15 Practices That Helped My Traumatic Brain Injury

Is it possible to recover from a traumatic brain injury? In this special session, I wanna share with you some strategies that have helped me recover from my TBI. Before we go into this, I'm not a doctor. This is not intended to diagnose or treat any kind of medical condition. Talk to your expert healthcare provider. That's the responsible thing to do. I'm gonna share with you some things that have been helpful for me and what I've observed in helping clients and, and friends of mine also as well, 'cause we get a lot of questions asking about TBIs and what are some things you could do to not only bounce back, but also to be able to bounce forward. Recovering from a traumatic brain injury, a TBI, it requires a science-based approach to supporting your brain's natural healing process. While individual recovery varies based on So many different things on severity and type of injuries. I'm just gonna share a few recommendations, general recommendations. Talk to your doctor. You could go to somebody, an expert like Dr. Daniel Amen, who scanned my brain years ago and more recently. He helped me navigate through my recovery. So while individual recovery, it varies based on the severity and the type of injury, these recommendations are grounded in neuroscience. And aim to optimize your brain health, neuroplasticity, your cognitive function and performance. And they're common sense, but they're not always common practice. Sometimes we ignore the fundamentals, but these really are everything. In no specific order, I would say number one, prioritize your rest and your sleep. Why? Sleep is critical for brain repair and for our recovery. During sleep, the brain clears toxins, reduces inflammation, consolidates new neural pathways, your memory, and more. It's not so much the hours of sleep, But really the quality of your, of your deep sleep, your REM sleep. Make sure you're setting your goal and you're doing things like sleep hygiene to get you there. You could create a sleep-conducive environment, make it dark, make it quiet, make it cool. A reminder to avoid screens at night, at least an hour before bed to support your melatonin production. You could take a warm bath. When you step out, your core body temperature will drop and you'll produce that melatonin. So many things you could do. We've done multiple episodes on sleep. We talk about sleep in Limitless also, but prioritize your sleep. Number 2, you might want to consider following an anti-inflammatory diet. And everyone's a little bio-individual with their diet, right? There's all kinds of assessments. And again, recommend you go to a doctor. Again, not treating or diagnosing anything. TBIs often leads to brain inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet could be supportive For your brain health. It can reduce oxidative stress. Omega-3 fatty acids that are found in fatty fish like salmon, sardines, flaxseeds, walnuts. Omega-3s support neuroplasticity, reduce inflammation. Antioxidants, eating colorful fruit and vegetables. And I love my blueberries. I love my spinach, my kale to combat oxidative stress, right? Antioxidants. Get your healthy fats. Included is avocados, olive oil. You might get nuts to nourish your brain cells. Reduce processed foods. Reduce processed sugar. Right? You want to avoid those those glucose spikes. We've covered that a lot in the podcast also as well. Compromise your insulin resistance. The trans fats, which could really exasperate inflammation. I want to remind everyone also. Number 3 is to stay hydrated. Why? Your brain is mostly water. Dehydration can impair brain function and it could delay recovery. So drink your water. Your brain is mostly water. Just staying hydrated could boost your reaction time, your thinking speed upwards of 30%. For me, I put a little lemon or a little bit of electrolytes in my water. I also limit caffeine and alcohol because they could dehydrate your body. Number 4, engage in physical activity. It might have to start out gentle. For me, when I had my brain injury, I had a lot of balance issues. I would have migraines every day. I was very— I lost all kinds of coordination. But if you can engage in gentle physical activity, movement increases blood flow to the brain, which could support healing, more oxygen to your brain. It could also reduce stress. You create BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factors. Which is like fertilizer for your brain. When you exercise, you get dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, you know, all these neurochemicals that are good for cognitive health. You could start with something light, light activities if you're able to, like walking or yoga, and gradually you can increase intensity. And you can do this under medical guidance. Avoid high-impact sports or activities that could risk further brain injury. Number 5, there is cognitive rehabilitation. And certain brain exercises, right? Neuroplasticity, your brain's ability to reorganize, to adapt, is really a key to your recovery. You could work with a cognitive therapist for targeted exercises to improve memory, attention, problem solving. You could use brain training like we have on our Kwik Brain app to learn to read faster, to improve your memory, to improve your focus, to change your negative beliefs you have around your TBI. And so the more active you can be in moderation, it can help stimulate your cognitive You could practice mindfulness or meditation to enhance your focus, but also reduce your stress. Chronic stress will shrink your brain. And so do you have ways of coping with stress? 6th quick tip, you can support your neuroplasticity with what I talked about earlier, which is learning. Learning new skills or hobbies promotes the creation of new neural pathways. How do you do it? You start small. Learn one new word a day or solve a puzzle. Challenge yourself, practice a new hobby. Maybe you want to take up painting or a musical instrument, or you want to start learning how to cook, and then gradually increase your cognitive challenges as your brain is doing more healing. 7th quick tip, manage your stress effectively. We talked about this. It's like phone focus. Stress impairs your ability to heal and could exasperate TBI symptoms. Like fatigue or mood changes. You could practice deep breathing exercises. You could do box breathing. Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and then hold for another 4. Or 4-7-8. You can inhale for 4, hold your breath for 7, exhale for 8. You could engage in mindfulness or meditation to calm your nervous system. Our team enjoys an app called NuCalm. N-U-C-A-L-M dot com. You could try their app, or there are many other things. Some people will use EFT or tapping to reduce their nervousness or their stress. You can spend time in nature or with supportive loved ones. Do you want to be able to remember confidently the information that you hear on this podcast? Do you want to improve your memory to easily and confidently be able to remember names and faces, client information, Give a speech without notes, learn another language, remember what you read, and so much more. There's a solution, and I call it your quick recall. In just 15 minutes a day for 30 days, I've designed the ultimate course, How to Unlock Your Quick Recall. Just go to quickbrain.com/recall, enter podcast15 for your immediate discount, As a thank you for listening to our show. Number 8, consider nutritional supplements. You could talk again to your qualified nutritionist, your functional medicine doctor. Some nutrients have been shown to support brain health and brain function post-injury. And so if you want a list, you could go to brainnutrition.com, brainnutrition.com. We highlight a whole area, a chapter we did in Limitless called Neuro Nutrition. And everything for your omega-3 fatty acids, which could be fish oil supplements to help reduce inflammation. You could supplement with something called curcumin, which is found in turmeric. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. What about your vitamin D? Check your vitamin D levels. It supports overall brain health, your immune function. Magnesium plays a role in reducing neuroinflammation. And can improve cognitive function. Your B vitamins, especially B6, B9, B12, which supports energy metabolism, which could help support brain repair. Always consult a health practitioner before starting any kind of regimen. Number 9, you could try neurofeedback. Neurofeedback therapy can help retrain your brain, improving cognitive function, Emotional regulation. Work with a licensed neurofeedback therapist. They could be using EEG technology to guide your brainwaves into healthier patterns. 10th suggestion would be to limit your screen time. This is one that I feel like everyone could benefit from. Overexposure to screens can often worsen fatigue, headaches, cognitive overload. You don't have to do this all at once, but what if you took regular breaks? You could use the 20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look away for 20 seconds at something 20 feet away. You could use blue light filters. You could use blue light blocking glasses to reduce the eye strain. Number 11, as a reminder, stay socially engaged. Social interaction, it stimulates the brain and improves emotional wellbeing. Connecting with friends, family, support groups. Engage in a group activity. Like maybe you want to join our book club or online coaching. Something when you're ready. But just being around people that encourage you, that believe in you, that cheerlead for you helps you to reduce stress. You have to be able to learn and level up together. Number 12, monitor and address your emotional health. TBI often affects mood, Mental health. It could lead to anxiety, depression, irritability, and you could seek counseling. You could seek therapy to process these emotions and build coping skills. You could practice gratitude and journaling to focus on positive outcomes during your recovery. Number 13, just try to eliminate or reduce the toxins in your life. The brain is highly sensitive to toxins, which can slow your healing. Avoid smoking, recreational drugs, minimize exposures to environmental toxins, whether they're pesticides, whether they're heavy metals, whether it's mold. Number 14, work with a multidisciplinary team. Recovery is complex and it sometimes takes a village and benefits from input from various specialists, right? Seeing things as a whole. So collaborate with those experts. You could seek out a neurologist, a physical therapist, occupational therapist, a dietitian, a nutritionist for a comprehensive recovery plan. It's not always available, but if it is within your means, you know, seek that help. Number 15, probably most important, is be patient. When I was going through this, it took years for me to feel normal again. You know, I just didn't have the resources or the connections or the insights or the ideas to do so. Be patient and celebrate any progress you're making. Brain recovery, it takes time. Even small improvements are significant. So track your progress. You can keep a journal. That's what I used to do. Recognize your milestones. Celebrate incremental gains. It helps you stay motivated and stay positive through these difficult times. And so recovering from a TBI It's a journey, but your brain is remarkably resilient. With the right combination of rest, nutrition, movement, mental stimulation, social support, you can optimize your brain's ability to bounce back and bounce forward, to be able to thrive more. Remember, progress may feel slow at times, but every step forward is a victory. You wanna stay hopeful. Your brain has the most limitless potential. I believe in you. I believe in your brain. Until next time, be limitless.