The 6 P's

Here are the 6 P's - these are 6 things (all beginning with P!) that will help you on your recovery journey.

Our mindset shapes everything in our lives. Keep focused on your goals and don't get disheartened if you have a setback. Recovery can be slow and you might feel like you're having some good days and some bad days. But remember, any progress is still progress!

Don't try and rush your recovery. It can take a while for your brain/body to change. Don't lose faith if things aren't happening as quickly as you want them to. 

Determination and keeping sight of your short and long term goals will see you through your bad days. Remember your WHY (WHY am I doing this??) - when the reason is big enough and your WHY is strong enough, you will be willing to achieve your goal no matter what it takes. 

Your brain is capable of change with the right training.  But you will need to work HARD to drive that change in your brain and body. So some of your 'potential' comes down to how much effort you are willing to put into your recovery. 

Exercises is medicine for the brain! Movement retrains neural pathways as well as muscle strength and control.  Research has shown that exercise of a certain intensity can have both a neurorestorative (restoring damaged cells) and neuroprotective (protecting the remaining cells) effect on the brain. This is important to remember not just during your therapy journey, but for maintaining your longer term health once your rehabilitation has ended. And remember, if you don't use it, you lose it!! But this also means if you use it, you can improve it!!

Repetition and practise are the key to changing your brain/body. And when you're fed up of practising, practise some more! Remember it takes tens of thousands of repetitions to learn a new skill, especially if you are recovering from a stroke.  The more you practise, the quicker you'll achieve your goals.  The amount of time spent on your programme outside of your sessions with the therapy team directly relates to the speed and success of the healing process.  Remember, repetition and consistency are the most important things for a successful recovery.