name is David Brimacombe, and after 7 concussions over 20 years, I learned a lot about PCS recovery And specifically why I needed to change my perception. I needed to see the good in the world even when it felt like everything was caving in around me. Let's begin. One of the hardest things to comprehend after a concussion, or for those who have PCS, you know, months, years after a concussion, is that the world started to narrow in. I couldn't— for me personally, I couldn't see Those around me. I couldn't see their joy. I couldn't see the beauty outside of my own perspective. I lived within me. I lived within my symptoms. I lived within my issues. Everything was about me. And again, this was not necessarily an indictment of who I was. I wasn't being selfish. It's just that everything was so loud. The anxiety was so loud. The brain fog was so impactful. My nausea, my dizziness, everything took over my world. I couldn't see anything else because I couldn't get out of myself. This all changed when I realized something, that my perspective of myself, of my symptoms, was making it worse. My perspective of constantly looking for symptoms, for feeling symptoms, for pointing them out to myself was not helping. It was hindering my progress. So what I decided to do, the first thing I did was I made a note every day I was going to be grateful for one thing. One simple thing. Someone holding a door open for me. The fact that I am still able to work, to see my kids, even if I feel like I can hardly move. I still have something to be grateful for. I have— I could be grateful for life. I could be grateful for another day where I could maybe Improve my symptoms. The point being is that I was looking, I was searching for something, for anything. Going outside, hearing the birds, the sun coming through the clouds— those are all positives. Those are all things that I could find. Now, how does pointing out one point of gratitude impact the rest of my day, the rest of my recovery? Might seem crazy. But much like when you throw a pebble into a pond, the ripples have a great effect on the rest of the pond, the rest of the body of water. The same thing applies for gratitude. You could have one thought, one phrase. You could tell someone, thank you for helping me today. Thank you for being there when I'm struggling. That one phrase can carry you for hours. carry you for the rest of the day because it shapes how you view the world. When you start to see the good, you see the good in you. You see the progress instead of the regressions. You see how this life, although not perfect, does have things to be grateful for. Gratitude doesn't have to be something big. One of my favorite things to do Okay? Go for a walk. Just get outside. You're getting the fresh air, the bright sun, and you get to feel alive again. You get to see things for what they are. Don't bring any headphones. Don't be distracted. Just live in nature. Naturally, you'll see things of beauty if you open your eyes. You'll see sun and the clouds and the birds and the fact that it's a nice day out. The fact that you can actually go outside and maybe your symptoms will start to drop because you'll feel more calm, you'll feel more at ease, you'll feel like yourself. Okay? Again, all you need to do is to give your body proof. Again, this isn't going to last forever. You might go back in the house and eventually your symptoms come back. That's okay. But guess what? You've shown the way. You've taken that first step to tell your body. There is a way out. Okay, this doesn't have to be permanent. There is a way. And again, it starts with making those simple phrase changes. So again, you have those thoughts in your mind, not, why today again? I can't get up. I feel anxious all the time. Change the script. You don't have to block it out entirely. We know that there's always going to be an internal dialogue. It just doesn't always need to be negative droning. Again, this sounds easy. It's one of those things I say, it's simple but not easy. It's simple in theory, but the practical application can be tough. But you need to remind yourself. Maybe it is putting a sticky. What am I grateful for? I look at that, I say something, I remind myself, and I move on with my day. But again, you're laying the foundation for gratitude. for a better you, a more resilient you in the future. Okay, you're changing that neural pathway. You're changing your association you have with yourself and your symptoms. With this practice, you start to learn that you don't need to be symptom-free to be happy. You don't need to be symptom-free to enjoy your life. Now, this is the hardest thing. This was the hardest thing for me to understand. I felt like if I wasn't back to where I was, I was just gonna be miserable. I was just gonna be stuck in this rut forever. But if you look at yourself from where you were, not necessarily where you want to be, you can see progress. With progress creates belief, belief creates momentum, which creates an idea that you can change. Okay, an idea that you— there is possibility for you to get better. Okay, but it starts with those small steps. Again, If you want to find that meaning in the mess, you have to look. When you start, you really, really have to look. There's muck all around you. There's symptoms inside of you. You have to look hard, but it is there. Okay? And as soon as you do that, you reshape your perspective. Okay? You start to look through life a little bit differently. I'm not here to say that gratitude is going to change your pain, get rid of your symptoms entirely. But what it will do, it'll give you perspective. Okay? It'll make you think that maybe this, maybe this won't be permanent. Maybe I can live even though I have the brain fog, the irritability, the anxiety. Maybe I can still coexist. Maybe I still can exist in this world. What you're doing is you're embarking on a journey. And this journey is not going to be easy, but it is worth it. There's— there were days when I'd get up out of bed and say, why today? I could just go sit and lie down. But lying down and closing your eyes again, although it feels good in the moment, it's not serving your future self. Because lying down, you're just avoiding the issue. You still need to live your life. As hard as it is, you still need to live your life. And by finding points of gratitude for looking through the muck, you can do that. It's a start. Again, here's what I challenge you to do. Put a sticky on your mirror. Remind yourself through your phone 2 or 3 times a day, what am I grateful for? Okay, and again, I don't care. This The significance of what you're saying. It's the methodology. It's the process that matters. The fact that you're thinking about something beyond yourself, beyond your symptoms, beyond what you've been living with for the last week, months, years. It's a start. It's not an easy start, but it's a start and you can do it. I believe in you. If no one else does, I believe in you because I was there as well. Okay. Thanks for listening. Have yourself a great day. Bye.
