HOW LIFE EXPERIENCES, LIFE ROLES, SPIRITUALITY, AND SENSE OF SELF CONTRIBUTE TO HOW YOU MANAGE

Life roles, sense of self, and spirituality contributed to how the person with TBI and their loved ones were able to cope with and adapt to the effects of the injury. For example, having a sense of one’s self as adaptable, spiritual or having a particular type of life experience helped people to navigate their recovery. These also contributed to how people made sense of both the incident that led to the injury and the effects experienced over time, including helping them see the 'good' in their experiences as well as the 'bad'.

The ability of other people to see this (individual or connected) 'self' rather than just the injury and the effects of the injury was often important to help the person to find ways of managing the effects of the injury and navigating changes in a way that fit with their sense of self. At some times for some people, dealing with injury-related changes and the impact on these on their life and sense of self could be overwhelming, leading to a sense of wanting to 'get away' from the whole situation. Family and other important people could be influential in the person's ability to navigate through recovery and adaptation.