Hope, Healing, and the Power of Small Goals

Welcome to Brain Health and Healing. I'm Sandra Lee. This show is for people living with head injuries and the families and supporters who love them. If you are ready to reclaim your life, identity, and dreams for the future, you are in the right place. This morning, one of my clients knocked something over and broke it. Her brain sent an instruction to her hand, but it didn't get there. Again, this happens for her over and over. She described it to me this way: "I'm part of my own mess. I'm creating the problem, and I can't stop it. That's not weakness. It's not failure. That's a brain injury in the middle of an ordinary day, every single day. Beneath that moment is a deeper pain. Yes, there's a broken object. That's real life. What's truly devastating is the thought that comes next. I used to be capable. I used to be trusted with things. Now I can't even trust my own hands. And right behind that thought comes the one that does the real damage. This is just how it

is now. Fortunately, thanks to the work we've done together, this client has improved in so many ways. She describes it as a whole new world. She sees more light now, and the space in her home feels more open. She's certainly got healing to do. However, now she's got self-respect, and confidence, and empowerment that she never dreamed of having before. I've spent time in support groups for people with brain injuries. I hear that belief over and over, not the symptom itself, the belief that's beneath it, and once someone stops expecting things to change, they stop trying. That's the injury within the injury. If your brain isn't working properly, wherever you are in the healing process, or where someone you love is, this is what I want you to hear. It is possible for you to change. Your brain heals itself every day of your life. If your brain isn't performing as you need it to, it just hasn't been given what it needs to send messages correctly. It needs help. This isn't about being

broken. Whatever issue you are struggling with, whether an injury or anything else, your brain heals every day of your life. You heal yourself every day. The right messages just need to be heard. This is where hope comes in, not the blind kind. You want the hope that begins when you believe. Here are some tips you might find supportive. These apply generally as well as specifically for people who choose to work with me. Tip one. one: appreciate what you've already accomplished. The fear of hoping blindly and being wrong again is real. I'm not suggesting that you have to take things on faith. Here's something you can do to build hope on your own, right now. Think back over the last few weeks. Identify one improvement, even something small. Maybe you found a word faster than last month. Perhaps you're walking more easily. Did the fog lift a little earlier in the day? Write it down. That improvement already happened. It's not a hope. It's evidence. Recognizing what you've already

accomplished builds the ground you stand on for more hope moving forward. You're not manufacturing belief out of nothing. You're noticing what's already true. Now let's look at this specifically from the perspective of people who do choose to work with me. Every session includes a measurement, before and after, so you can see what has changed objectively, rather than just choosing to believe in it. When you're building trust in your ability to heal, you want evidence, not promises. The evidence we seek keeps confirming the same truth. Your brain heals itself every day. Tip two: Start smaller than you think. Need to. You don't need to commit to believing everything will change. That's like standing at the bottom of a massive mountain and declaring, "I'm getting to the top. Make it easier on yourself. This will provide the motivation that keeps you moving forward. Ask your body to make one small commitment and choose to believe it. When doubts come up, acknowledge them. Then choose to

believe you can accomplish what you intend. If someone who's had a stroke is unable to walk without a cane, saying "I will take two steps unassisted" is a really big deal. That's a small, reasonable goal that can motivate you every day. It's not a huge leap.

the people who've gotten here before you didn't feel ready either. My client Nadia described sitting in the dark, wearing two pairs of sunglasses with the sound off, waiting to die and hoping it would be soon. She didn't believe healing was available to her. She found my number on a crumpled piece of Kleenex passed between two women she barely knew, and she said, "I knew God sent me to that phone number. She didn't feel ready; she just made the call. What came back to her wasn't just function; she came back to herself. So keep your eyes open for unexpected opportunities. The next step is simple. You don't have to believe everything is about to change. You just have to be willing to set one small intention and choose to believe it. Schedule a free share your story call with me at shinewithsandra.com/brainstory. story. You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to hope blindly. There is also a link to schedule in the show notes.