• Helpful Hints

    How To Get Back Into Your Routine

    If you read my article on Monday, you know I’m out of my routine. I thought for a while I was doing myself a favor by being loose with my schedule. Now, I see once again why I deserve my schedule. I deserve to sleep well. I deserve to eat well. I deserve to feel ready for my day. My schedule provides me with all of those things. It allows me to be the greatest version of myself. So here’s how I am getting back into my routine: Start Slow We’re running a marathon here, not a sprint. We have to start slow. I started by going to bed an…

  • My Experience

    Falling Out Of My Routine

    I’ve been doing my best to be less rigid about everything. When I went into quarantine, I knew that it would pose challenges for me. I’m naturally a social person and although I don’t go out often, the little interaction I had was important to me. Of course, I’m doing this in an effort to see my family for the holidays. It seemed like a small sacrifice in order for us to all be together. As I anticipated, quarantine has taken its toll. I have completely fallen out of my routine. I used to pride myself on my morning and night routines. Although I still follow them, I haven’t been…

  • My Experience

    Merry Christmas!

    I hope that you’re having an amazing day. Whether you are celebrating Christmas or the joy of a new day, I hope it is going very well. I am happy to be able to spend this day with my family after having quarantined for two weeks. It doesn’t look anything like it has in years past but that’s okay. I’m so grateful for the individuals I have around me. I feel incredibly blessed to have a warm place to stay and many hugs. Stay well!  I hope your day is fabulous. I hope that it is filled with joy, positivity, and laughter. I hope you find peace, love, and happiness.

  • Helpful Hints

    Ways to Celebrate The Holidays in Quarantine

    I have been really struggling with how to make Christmas feel special in quarantine. Thanksgiving was difficult. I was alone and didn’t have anything to do. I ended up decorating the house for Christmas. I was grateful I could do that at the very least. Looking at Christmas, I wanted to write out a list for how I could make this truly feel like a holiday. Even if it won’t look like any of the years previous. Holiday Music When I think about the best way to get in the holiday spirit, music is the first thing that comes to mind. Whether you’re in the mood for it or not,…

  • My Experience

    Celebrating Life!

    On December 22, 2019 I came very close to losing my life. It was by far the closest call I’ve had. I was hospitalized nine times previous and on and off steroids, that is quite the claim. I feel lucky to be alive. A large part of why I’m here today is because of my service dog, Crush. I couldn’t be more grateful to have him in my life. After being discharged from the ICU on December 23, 2019, I’m happy to report I haven’t been hospitalized since! I can’t explain to you what an incredible accomplishment that feels like. This year has included six surgeries. Including one to get…

  • My Experience

    My Goals for 2021

    On Wednesday, I looked at my goals for 2020. I’m happy to say that I met almost all of them with flying colors. I don’t necessarily believe in New Years Resolutions. However, I think it’s important to always have goals and strive to meet them. Once again, I will write my goals out for outward accountability. I will push the boundaries of what I feel comfortable doing in order to become the best version of myself. Goals for my personal life:My number one goal for 2021 is to graduate college. I’m on track to receive my BA in the Summer. I’d also like to finish my application to graduate school.…

  • My Experience

    Reviewing My Goals For 2020

    I was looking back at all my articles recently. After pursuing for a while, I stumbled upon my goals for 2020. I wrote out and posted those goals because I wanted outward accountability. With the pandemic and more surgeries than I expected, I forgot what I wanted out of 2020. When I wrote that article, I hadn’t even heard of covid-19. So let us look back together and talk about what I wanted vs. what I did. The goals I set for my personal life were as follows:-Start dating againI’m happy to say I followed through with this. It hasn’t been the journey I expected but it’s definitely been very…

  • Helpful Hints,  My Experience

    Why I Don't Set My Goals According To My Chronic Illness

    I made an article last week talking about why I don’t make goals based on my OCD. Today, I want to talk about why I don’t make goals based on my chronic illness. Now, these two things differ quite a bit. That’s why I’m writing two separate articles. Chronic illness poses a lot more physical challenges and isn’t about what I believe I can do. It’s more about finding a way to work within the circumstances I’m in. I have several different chronic illnesses. This changes the way I interact with the world on a daily basis. I have a service dog and often need to accommodate my disability in…

  • Helpful Hints,  My Experience

    Dealing With Decision Fatigue

    Lately, I’ve gotten a lot of slack for being indecisive about small things. I will be the first to admit that this is not my favorite quality about myself. I am incredibly driven and know what I want out of the next twenty years. However, when it comes to what I want for dinner, it takes me almost twenty years to decide. There’s a reason for this. It’s driven by decision fatigue. In the world of anxiety, decision fatigue is quite common. I used to struggle with this a lot during high school. The more I got my anxiety under control, the more decisive I became. Now, covid has driven…

  • Helpful Hints

    Practical Ways To Improve Body Image

    Chronic illness significantly impacts the relationship you have with your body. It’s hard enough for people to feel confident without the added complication of being sick. I want this article to be for everyone though, not just those who are sick. Every body is valid. Everyone deserves to love themselves fully and that includes loving how you look. It’s much easier said than done. I have gone through significant struggles. From disordered eating to working out so hard that I couldn’t function for days. The goal is self love and that looks different for everyone. Here are some practical ways to improve body image. Power Pose I love a good…