Gentle Ways to Do Hard Things After Brain Injury
“Tiny steps still move you forward.”
Have you ever stared at a simple task…
📧 Answer one email.
🧺 Fold one basket of laundry.
📞 Make one phone call.
…and your brain says,
“Nope.”
If you have a traumatic brain injury, you are not alone.
One of the biggest misconceptions about procrastination is that it means someone is lazy.
For many of us with TBI, it means our brain is overwhelmed.
Dr. Itamar Shatz’s new book explains that procrastination isn’t one problem. There are many different reasons we delay. Once we understand why, we can choose a strategy that actually helps. (University of Cambridge)
🧠 Which one sounds like you?
😟 1. The Worrier
“I’m afraid I’ll mess it up.”
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
Break the task into the tiniest possible first step.
Don’t finish the project.
Just begin.
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🌧️ 2. The Pessimist
“It won’t work anyway.”
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
Ask:
“What if it goes a little better than I expect?”
Borrow hope until your brain can make its own.
⸻
✨ 3. The Perfectionist
“It has to be perfect.”
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
Progress beats perfection.
Done today is better than perfect someday.
⸻
☁️ 4. The Dreamer
“I love planning…”
…but starting is hard.
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
Spend less time planning.
More time taking one tiny action.
⸻
🔀 5. The Zigzagger
You start five things…
…and finish none.
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
Choose ONE task.
Put everything else on tomorrow’s list.
⸻
💪 6. The Rebel
“I don’t want anyone telling me what to do.”
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
Remind yourself:
“I’m doing this for ME.”
Not because someone else wants it.
⸻
🎢 7. The Thrill Seeker
“I work best under pressure.”
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
After TBI, last-minute stress often makes symptoms worse.
Create gentle mini-deadlines before the real one.
⸻
🍩 8. The Hedonist
“This other thing feels easier.”
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
Do five minutes of the hard thing…
Then reward yourself.
Brains love rewards.
⸻
😴 9. The Burnout
“I don’t have anything left.”
Many TBI survivors live here.
❤️ Love Love Strategy:
Sometimes the most productive thing is…
💤 Sleep.
🥗 Eat.
🚶 Walk.
💧 Hydrate.
❤️ Rest.
Healing is productive.
🩷 A Love Love Brain Twist
Brain injury changes everything.
Sometimes what looks like procrastination is actually:
🧠 Cognitive fatigue
💥 Pain
😵 Sensory overload
😰 Anxiety
😴 Poor sleep
❤️ An overwhelmed nervous system
Before asking,
“Why am I so lazy?”
Try asking,
“What does my brain need right now?”
That question changes everything.
🌱 The Love Love Brain Challenge
Today…
Choose ONE task.
Not ten.
One.
Then make it so small that your brain cannot say no.
✔️ Open the document.
✔️ Wash one plate.
✔️ Read one page.
✔️ Walk for two minutes.
✔️ Send one text.
Small actions become habits.
Habits become confidence.
Confidence becomes healing.
♥️ Final Thought
Recovery isn’t built by giant heroic moments.
It’s built by hundreds of tiny victories.
One loving step.
One gentle choice.
One brave beginning.
Every single day.
Love Love,
♥️♥️🧠 Adeline
Do you Love Love YOUR Brain?