A Midwest Minute With Matt

Episode 28: Sensory Overload After Concussion "Why does everything feel like too much?" The lights in the grocery store. The noise in a restaurant. Multiple people talking at once. The television playing in the background. Activities that used to feel completely normal can suddenly become overwhelming after a concussion. And when that happens, it's understandable that you might start...

Episode 27: Why Can't I Concentrate After a Concussion? "I used to be able to do this. Why is it so hard now?" Maybe you're reading the same paragraph over and over. Maybe you lose track of conversations. Maybe you sit down to work and can't stay focused. Or maybe everyday tasks that used to feel automatic now leave you mentally exhausted. Difficulty concentrating after a con...

Episode 26: Why Am I Nauseous After a Concussion? “Nausea is a concussion symptom.” You've probably heard that before. And while it's not necessarily wrong, it doesn't answer the question you're actually asking: “But WHY am I nauseous?” Maybe you wake up feeling sick. Maybe nausea hits after you eat. Maybe you're fine until you get into a car, walk through a grocery store, or s...

Episode 25: When Can I Drive After a Concussion? Driving isn't just transportation. Driving is independence. It's how you get to work. Take your kids where they need to go. Make your appointments. Run errands. Participate in your life without having to ask someone else for another ride. So when a concussion takes driving away—even temporarily—it can feel like you've lost much more than...

How Long Should I Use Screens After a Concussion? 30 minutes? An hour? Two hours? Should you avoid screens altogether? When someone asks me, “How long should I use screens after a concussion?” I'm usually less interested in giving them a universal number and more interested in answering a different question: What's your current capacity? Because screen time isn't one thing. Thirty minu...

Brain Injury, Suicide & Hope “I don’t feel like myself.” For someone recovering from a concussion or brain injury, those words can represent much more than symptoms. Sleep changes. Energy changes. Emotions can change. Work becomes harder. Relationships can feel different. The roles that once helped define who you are may suddenly be disrupted. And when those struggles persist, “Why am I still...

What Do I Do After a Concussion? You've left the emergency room with someone you love. You've been told they have a concussion. You've been told what warning signs to watch for. You've been told to follow up. Then you get into the car and realize: What do I actually do now? For patients and caregivers, the first few days after a concussion can feel overwhelming—not necessarily beca...

What If I Can't Sleep Again Tonight? You had another bad night. Now bedtime is approaching, and before you've even tried to Sleep, you're already thinking: “Here we go again.” Sleep is incredibly important during concussion recovery. But when sleep becomes difficult, knowing how important it is can create something else: pressure. You start trying to make yourself sleep. Worrying about...

Before your concussion, maybe you were the person everyone depended on. The parent who handled everything. The spouse who kept things moving. The employee everyone could count on. The caregiver. The provider. The independent one. Then concussion changed what you were capable of doing—and suddenly, you were the one who needed help. In Episode 20 of A Midwest Minute With Matt, we're talking abou...

I've Tried Everything. Physical therapy. Vestibular therapy. Medications. Rest. Exercise. Home programs. And you're still struggling. Eventually, it's understandable to reach a point where you think: "I've tried everything." But sometimes that sentence means something slightly different: "I'm tired of trying things that aren't working." In Episode 19 of...

Nobody Believes Me? Or do they just not understand what they can't see? One of the hardest parts of concussion recovery isn't always the symptoms themselves. It's feeling like the people around you don't fully understand what you're going through. You may even find yourself thinking: "Nobody believes me." But what if that's not actually the problem? In this episod...

You’re Allowed to Have a Life One of the hardest parts of concussion recovery is how easily recovery can become the center of your entire life. You begin measuring every decision against your symptoms. You stop making plans. You avoid activities that once made you feel like yourself. Slowly, life becomes something you intend to return to once you are fully recovered. But recovery should not become...

Finding the Fine Line Should you rest? Should you push yourself? Or is the answer somewhere in between? One of the biggest challenges during concussion recovery isn't knowing what to do—it's knowing how much to do. In this episode of A Midwest Minute With Matt , Matt Campbell explores one of the most important concepts in concussion recovery: finding the balance between doing too much and...

How Do I Know If I Did Too Much? One of the biggest questions during concussion recovery is: "Did I do too much?" Maybe you had a productive day. Maybe you exercised, worked, ran errands, or spent time with family. Then your symptoms increased—and suddenly you're wondering if you've set your recovery back. In this episode of A Midwest Minute With Matt , Matt Campbell explains how...

Why Can't Anyone Tell Me When I'll Recover? One of the most common questions after a concussion is also one of the hardest to answer: "How long is this going to take?" Recovery doesn't always follow a predictable timeline, and comparing yourself to someone else's experience can create even more frustration and anxiety. In this episode of A Midwest Minute With Matt , Matt...

Am I Making My Concussion Worse? One of the biggest fears people experience during concussion recovery is wondering whether everyday activities are making their brain worse. You exercise. You work. You spend time on a screen. Your symptoms increase... …and suddenly you're asking yourself: "Did I just make my concussion worse?" In this episode of A Midwest Minute With Matt , Matt Camp...

Will I Ever Feel Like Myself Again? One of the most heartbreaking questions people ask during concussion recovery is: "Will I ever feel like myself again?" It's not always the headaches or dizziness that are the hardest part. Sometimes it's feeling disconnected from the person you used to be. In this episode of A Midwest Minute With Matt , Matt Campbell explores why concussions c...

Why Am I Afraid To Do Things Again? One of the most confusing parts of concussion recovery is that sometimes symptoms improve... but confidence doesn't. You may find yourself nervous about driving, exercising, going to the store, returning to work, or doing activities that never felt difficult before. In this episode of A Midwest Minute With Matt , Matt Campbell discusses why fear often become...

You Don't Have To Solve The Entire Puzzle Today One of the most overwhelming parts of concussion recovery is feeling like you have to figure everything out. Why am I having symptoms? What's causing them? What treatment do I need? What if I'm missing something? What if I'm doing it wrong? Before long, recovery starts to feel less like healing and more like trying to solve a puzzle w...

How Do I Know If I'm Getting Better? One of the most common questions people ask during concussion recovery is: "How do I know if I'm actually getting better?" Because recovery doesn't always feel obvious. Some days feel good. Some days feel hard. Symptoms may still show up. Bad days can still happen. And that can make it incredibly difficult to recognize progress when it&#39...

Why Do I Feel Guilty? One of the hardest emotional parts of concussion recovery is this: Feeling guilty… for something you didn’t choose. Guilty for needing rest. Guilty for canceling plans. Guilty for struggling at work or school. Guilty for not feeling like yourself anymore. And because concussions are often invisible, many people feel pressure to “push through” even when their brain and nervous...

Pacing Is NOT Rest One of the biggest misconceptions in concussion recovery is this: People think pacing means doing nothing. So they either completely shut life down… or push until they crash. And unfortunately, neither extreme usually works very well. In this episode of A Midwest Minute With Matt , Matt Campbell breaks down what pacing actually means, why rest alone eventually stops working, and...

Why Everyday Life Feels So Hard After a Concussion After a concussion, it’s often not just the symptoms that feel difficult—it’s everyday life itself. Grocery stores become overwhelming. Conversations become exhausting. Screens feel unbearable. Crowds feel impossible. And for many people, that becomes one of the most frustrating and isolating parts of recovery. In this episode of A Midwest Minute...

Episode 5 – The Emotional Side Of Concussion Recovery Concussion recovery is not always just physical. For many people, recovery also includes anxiety, overwhelm, emotional exhaustion, frustration, isolation, uncertainty, and the feeling of simply “not feeling like yourself.” In this episode of A Midwest Minute With Matt, we discuss the emotional side of concussion recovery and why these experienc...

Feeling tired and rundown after a concussion? That's because concussion create an energy crisis in the body. Today's episode focused on explaining that energy crisis, what it means and how to utilize pacing to reduce it's effect. Don't forget to follow along on all social media platforms @mwconcussion or check out our website at mwconcussion.com! Need help in your recovery? Take the first step at...