Reclaiming You

Feb 28

In This Reflection:

Grieving the version of yourself you once knew
Navigating identity changes after brain injury
Letting go of comparison to your “old self”
Building strength in new ways
Allowing recovery to unfold without a rigid timeline

It’s an odd feeling, losing a piece of yourself that you can’t quite get back. Standing face to face with yourself in the mirror, and seeing someone who feels familiar, yet distant at the same time. You may wish for a time machine to go back to that last moment when you felt whole, to feel the comfort of being entirely yourself again. It can feel isolating, even demeaning, like no one else could understand the weight of what you’re going through.

However, there is a village in your corner, and you cannot let those feelings stop you. When you overcome something that has the potential to break your spirit, you realize just how much power you truly hold. You have the chance to look adversity straight in the eyes and decide that it will not win because you will not let it. You must refuse to give up. Don’t aim to be the old version of yourself, but reach for the future you that is still waiting to be forged, an opportunity to build yourself up. Much like the phoenix rising from the ashes, you will rise, and you will be strong.

Patience is key. There is no timeline carved in stone, so let recovery come like the flow of waves, sometimes crashing and splashing, but always moving forward just as it’s meant to. Chase progress rather than perfection, and remember that every tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity to make yesterday’s version of you proud. Each small step, each moment of resilience, is progress, even if it doesn’t feel monumental.

At the end of the day — you’re human, I’m human, we’re all human. We stumble, we fall, we doubt ourselves, but we also rise, we grow, and we endure. Life is not about avoiding hardship, but about meeting it with perseverance. It won’t be easy, but you can do it.

Written by: Hunter Schulz
Person Living with a Brain Injury

This is a piece to empower those going through their brain injury journey to keep pushing. Serving as a reminder that they are not alone, and there is a community where they belong.