You don’t have to be superman or superwoman to have special talents or powers. Kim Thompson’s brain injury blog explores what we expect from our superheroes and suggests that survivors of TBI are the most powerful heroes just by facing each new day.

Holidays can be joyful and stressful for everyone, but holiday stress can affect brain injury survivors in many ways. Expectations of families, spending for gifts, parties and crowds, can feel overwhelming and increase anxiety. The consistency and structure that is so important for coping after brain injury can be lost in the holiday madness. Donna O’Donnell Figurski gives tips and strategies for coping with holiday stress after TBI.

Contrary to personal feelings, it is when all seems hopeless that the Brain Injury Survivor needs to go forward in life. Bill Jarvis has struggled with hope and losing hope and knows the trials and heartache of loss and the long journey of recovery.

Bill Jarvis shows how a “simple” trip to the store can turn into a confusing maze of detours and surprises when living with a brain injury. He has found that while brain injury isn’t funny, humor helps you cope – and that’s the title of his new book.

What is the most important thing to the TBI Survivor for improvement? Some would think perseverance and some would think consistency. Both are important, but there may be an even more influential virtue.

I suggest that the most influential virtue is “thought.” It is not what a person thinks, but that there is the ability to think in the first place.

Failure is not the end but the beginning of the journey for survivors of brain injury or TBI. Bill Jarvis explores how learning from failure brings you closer to success. It is the process of learning from mistakes that helps you go forward.

Journaling is a method that both survivors of TBI and caregivers can use to cope with the aftermath of brain trauma. Life after brain injury—to yourself or a loved one—can feel as if you’ve been hijacked to an alien planet where nothing feels familiar or makes sense. How can you possibly make meaning or find healing there? Barbara Stahura explains that journaling is one way to express your emotions, explore your options, and examine your life. Simple writing from both your heart and head for just a few minutes several times a week can help you heal and build resilience.