𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗨𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆

 

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿
𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘐𝘏𝘕 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥.

==========================

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗨𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆

As I sit here writing this, I find myself ruminating over some upcoming changes that are producing a great deal of anxiety. The strange thing is, it’s a good change.

As some of you know, I have been living alone on a 100-acre farm in the middle of nowhere without a vehicle for over three months. Recently, I may have found a good vehicle. Something that should be exciting and positive has instead brought on feelings of panic, pressure, anxiety, and overthinking. It all feels overwhelming.

I keep asking myself, why?

When I look back, I’ve noticed that both good and bad changes affect my brain injury. I tend to like things the same and predictable. My thinking can be very black and white. You see, getting a vehicle will change my life in many ways. Logically, I know it’s a good thing. But over the past few months, I’ve become accustomed to being alone and rarely leaving the house. I haven’t had to navigate the chaos of the outside world and all the overstimulation that can come with it.

Trying to understand why this change was upsetting me so much, I decided to look up the meaning of the word change.

Definition of change: Webster’s: To make something different in some way; to undergo modification; to alter; to transform; to replace with something else.

Reading that definition actually made me uneasy. So I dug a little deeper.

Change can be especially difficult for someone with a brain injury because it disrupts fragile, newly formed routines and overwhelms reduced cognitive, emotional, and sensory processing capacities. Damage to the brain’s executive functions, often located in the frontal lobes, can reduce flexibility and make it harder to adapt to new situations, manage impulses, or process unexpected information.

Some key reasons change can be difficult after brain injury include:

• Reduced Cognitive Flexibility – The brain struggles to adapt to new or unpredictable situations, causing a strong attachment to routines.

• Diminished Executive Function – Difficulty with planning, organizing, and problem solving can make even small changes feel overwhelming.

• Sensory and Mental Overload – Brain injury can reduce the brain’s ability to filter information, leading to fatigue, confusion, and stress when environments change.

• Emotional Dysregulation – Anxiety, frustration, or irritability can occur more easily when faced with unexpected change.

• Memory Challenges – Learning and remembering new routines can take more time and effort.

• Social Withdrawal – Overstimulation or uncertainty may cause people to isolate themselves.

• Rigidity – A strong need for predictable routines helps create a sense of safety and control.

After researching this, I’ve come to realize that change is always evolving, and our brain injuries don’t always distinguish between good change and bad change. The brain simply recognizes that something is different.

So I will acknowledge the anxiety, but I will also push through it. I will allow this new chapter to unfold and evolve into what it is meant to be.

Sometimes growth still feels uncomfortable, even when it’s leading us somewhere better!

==========================

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻

Susan Gallant is a Canadian survivor who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in February 2011 after a horseback riding accident that caused extensive facial fractures and a serious head injury. Before her injury, she was a successful real estate agent who thrived in a fast paced, socially connected career. Today Susan lives on a one-hundred-acre farm in rural Ontario, where she raises and shows English Mastiffs. With more than fifteen years of lived experience, she brings insight, compassion, and encouragement to the BIHN community while supporting others on their recovery journeys.