With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, I thought, How would Thanksgiving be like a brain injury? This is my opinion — shaped by lived experience, healing, frustration, and a sense of humor you sometimes need just to survive the day.
1. The Overwhelm Hits Before You Even Begin
Thanksgiving looks simple on paper: cook food, gather people, eat. But anyone who’s hosted knows it’s never that smooth. There are lists, prep work, last-minute changes, the oven acting up, guests arriving early, and that one dish someone always forgets.
A brain injury is the same way. People on the outside see the “simple” version — just rest, heal, and you’ll get better, right? But inside, it’s chaos. You’re juggling symptoms, fatigue, overstimulation, memory lapses, and unexpected setbacks. And just like a kitchen on Thanksgiving morning, things get overwhelming fast.
2. Too Many Voices at Once
Thanksgiving gatherings are loud. There’s laughter, kids yelling, multiple conversations happening at the same time, dishes clanking, football on TV, and someone blending gravy in the kitchen.
For someone with a brain injury, that level of noise is every day — except it doesn’t take a holiday crowd to overload you. Even one room with a few people talking can feel like a full-blown family reunion inside your head. The world doesn’t politely quiet down just because your brain needs it to.
3. You Have a Plan… Until You Don’t
Every Thanksgiving cook has a plan: start the turkey at 9, potatoes by 11, rolls in at 12:30. But inevitably, something throws the plan off — the turkey cooks slower, someone uses the oven when they’re not supposed to, or the timer that should’ve gone off… doesn’t.
Brain injury life follows the same unpredictable rhythm. You plan your day, schedule appointments, make a to-do list, but all it takes is a headache spike or fatigue wave to knock everything sideways. Flexibility becomes survival.
4. People Mean Well… But Don’t Always Get It
Thanksgiving comes with well-meaning comments:
“Are you sure that’s how you make the stuffing?”
“You don’t look tired — are you sure you don’t need help?”
“Relax, it’s not that big of a deal.”
Sound familiar?
After a brain injury, you hear the same types of comments. People want to help, but they don’t always understand the mental load, emotional strain, or physical limitations you’re balancing. They don’t see the 90% of the struggle happening internally.
5. It’s Messy, Imperfect, and Somehow Still Meaningful
No Thanksgiving is perfect. Something burns, someone forgets an ingredient, someone argues, someone cries — yet the day still matters. It’s real. Human. Connected.
A brain injury is messy too. It changes your routines, abilities, dreams, relationships, patience, and limits. But even in all the chaos, there are moments that deepen you: flashes of gratitude, personal growth, new perspectives, emotional clarity, and the strength you didn’t know you had.
6. You Appreciate Small Wins
On Thanksgiving, a “small win” might be:
- The turkey coming out juicy
- The rolls not burning
- Everyone eating before 9 p.m.
- Finding five minutes of quiet in the bathroom
With a brain injury, small wins are everything. Getting through a day without a breakdown. Remembering something important. Having energy for one meaningful conversation. Feeling like yourself for an hour. These victories matter more than people realize.