S2 E 41: Skills for Recovery with Eryn

Written By Eryn Martin


A first ever solo episode! Join Eryn as she delves into all the skills that have helped her post brain injury.  Listen to learn more about pacing, the value of a broad support team, monopolizing on your new ‘slower’ brain, and for some awesome pod, book, and movie recommendations. You won’t want to miss this one.  It’s all that and a bag of tricks! (Just a little biased:)

  • In this episode: 

    • **note: this was recorded before our season opener, we WILL be releasing episodes every week starting Jan. 3, 2022

    • Value of rest

    • Value of the community.  We got you! I know they had me and still do.

    • Lessons learned in recovery:

      • Reaching out and helping others

      • Not here to preach to others on what to do or not to do

      • Value of life coaching

        • See links below for Joanne Susi

        • Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts (BIA-MA)–has great support group resources

      • The pitfalls of doing what you “should“ do or some rule you need to follow

        • …this is your ego talking.  Your mind’s voice. 

        • The ego is based on what you have done in the past and values keeping you safe.  Left unchecked, it can keep you stuck

        • The other voice is your spiritual self i.e. god, intuition, universe, etc..it can help you try something new

      • The art of slowness

        • Sitting and reflecting

        • Brain injury may make you feel slow, the art of getting through brain injury is figuring out how to monopolize on this

        • Rest

        • Prioritization

          • Suggestion: write dpwn each thing you need to do and then put it away. Take a rest. Come back to it.  Narrow down which things need to stay on the to-do list based on the due date. 

            •  What date is it actually due? Do you really need to get this done ahead of time? 

            • Do things for when they are actually due.  

            • Work on a piece of each thing gradually.  

            • You don’t have to over-achieve or have things done early. 

        • Time out how long common tasks take you.  This will help you plan so that you can avoid overbooking yourself

          • Time blocking

            • Try to avoid rigidity.  Leave some flexibility in your schedule

            • In order to time block you have to know how long each thing actually takes you (on average)

            • Once you know how long things take, were you scheduling realistically or trying to cram too much in?

            • Do you have realistic expectations?

            • Reflect on how you use your time

      • The dangers of unsolicited advice and trying to force moments with other people.  What you want might not be realistic

      • “Brain injury strength”: the opportunities found in hardship; where you see the beauty

        • Movie: Collateral Beauty- seeing the beauty in the hard times

        • Beauty still occurs while awfulness is happening. The world is filled with oxymorons

      • It's ok to be human; to be imperfect.  Dichotomies exist.  We have to be flexible. It’s not black and white.  Good exists with the bad. Look for the collateral beauty. 

    • Brain injury journey

      • I lay out what I’ve been through.  I’m vulnerable.

      • I’m a caterpillar that can see butterflies and wants to be one.  I’m slowly becoming one.

      • Synopsis of my stroke experience (related to perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage) 

      • The lows of depression lasted 10 months

        • Mental Health Therapy and life coaching have been a must!

      • Support system: family and friends

        • Best hubby award goes to…Troy!

      • Low self-esteem with depression

      • Hyperactivity, headaches, tingling, no-energy, fatigued, and impulse control issues rear their ugly heads

      • Unsupportive healthcare providers 

      • Functional neurology (turned out to be a dead end, OT ended up being the most helpful)

      • Asking supports to give me a check if I am acting out of line

    • Resources

  • Links to any resources mentioned: 

  • Support us at: 

    • Patreon

    • Donate!- section on our website.  10% of profits go to our favorite non-profit of the moment

 

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

 

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Eryn Martin
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S2 E 42: Mindset, Mindfulness, and Movement with Sara Howe, Holistic Coach and Trainer
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S2 E40: Mariah and Eryn: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going