I remember the advice from my friend, who knew someone else who had gone through a lengthy concussion recovery process. “Tell Rikke that she will get well. She has to keep believing in it. She will recover.” That was the message.
At that time, it was difficult. There I sat, tears in my eyes, knocked out. I could hardly recognize myself. I was emotionally fragile, and every small challenge threw me over the edge. At times, I even questioned if I had developed a depression on top of the concussion.
Despite all of this, I kept believing that things would get better. I used laughter exercises during my walks – ha ha ha – trying to convince (trick?) my brain that I was fine! I smiled during my walks even when there was nothing to smile about. I was convinced that positive psychology, which was essentially what I was practicing, would do some good. It’s strange to walk and smile, laugh “in a fake way,” all while having the worst headache and, even more bizarrely, tears streaming down my cheeks. But the amazing part was that it often lightened up my mood. It felt good. So, the advice from me is – smile! Laugh. Fake it ’til you make it. Even when there’s nothing to smile about. Try it. And most importantly, keep believing in your recovery.
When science falls short, it’s faith that we can lean on. Rarely have I prayed to so many higher powers as during my 2 1/2 year-long recovery with concussion/tbi. And rarely have my children actively sought opportunities to see shooting stars as much as when I was at my worst. Faith, hope, and love have taken on a whole new dimension in my life. It’s possibly one of the greatest gifts from my life crisis.