♥️♥️🧠 Love Love Brain

Life after a brain injury can come with a lot of loss.

Relationships can change. Work can change. Hobbies can become harder. Even the way we connect with people can feel different.

For me, grieving those changes has been a big part of my recovery. But I am also learning something important: when one chapter changes, there can still be room for something new.

New friendships. New experiences. And a new version of me.

💔 When Relationships Change

As a traumatic brain injury survivor, I have lost quite a few friendships and relationships with people I love.

I believe they love me too, but my injury changed me. My abilities changed, and that affected my ability to have some of the same relationships I had before.

That loss can hurt deeply.

It is okay to grieve the people, routines, activities, and parts of your old life that changed after your injury.

🌱 Making Room for Something New

For a while, I was heartbroken about the relationships I had lost.

But something unexpected happened.

I started making new friends who are also traumatic brain injury survivors.

These friendships are different because these people understand what I am going through. They understand that recovery can change how we communicate, what we can do, and what we need from others.

I have found a new circle of caring and thoughtful people who accept me as I am.

🎁 A Gift From a New Friend

One of my new TBI friends, Carol, was traveling near St. Helena, close to Napa wine country.

While she was there, she saw something that made her think of me.

She bought it, brought it home, and mailed it to me.

When I opened the package, I discovered a book called Happiness Is 500 Things to Be Happy About by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar.

It was filled with illustrations and little things that can bring happiness.

One page mentioned things like talented street performers, rolling down a grassy hill, fresh lemons, untamable curly hair, and finally getting a hula hoop going while wearing a tutu.

It was simple, playful, and sweet.

💌 It’s the Thought That Matters

What made the gift especially meaningful was the note Carol included.

She told me that she saw the book and thought of me. She also encouraged me to keep my positive thoughts alive.

That meant so much to me.

She calls and checks on me, and she has become a really good friend.

Knowing that someone was traveling, saw something, thought of me, and took the time to send it to me made me feel remembered and cared for.

🧠 Finding People Who Understand

One of the things I have learned through brain injury recovery is how valuable peer support can be.

Sometimes the people who understand us best are people who have experienced something similar.

A TBI support group or community can create opportunities to meet people who understand the challenges of recovery firsthand.

You may discover friendships that you never expected.

🐶 My Service Dog Is Part of My Support System

My psychiatric service dog was also right there with me while I opened my gift.

Having him beside me is another part of my support system.

In the video, I also encourage other TBI survivors to consider finding supportive communities and, when appropriate for their situation, exploring whether a service dog could be helpful.

Every person’s needs are different, so decisions about service animals should be considered carefully with the appropriate professionals.

🌱 A New Family

I did lose people after my brain injury.

But I have also gained people.

I now have a new circle of friends who are caring, sweet, thoughtful, and understanding.

In some ways, they have become a new kind of family.

That does not erase the grief of what I lost.

It simply reminds me that loss is not the only part of my story.

There can also be connection.

There can be friendship.

There can be love.

There can be new beginnings.

💗 Love Love Brain Note

If relationships have changed after your brain injury, please remember that your story is not over.

You may miss the people and life you had before. That grief is real.

But there may also be room for new connections with people who understand the person you are becoming.

Sometimes a new friendship starts with something as simple as a message, a support group, a book club, or someone saying, “I understand.”

You are still worthy of friendship, love, and connection.

You may have lost part of your old circle, but you can still build a new one. 💗

🎥 Watch the Video

Watch the video that inspired this blog post:

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Note: Every brain injury is different. This content is for education and support, not medical advice.