After a brain injury, some changes may occur in your feelings, the way you express your emotions or how you manage them. They may be related to the brain injury itself, but also to the events associated with it (reaction to your stay in the hospital, difficulties encountered or realization in a second time of what you have experienced for example).
We all have our own ways of coping with overwhelming emotions: taking time to be alone or distracting ourselves, seeing friends and family, doing sports, working... Sometimes your usual strategies are no longer available and you need to find new tools to better manage your emotions (for example, if sports are prohibited due to physical problems).
Managing emotions
It is perfectly normal to feel emotions (positive or negative) because they are part of our lives and help us adapt (for example, anxiety can help us prepare for an event). Managing them does not mean suppressing them. The goal is rather to be able to control their manifestations so that they do not interfere with your activities. To preserve your well-being and that of your loved ones, it is important to have moments without sadness, anger or anxiety. Sometimes, you also need to allow yourself to simply express your emotions in order to make your needs heard.
Observing and reacting
Observing the context in which the emotion arises and your own reactions is already a first step towards better emotional management. You can observe your bodily sensations to better anticipate an emotion and understand when it is coming (increased heart rate, feeling of heat, trembling, etc.). It can also be useful to think about the situations that trigger the emotion (is it related to hunger? Fatigue? Noise? A situation that reminds you of a health problem?) and imagine how another person would react in this context to change your point of view.
You can also find tips and exercises to try based on how you’re feeling right now by clicking on a representation of your current state below.