mild Traumatic Brain Injury - Afterdeployment.org

1.2.4 Relationship Between Symptoms
The complex relationship between concussion symptoms is further complicated by an individual’s personality style, life
experience, and personal strengths. For example, let's say that John is experiencing some common concussion symptoms.
He’s not able to concentrate at his job, and he’s often irritable, snapping at co-workers. Unfortunately, his tension
headaches are interfering with his sleep; lacking proper rest, John’s concentration worsens and he becomes more irritable.
Worrying more and more, the sleepless nights add up, and a vicious cycle begins to unfold.
When symptoms do not resolve
quickly, there is more emotional
distress. And, John’s recovery is
compounded by the interaction of his
symptoms. Decreased sleep results
in increased irritability; in turn,
increased irritability and problems with
co-workers cause John to worry more
and sleep even less! This leads to
more thinking problems.
Remember, the most effective treatment for any concussion involves working in all three of the following areas:
1.2.4.1 Break the Cycle
Monitoring thoughts is as important as
monitoring symptoms. It’s important to
recognize instances of being negative or
saying things like “This is never going to go
away” or “I’m really messed up.” To combat
negative thinking, replace negative thoughts
with positive ones. Use statements like
“This is uncomfortable but most people get
over concussions in a few months” or “I can
do my best even when I don't feel at my
best.”
1.3 DEALING WITH DAY-TO-DAY PROBLEMS
Understanding the many symptoms that occur following a
concussion is important, as it can help you take control of your
recovery. However, “symptoms” are just labels for parts of your mind
or body that are not working the way you expect. The critical issue is
how symptoms factor into real problems in day-to-day life. We call
these secondary problems because they are a step removed from
either a concussion injury or post-deployment stress.