I Have a What? A Guide for Coping with Moderate-to-Severe TBI

RRTC ON COMMUNITY INTEGRATION OF PERSONS WITH TBIUse self-talk – A way to help change your thinking and to manage youranger is to use “self-talk.” If you find yourself getting angry or irritated, youcan say things to yourself to help you calm down. For example, when youfeel yourself tensing up, you could say to yourself, “Take a deep breath andrelax.” Or, if you are talking to an angry person, you could say to yourself,“Blowing up only gives them what they want. I will stay cool.”Medications. For some people, controlling anger may be a big problem. Itmay be difficult to manage or may result in bad consequences for theindividual or others. If anger management is a big problem for you, youmay wish to talk to your doctor. There are some medications that may behelpful in managing your mood.Lack of awareness/Denial of problemsAfter a moderate-to-severe TBI, some people may notbe aware of their problems. You may get intoarguments with your family members because theythink you are denying the problems. Even after amoderate-to-severe TBI, you may believe that youhave not changed at all. You may feel that you donot have any problems. Nothing may be different foryou. Sometimes you may feel that the doctors donot know what they are talking about because youthink you are O.K. Other people may be blamed for the things that you cannot do.Although denial may be a way that some people deal with their losses, lack ofawareness is a common problem as a result of a moderate-to-severe TBI. Sometimesthe brain injury makes a person unable to recognize problems.Page 41