When I first explained to my friends the severity of my concussion, only a few of them were supportive. The problem is, most people don't know how to deal with a situation that they can't visually see. So I have gotten a lot of responses that fit into two frustrating categories.
The first, being pity. One of my best friends at the time would only respond to what I was dealing with by saying "you poor thing" or "I'm so sorry." For me, this was very frustrating because I wasn't looking for pity. I needed support and understanding. But because I looked completely fine from the outside, most people don't know what to say to me. A brain injury is like any other kind of illness. It is a struggle that needs support and comfort from others.
The second reaction I get a lot is when people try to connect my story to something they have heard of in their own life. I could list off endless stories of people associating me to their cousin with a seizure disorder or their neighbor having chronic migraines... As much as people tell these stories to try to connect with what I am dealing with, their stories usually have nothing to do with me. Most people have never heard of words like reflex sympathetic dystrophy, chronic regional pain syndrome or post concussive syndrome. But they know what headaches and brain injury is so that is what they want to talk about.
We only know what we know. So if you ask me or any one else to tell a personal story, you should listen. We open up to give you the opportunity to learn from our hardships :)
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