Everyday Brain: Learning How to Work With the Brain I Have

Everyday Brain isn’t a medical term. It is a concept.

A way of thinking about the brain we use every day.

Everyday Brain is not about perfection.

It is not even about having the “best” brain.

It’s about learning how your brain works in everyday life.

What helps your brain work as effectively as possible?

Everyday Brain includes how you:

focus,

learn,

remember,

manage your mood,

move,

think,

and even breathe.

The brain and spinal cord are involved in almost everything we do.

But what does that mean in real life?

And why should you care?

I started thinking about this because my own brain changed.

After my stroke, many things that used to be automatic became harder.

Reading.

Talking.

Walking.

Organizing.

Remembering.

Even having a long conversation can make my brain tired.

Over the past four years, I have worked very hard on recovery.

But I have also learned something else.

Working harder is not always the only answer.

Sometimes I need to understand my brain better.

When does my brain get tired?

What helps me sleep?

What makes reading easier?

How can I organize my life so I use less brain energy?

How does movement help me?

Can technology make difficult things easier?

How can I change the way I do something instead of simply trying harder?

These are questions about my Everyday Brain.

And I don’t think they are only questions for people who have had a stroke or have aphasia.

Everyone has a brain.

Everyone gets tired.

Everyone has habits, environments, and ways of doing things that can make life harder or easier.

This summer, I am going to write about Everyday Brain.

I will not be writing as a doctor or a scientist.

In fact, I have a hard time understanding and remembering science.

I will be writing about my experience.

Fatigue.

Sleep.

Movement.

Reading.

Cooking.

Technology.

Organization.

Recovery.

And the changes I am making.

I don’t have a perfect brain. No one does.

I am learning how to work with the brain I have.

I am changing my brain and discovering a new one.

That is what Everyday Brain means to me.