Blu Mundane Monday Mix by Glen Stephenson

Glen Stephenson sustained a severe brain injury when an aneurysm 'the size of a giant strawberry' burst, leading to a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Here, Glen describes how he has used music to help relax and challenge himself after brain injury - and you can listen to his Blu Mundane Monday Mix for Headway using the Mixcloud player. 

Can you outline your creative works?

I've always been a creative person so it's not something new to me, but I'm definitely mixing a lot more since my injury as I find it both relaxing and stimulating. My injury hasn't affected my cognitive abilities except for fatigue management, but my fatigue is very manageable. My brain injury has affected me physically, I have no energy, which has been the hardest thing to accept. Prior to my SAH I was quite active, mountain biking and long dog walks, neither of which I am able to do anymore if I want to enjoy a decent quality of life.

How does mixing music help you?

Personally, for me, my music and mixing are both therapeutic and stimulating. I find it relaxing but at the same time challenging. Each track I play is different and it's fun creating different sounds from mixing two tracks together. If the opportunity were to ever present itself then I would like to take it further, as I am no longer able to work full time, due to not having the physical capabilities to do so.

If you could give advice to others affected by brain injury, what would it be?

The one piece of advice I'd like to pass onto others is to listen to your body, don't overdo it, you have changed, you're not the person you were prior to your injury, that's the hardest thing to accept.

Rest is key, there's no point trying to push through it as your body will eventually crash. You'll know you've done too much as you'll be so fatigued, you're incapable of doing even the simplest tasks, trust me, I'm speaking from experience.

Meditation really helps, just go onto YouTube, there are plenty of guided meditations on there if you're struggling to do it yourself.

Take each day as it comes, for me personally, each day is a new adventure. But don't try to do too much on the days you do feel great, as you'll feel it afterwards. Boom/bust cycle.