S2 E40: Mariah and Eryn: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

Making Headway

We’re BAAAAAACCCKKK! And better than ever! Check out Season 2, episode 40 to find out what Mariah and Eryn have been up to and where the show is headed in 2022. Also, tune in for some great, hard-earned advice on how to help yourself and others dealing with brain injury along with what to look for in a healthcare provider. These lessons have come hard won by yours truly, Eryn! Join us in celebrating the start of Season Two!! Happy 2022 to you all!!

• In this episode:
• Where We’ve Been
• Burnout
• The need for seasons, pacing, and rest
• Health Updates
• The dangers of all or nothing thinking
• Leads to a crash
• Long term recovery; when the symptoms don’t consume you daily
• Identifying as brain injured, what does it mean long term?
• Brain injury as a fanny pack, it comes and goes but can be taken with you if chosen
• Living in brain injury vs. letting it own you vs. moving away from it
• You can move past it and some of us are lucky enough to not have to live in it daily
• Mariah’s gallbladder surgery: a reminder of needing self-care
• Priorities shift over time, then you readjust, and they shift again
• The power of saying “No”
• Bye Mariah!! Tata for now. Thank You!!!!!!!
• When do you let go of brain injury? Can you?
• Maybe it is when you don’t need or have to think about it every day?
• Brain injury as a spectrum
• Not sitting in the trauma or reliving it
• This is not a ‘peace out’ for Mariah
• Krempels Center: a support program for brain injury survivors and caregivers. It is local in NH but also online
• Mariah is working with this agency
• Allows her to apply lessons learned in brain injury a different way
• Having a brain injury gives her an advantage
• New life after brain injury can be a very devisive term. So many are trying so hard to obtain their old life
• Where MHP is going in the future
• Season Two starts now!
• Series on relationships and brain injury
• Shows on trauma, meditation
• IG relationships and interactions help to form the speakers and topics for the upcoming season along with being a personal support for Eryn in her recovery
• Eryn’s updates
• 2021 was 1 mile forward and 2 miles back
• Blood in brain in now reabsorbed and old, damaged circuits are trying to come back on board. It’s like using a cell phone with a cracked screen. It might still work but it doesn’t work well
• Yes! Final confirmation that Eryn DID have a STROKE.
• Medical and personal acknowledgement of this has allowed for better resources
• Depression from November 2021 to August 2021
• It gets dark
• When joy returned Eryn’s brain wasn’t used to the high energy
• Movie recommendation: Inside Out
• Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction
• Emotional Dysregulation
• How to help someone or yourself while they’re going through it:
• Food
• Provide a safe space to share, be heard and respected
• Acknowledgement allow for awareness. Awareness allows you to have a choice of how you want to respond
• You have a unique skill set; listen to it and use it
• Have a broad support system filled with many different people with many different skills
• Make sure the person suffering knows you are there for them
• Not everyone can be there or has the right skills to be present in that moment. This is OK! It is preferred that you know your lane and stay in it.
• Find people with the right skills
• Learn how to listen to yourself
• Awareness allows you to make a choice
• Know yourself. Know your intuition. Learn to know what you need. Practice it.
• Healthcare providers (HCP) may not be supportive
• Look for HCPs who know how to say, “I don’t know; let me help you find someone who does.”
• HCPs may not listen or recommend.
• They likely don’t understand you.
• They may recommend treatments that are WRONG for YOU. (They don’t know you like you know YOU!)
• Self advocacy is needed with HCPs but is really hard!
• Many providers need their egos managed. Some doctors do not like to be challenged. Massaging their egos is a skill and doesn’t always work.
• Doctors may lose trust in you. You are different after brain injury and they don’t get it or have a working knowledge of what it is like living with an injury.
• Could be due to a lack of knowledge on HCP’s part
• Neuroplasticity takes a LONG time. You need providers who will give you time.
• Mariah’s tattoo: rescheduled for January, follow her MHP account for updates
• This is not a goodbye for Mariah, just a talk to you later, see you soon!
• Links to any resources mentioned:
• Mariah’s Marketing Agency: https://stoutheart.com/
• Joe Borges @joesorocks @neuronerds
• Krempels Center: a brain injury support and programming network. Reach out to see if it is for you at https://www.krempelscenter.org/
• Reach out to:
• Eryn on IG @eryn_makingheadwaypodcast
• Mariah on IG @mariah_makingheadwaypodcast
• MHP on IG @makingheadwaypodcast
• Using our Amazon links to buy products gives us a small kickback. Thank you for your support!
• Pink (or many other colors), water resistant fanny pack
• Inside Out
• Support us more at:
• Patreon
• Donate section on our website. 10% of profits go to our favorite non-profit of the moment

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

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