-
How to Set the Tone for Relaxation
I’ve been working really hard on relaxing lately. After getting out of my pattern, I’ve felt an excess of tension. In order to combat this, I started doing these things to help me relax at the end of the night. This is what works for me. Let me know if you have any tips of your own! Tea I love settling down with a cup of tea at the end of the night. It helps me hit the reset button really quickly. It also helps me to slow down. When I drink something hot, it’s almost impossible to drink it with any type of speed. Therefore, I’m much more aware…
-
Preparing for More Surgery
Here we go again. I’m preparing for another surgery. I’m excited at the prospect of getting this done and over with. I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to receive great medical care. This surgery is going to be more complicated to prep for though. I need to have my left hip fixed. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that almost a year ago I had a labral repair on my right hip. Along with sewing my labrum back together, they pulled apart my tendon and shaved down my bone. I’m waiting to find out the extent of the surgery I need on the right…
-
Links To Help You Understand OCD
There are large misconceptions out there about what OCD is. It’s often associated with cleaning, neatness, and organization. That can be true and accurate for some people with OCD. However, there’s a large variance in types of OCD. Here are some links to help you understand OCD and what someone is going through. It’s often best to listen and ask questions. Be patient but most of all don’t pry. If someone doesn’t want to share, that’s their right. If they want help, they’ll ask for it. If you’re going to watch any video, watch this one. Most people with OCD that I know struggle with intrusive thoughts. Even if they…
-
Eye Therapy?
Recently, I went to the ophthalmologist to get contacts. It was supposed to be a relatively easy process. With my glasses constantly fogging due to my mask, I figured it was time. I would try out contacts to see how they went. I got more than I bargained for. The ophthalmologist was concerned to find out that I’ve never seen 20/20. This isn’t rare for me. I often struggle on the refraction test because letters change. Years before I discovered my neurological problems, I was told to see a neurologist. I shrugged it off and joked about how ridiculous that was. I didn’t have any real problems. The joke was…
-
Five Things I Do Because of POTS
There are some things I do in my daily life that people give me weird looks for. What a lot of people don’t know is most of these things are because of my chronic illness. Most of the time, if I’m doing something out of the ordinary it’s because of Dysautonomia or POTS. Now, I leave some room for error. I am somewhat weird sometimes. I can’t blame all of my odd habits on POTs but I will blame most things on chronic illness. So here’s a list of five things I do because of POTs: Pick Stuff Up With My Feet This is probably the weirdest. People make fun…
-
Going Out Without Crush
Today is a scary day for me. There are a lot of factors that make it intimidating. By far the most bothersome is leaving Crush at home. Today I have my MRI. Now, I dislike MRI’s. I’m very claustrophobic. Tight spaces and I don’t get along. That would be enough to put me on edge and make me anxious. On top of this, I have to leave Crush at home. Unfortunately, since my mom moved, I go to all of my appointments alone. I don’t mind this, I love that I have the ability to go to appointments alone. However, I haven’t been without a companion and completely on my…
-
Why I Chose Critical Disability Studies
I am applying to a graduate program for critical disability studies. Why did I choose this field? To many, it’s an obscure and odd choice. Personally, I didn’t know that field existed prior to stumbling upon it randomly. When I found it, I knew. It was like a bolt of lightning struck. I got chills. This was exactly what I was looking for. So what is it? The field of critical disability studies is an interdisciplinary field. It involves everything from healthcare, sociology, psychology, and more. It’s looking at all aspects of disability. How those with disabilities are treated within culture and society. How the system often fails those with…
-
Will I Get The Covid Vaccine
I have gotten this question a lot lately. The short answer is, I don’t know. My history of allergies is a tick in the no column. However, I’m also in a high risk category which puts a tick in the yes column. It’s difficult to say what the right choice would be. With anything covid related, no one really knows the long term effects. After a conversation with my doctor, it comes down to a risk/benefit analysis. Previous to a conversation with my Dysautonomia International group, I said no way. I didn’t want to risk another round of anaphylaxis. More emotional trauma and the risk of putting myself back medically…
-
Why I’m Getting A Job
I’ve been adamant throughout the pandemic that I didn’t want to get a job. With my health, it seemed foolish to put myself in a direct line of fire. The reality is, I can survive without a job. I have the luxury of family support and student loans, but that only gets me so far. Dreaming of graduate school has put life into perspective for me. I will have to get a job. I will have to navigate working life and school. I’d rather work out the kinks of that when I have a soft place to land rather than when I’m away from home. I have a lot of…
-
How to Establish Priorities
If you’re anything like me, your priorities are everything. Your goals and ambitions are your guiding light. So when it comes to making difficult choices, you evaluate your priorities. How does this align with the values in my life? That makes difficult decisions a little easier. As someone who is extremely indecisive, I like making choices easier. If you don’t know what your priorities are, that’s okay! Not all of us were taught how to prioritize. So let me give you a tutorial on how to establish priorities: Look at Your Behavior When we look at our behavior, we can identify what emotions or experiences led to our decision. If…
