The Mind of a Man; Top 10 Reasons why TBIs Rock! in The Mind of a Man

TOP TEN REASONS WHY TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES ROCK!

Brainline.org is a great site. It is an organization that supports those of us with TBIs and PTSD. I received my gift while in the Navy when I fell during a 5 mile run my first day in the high desert of Nevada. The air was not something I was used to and I passed out. My head slammed against concrete.

1. Music Choices. Thumping base and negative messages just don’t cut it. Happy and positive messages in song do cut it. Over time, and not much time, music of Love doesn’t just soothe your brain…it soothes your soul.
2. No More Bars. Bars are the worst. I have no idea when the last time I sat on a stool at a bar was. Seats are okay, but stools are poisonous. Inevitably, someone will sit next to you and you will have to make small talk. There is no such thing as small talk to those of us with a TBI, so you just avoid a bar completely. The byproduct is no drinking alcohol. Not drinking alcohol or using other drugs heals brain cells. “What do you think about this weather?” I freeze and nothing comes out of my mouth. Everything goes white…no more bars.
3. Directions Are Virtually Impossible. If I can’t use a GPS to get somewhere or I haven’t been there 25 times, forget about it. I’m pulling over to ask. That used to be a major faux pas. Now there is no worry. Besides, the GPS tells me “you have arrived” every day. That is always a good thing to hear.
4. TBI Gives A Great Excuse For Forgetting Names.
5. Shallow People Want Nothing To Do With You. It is a huge blessing when someone runs away the first time you dissociate, and you explain the reasons why. It is an even bigger blessing when someone replies, “Oh, my son/daughter/cousin/spouse (or I) has (have) Depression/PTSD/Bi-Polar Disorder/Social Anxiety…yada3. They immediately lose all worry and anxiety and you instantly bond. Typically, you rarely see or show symptoms when you are around people who have the same scar.
6. No Headaches. Ever. A headache means something is acutely wrong…get ye self to a doctor or ER. Other than the very rare situation, headaches just don’t happen at all for me.
7. Pain Is Not Normally Felt. Well, at least on the outside. Hanging a picture and you bang your thumb with a hammer…eh? You feel some pressure and it may be uncomfortable, but it is gone, and you forget about it in one second. The downside is you must be REALLY careful around fire. Burns just do not register.
8. Gaining New Superpowers. While living at 85-90% of previous capacity may sound like a drawback, you develop workarounds to continue to do certain things. They develop different parts of your brain that you never thought you could use.
9. Souls. You look deeper at souls. Every single time you meet a new person and they find out you have a TBI, you can flip a coin as to whether they will be empathetic or run. Empathy is so freaking sexy. Pity is ugly but understanding and compassion trumps breasts and butts any day of the week!
10. You Find Your Bliss And Can Love With The Best Of Them. Avoiding things that don’t benefit you is mandatory. If it doesn’t make you happy you learn to dump it quickly. Once that uncomfortable feeling starts to root inside, it grows and takes over everything if you don’t remove it from the inventory immediately. Happy stuff puts us over the top. Love is the only thing that really matters and heals.