Our brains controls everything we think, feel, say and do.

Stroke can affect:

• Walking and moving
• How your muscles feel
• Speaking, understanding, reading, writing
• Swallowing
• Thinking, memory, judgement
• Personality, behaviour, emotions
• Sex
• Vision, touch, taste, smell
• Toileting

You may feel pain if a part of your body is injured. Stiff and tight muscles can cause pain. You may also feel pain because of changes in your brain, even though you are not injured.

Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness or lack of energy. Fatigue is common after a stroke.

Find out more about How stroke can affect you on EnableMe.

Depression and anxiety

It’s normal to feel sad or worried after a stroke. Depression and anxiety are different – they are medical conditions. Depression and anxiety make life hard.  

Depression

‍You may have depression if you:

• Feel sad or down for more than two weeks.
• Lose interest in things you enjoy.  
• Have no energy.
• Find it hard to concentrate.  
• Can’t sleep or sleep more than usual.

Anxiety

You may have anxiety if you:

• Feel nervous a lot of the time.
• Find it hard to calm down.
• Feel restless or fidgety.  

Never ignore the signs of depression and anxiety. You can get treatment. Most people get better. Talk with your doctor. Let your family and friends know how you are feeling.  

If you need support, you can contact:

Lifeline: 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636, beyondblue.org.au/forums
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300659 467, suicidecallbackservice.org.au
StrokeLine: 1800 787 653, enableme.org.au/community/strokeline

Stroke is always a medical emergency, if you think you or someone you know is having a stroke, call triple zero (000) immediately.