EVEN MORE STROKE RECOVERY TIPS

Hello!!   I promised to share other stroke recovery tips with you that Flint Rehab recommended in their article, “25 Stroke Recovery Tips for Healing, Habits, and Happiness,” dated January 7, 2019. As I mentioned before, please be sure to read the entire article when you get a chance. I will give you the highlights here and my comments with them.  I started with their first 9 Healing Tips in my 4/3/19 post.  

Then there are 6 Tips on Mindset Stroke Recovery, 3 Stroke Recovery Tips on Habits and 7 Stroke Recovery Tips on Happiness. I will point some more out now.

The 6 Mindset Recovery Tips they recommend are:

• “Make the Mental Switch”
  • They tell you that you REALLY need to set goals during your stroke recovery because it helps you create vision and momentum to get things done. This is true even without a stroke, but it’s especially true after a stroke!! It keeps you focused!! I have specific therapy goals everyday - and I stick to them!! Gosh, if it weren’t for those I wouldn’t be where I am today!! And I can hope for tomorrow because of them!!
• “Develop a Better Attitude for a Better Recovery”
  • A great attitude always improves what you are doing - whether it’s work, exercise, cooking, well, you name it, a great attitude is the way to go! And with recovery from stroke a great attitude should always be #1 on your LIST!!  I know that it is with me. When I start to feel down, I remind myself that I really want and need to recover for those that I love and those that love me.
• “Use the 1% Motivation Method”
  • Remind yourself constantly that you will have “set-backs.” You need to learn that you have to take a moment to relax and breathe for yourself. Remember your accomplishments - make a list of them daily and look at them to make yourself feel good (I need to do better at this - better at making my list and sharing!).
  • Instead of trying to increase a goal by a huge amount, focus on a 1% increase a day. Flint Rehab recommends this but I’ve been doing it even before I saw the article! As they mention, it helps prevent you from burning out and it helps you build results over reasonable time.  For example, when I am doing my "Comfy Chair Leg Exercises" - Kick-outs, Side-Ways and Over-Knee - I do 80 each for many days and then switch up to 88 each! 
• “Avoid the Nasty Nocebo Effect”
  • By definition, the “nocebo effect” is the development of adverse side effects or worsening in a condition (of a patient) that occurs in response to medical treatment but cannot be considered due to the specific treatment used.
  • With a nocebo effect, if you believe there may be side effects, then you may often experience them - so, realize that nothing is set in stone! For a very real example, I was given 24-48 hours to live after my subdural-hematoma & surgery back on 10/10/17. Well, here it is nearly 2 years later and I am still here.
• “Believe in a Full Recovery”
  • Start believing in yourself and convincing those around you. Reprogram your mind/brain - because once you believe that a full recovery is happening it will, and those around you will believe in it too.
• “Read Motivational Quotes”
  • OMG!! This has become a true Mindset Recovery for me - as I am sure you have noticed. I include inspirational/motivational quotes to every post I add on my website and on my Instagram. I love reading the quotes as I search for ones to add!

As I mentioned, in Flint Rehab’s 1/7/19 article they mention 25 Stroke Recovery Tips for Healing, Habits and Happiness. I have covered the first 9 in my 4/2/19 Therapy Post and 6 now.  I will cover the other 10 in another Therapy Post.

GOD BLESS! PEG

"Memories of our lives, of our works and of our deeds will continue in others." -- Rosa Parks
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