The Well Brain

02/27/2026

The Maine Statewide Brain Injury Support Group meets on the first Wednesday of each month, and the next meeting is on Wednesday, March 4. More info below!

02/07/2026

Always such a great conference for everyone! I'll be presenting this year, Navigating the real life cognitive load of recovery. Hope to see you there.

🎉 Registration is OPEN! 🎉 As of today, you can sign up for BIA-MA’s 44th Annual Brain Injury Conference, happening March 25–26, 2026. Take advantage of early bird pricing through 2/20/26 and save your spot now!

✨ BIA-MA members receive a special discount—so if you’re thinking about attending, consider becoming a member before you register to get the best rate.

👉 Learn more and register at biama.org/annualconference.

02/02/2026

Spoon theory doesn't make sense to everyone and that's ok.

Part of the work that I do is figuring out with each individual client which method of thinking or analogy make sense to them in a way that makes it so easy to use every day.

This is one such model!

Bump: a bump into its symptoms is okay. We greet them, we name them, and we allow them to bump or increase a point or two up on your personal tolerance scale. This is meant to change and improve over time. What you bump early in recovery is not the same thing as what you bump years down the road in healing and life

Push: a push is something that you push into or against as far as symptoms. Again we acknowledge why the symptoms are happening and remind the body it is safe. A push has a why or a priority that you know is important to you and it's worth the push. Again what you can push early in the journey is very different than what you can push later on. As your strategies get better this also changes because you're recovery time from a push shortens.

Shove: shoves happen either by life or by situation. We again acknowledge symptoms, and we pull out all the strategies and tips and techniques to help navigate the best you can. There is intentionality in your recovery and how you can build back up to a bump.

A few questions you can ask yourself:

Do I bump enough? Because this speaks to improved cognitive and physical endurance.

What is worth a push? Because having your world get too small is so detrimental to healing.

What are my strategies for shoves? Because life will certainly give us situations and events that require us to know exactly what are best strategies are to get back to bumps as quickly as we can.

If bumps, pushes, and shoves is also a spoonful of no thanks for you, I encourage you to consider what analogy aligns best with your continued learning for managing capacity and symptoms.

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01/21/2026

As if parenting wasn't hard enough!

Navigating parenting after brain injury brings in so many new challenges, heightened sensitivities, and changes the dynamic in the family.

Here are 3 strategies to put in place right away while navigating the dual demands of a healing brain and a family.

#1 let your village in. Family and friends want to be helpful. Give them specific ways to help and educate about the why.
Example: could you please bring Timmy to the birthday party with your son. Since sustaining a brain injury these party places start a migraine that can last for days. I don't want Timmy to miss out.

#2 Schedule restorative time like it is an appointment. Yes actually put it on a calendar! Treat rest and recovery like the non-negotiable job that it is.
Example: after dinner time I need Suzy to put the dishes in the dishwasher, Timmy to put away cups, and Hunny please clean the pan in the sink. I have an appointment with my noise cancelling headphones and binaural beats in the bedroom for 30 minutes.

#3 Prioritize your energy on the things that mean the most to you and your family (you will have to ask them for this info).
Example: Suzy you have basketball and a birthday party this weekend, which one is most important for me to be there for even if only for a little bit.

I hope these 3 little strategies find their way into the challenges of navigating brain injury recovery and parenting.

Share your tips in the comments for others on a similar journey.

Follow me for more brain injury education and tips.

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01/13/2026

Working on your memory?

Here are 5 practical tips to help with memory-

1) talk out loud- not just in your head but truly say what you want to remember out loud. You think the thought, formulate the speech, use the muscles, hear the sound, process the language and it helps store the memory. A phrase like- "while I am remembering, let me put that in my calendar" is a great was to store and take action.

2) lean into repetition. The brain loves repetition and so multiple methods for reminders or cues helps the storage and retrieval process.

3) use environmental clues. This is for those almost forgetting moments. You are working hard to recall something, take a moment and a breath and visualize the environment (sights, sounds, smells, etc) you were in when you were trying to store the memory. I can help with the recall process.

4) consistent strategies. Knowing how you store and recall memories, you can repeat the success. Ask yourself, what helped you recall something and make that method consistent.

5) celebrate the successful memory moments more than you harp on the forgotten ones. Negativity toward your ability to recall things fosters more forgetting. Flip that script and your successful recall breeds even more success.

Now to really hold on to this thought, go back and re-read these 5 tips, out loud, and then share with a friend. You got this!

persistentpostconcussion

12/30/2025

Have you ever over committed your capacity to an organizational task?

Do you walk away from a bigger mess with the feeling of frustration?

I hear this time and time again with clients... It's impacted by attention, task initiation, neurofatigue, and spirals into judgment and self-doubt.

Let's talk about three strategies to stop this cycle!

You've already done a big part with awareness. 👏

1-now you are going to have a plan on how to quit... Before you even start. I call this the work in progress bin. Before starting a big task, have a space to put things into if you need to take a break or walk away without creating a bigger mess that stresses your brain out. For example, cleaning out a file cabinet have a bin for things to shred and space (tucked away) for 'to be continued piles'. Don't surround yourself with a million different piles that you then have to climb over and avoid going back into that room for the rest of the day.

2-set a timer for check-ins or pauses to make sure your quitting plan is shaping up. Then set a different timer for when to quit, and this is not negotiable. It should take you no more than 3 to 5 more minutes to tidy up to allow you to function in that space again. For example, cleaning out drawers, when the drawer is finished it can be closed and unfinished drawers can be left in the work in progress bin. You can still walk in that room and not climb over things.

3-ask for help while making sure to communicate your expectations and guidelines. Sometimes your best organizational friends have different capacity than you do, make sure you are the lead for the quitting plan, the timer, and any expectations. They have to be amenable to your work in progress.

Now you know better and can do better.

So go ahead and post a brain winning organizational task and tag me. I love to hear how you stayed within capacity and we get to celebrate!

12/09/2025

Anyone confused about brain fog or neurofatigue?

One of my favorite topics to unpack...

The hard truth is that although you no longer take your brain for granted, it's likely that you are taking your brain's job for granted when it comes to cognition.

Attention, memory, problem solving, executive function are all part of a major cognitive workout that we do everyday all day.

The difference after brain injury is that cognitive endurance also needs to be rebuilt and there may be a new threshold, just like physical endurance.

So stop and think about all the things you did yesterday that required cognition...

-attention
-reasoning
-sequencing
-problem solving
-insight
-planning
-self-correction

You're now thinking, well that was a lot! 😉

In addition the truth is that understanding what impacts in our fatigue is just as individual as brain injury itself.

We have to consider priorities, motivation, expectations, daily variables, other symptoms, and so much more.

So now do yourself a favor and give your brain credit.

12/05/2025

What to do, what to do???

We have all been in this situation. In each situation you have options and it can vary from experience to experience and person to person.

Laying them all out can be helpful to see all your options. .rheaume gets a shout out for our constant collaborative conversation about this topic!

You get to decide what's best for you...

1 accept and move forward because we're all humans first and sometimes we have a bad day. What's important if you are going to make this choice, that you truly do feel comfortable to move forward.

2 say something in the moment because there's no time like the present. Remember that as human beings we are far more likely to receive constructive feedback with openness when it doesn't feel like an attack. The provider did do something right, so let them know what they're doing right and then let them know that you were not feeling heard or respected. Because you're doing it in the moment you'll have the ability to have shared contacts for an example.

3 say something afterwards electronically by going home and processing or even talking with a trusted person in your world and create a message to be sent by email or portal message. Use the reminder from example number two for constructive feedback. It's also important to state if it's important to you to take this opportunity to grow and improve your provider and patient relationship for the future.

4 say something at the next appointment because when you got home you processed or talked with a trusted person and created a message that you put with your calendar reminder for the next time you see that provider. This would be better if you see this provider sooner rather than later because the context will really get lost if it's too long between appointments.

*Bonus- you can let the provider know that you will not be returning because you did not feel heard and respected. This might help the next person have improved care.

What if by speaking up you deepen the relationship with the provider giving them the opportunity to be one of your best supporters????

12/04/2025

✨ Thinking about joining NASHIA? Here’s what our members say… ✨
If you’ve ever felt isolated in your work, wished for more trusted colleagues to learn from, or wanted a stronger network to support the individuals and systems you serve - NASHIA membership is where connection happens.

Our members consistently tell us that community is the most valuable benefit: collaboration, shared problem-solving, and a nationwide network of leaders who *get it*.

💡 Join NASHIA and start doing this work with a community behind you.

Learn more or become a member: https://www.nashia.org/membership

11/14/2025

If only brains came with a reset button...

Here are some things you say about appliances that we wish were true about:

🔌 Just unplug it and plug it back in and that will fix the problem.

🧰 Free item! Not currently working but fun to fix

💤 It's just in sleep mode, wiggle the mouse and it will load up.

🥵 It overheats when used too long, just wait a bit and it will be fine.

Of course it's nowhere near that simple. It's not always visible, but it's real, and it's worthy of patience, respect, and of course humor for sanity sake 😂

Share with someone who gets it 🧠

11/12/2025

Moving beyond the terms mild, moderate, and severe brain injury is a work in progress.

It's s time to be part of the movement with education and sharing.

This joint statement was shared at the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators conference. It was created by a group of brain injury advocates, individuals with lived experience, and professionals.

These 12 points help to break myths, share the facts and validate the journey of so many people living life after brain injury.

Here's what you can do today...

Share this post

Click the link in my bio and download the full document and bring it with you to share far and wide with all the providers and Care partners you meet.

11/03/2025

November highlights caregivers and the incredible role they play in the family dynamics.

When a loved one sustains a brain injury the family caregiver is thrust into the brain injury world.

Ali and I are so passionate about the role communication has in this journey.

Join us as we present at the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts virtual survivor and family caregiver conference.

Our topic is communicating effectively with your care team

Thursday November 13th

9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. eastern time

Registration can be done on the Brain Injury association of Massachusetts website.

Www.biama.org/forcaregiversandsurvivors/