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Creating a Cope Ahead Plan
Cope ahead plans have been extremely useful for me. It’s a tool I learned in therapy. Essentially, it’s preparing yourself for stress, anxiety, and panic. Preparing for it will help mitigate how difficult the situation is when it arrives. It helps you create a plan of how to deal with triggers when you know that they will be present in your life. It’s exactly what it sounds like. So how do you create one? Here’s how: Identify the trigger This goes beyond identifying the situation that’s causing stress. It aims to discover what about the situation is causing you to panic. This will help you target that specific anxiety and…
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A Zenni Review: One Year Later
Last year, I wrote a review of Zenni. Zenni is an online company. It allows you to buy your prescription glasses at a cheaper price than the store. As someone who wears bifocals, a cheaper price was extremely intriguing. My overall consensus last year was that Zenni is a great brand. I’m back now, after a year of wearing my Zenni glasses to check in and give you my thoughts. I have three pairs of glasses. Two are regular glasses with my bifocal prescription. The other is a pair of sunglasses, also with my bifocal prescription. My two pairs of everyday glasses have gone through major wear and tear. Crush…
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I Reacted to the Covid Vaccine
If you read my blog article on Wednesday, you know that I’m officially vaccinated. If not, you already probably guessed by the title that I am fully vaccinated. I had a lot of reservations about getting it due to my extensive history of allergic reactions. Ultimately, I knew that getting the vaccine was the best decision for me. I feel extremely lucky that I didn’t have anaphylaxis. That was by far my biggest fear. I made it through the fifteen minute screening processes. I left the facility feeling a bit invincible. Slowly, that feeling started to turn into panic. After about thirty minutes, my entire body started itching. I didn’t…
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Having a Job and Chronic Illness
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I recently got hired at a company. I am a receptionist for a senior living facility. It’s a great fit for me. I absolutely love it so far and so does Crush. This is my fifth job but my first time having a job while being chronically ill. It’s not what I expected in a lot of ways but my employers have made the transition seamless. I knew that my work life would look different from the average person. Other than having Crush, I need various accommodations to ensure my health and safety. That ranges from simple things like eating at…
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Why I Chose To Get Vaccinated
I am officially vaccinated! I cannot believe it, I’m so excited. I received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and as of today, I am considered fully vaccinated. This decision came with a lot of back and forth for me. I wasn’t sure whether I should get it or not. Not because I didn’t want it but because there was a question about whether I would have an allergic reaction. After being hospital free for over a year, the prospect of having a reaction was terrifying. Ultimately, I had to make the choice. After getting a job, it was clear that the risk of being exposed daily seemed too high. A…
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What You Need For Surgery Recovery
I have recently completed my seventh surgery. That feels crazy to say. I have learned quite a bit since my first and I wanted to share that wisdom with you. I’ve written before about what to expect. I highly recommend checking that out if you haven’t. Now we’re going to talk about items that you need for recovery. This will obviously depend on your specific surgery but these are the basics. Notepad and pen This is great to have handy to write down medication times. It’s also good for pain tracking. In general, I find it incredibly helpful to have. I have always still accepted calls post surgery and if…
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How to Fight Procrastination
I have been stuck in the cycle of procrastination for too long now. I have been procrastinating most of my life. Last year, I got it relatively under control but I’ve fallen back into the trap. Zoom classes and being at home have made it difficult not to procrastinate. The result is constant stress, anxiety, and discomfort. So how do I fix that cycle? How do I change it? These are the five steps I take when I know I’m procrastinating. Write Out Deadlines My first step to get out of this cycle is to write out deadlines. I take my entire semester’s work and write it in one calendar.…
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Applying For Jobs With A Service Dog
I want to talk a bit about the hiring process. I’ve officially been hired at a company and have completed all of my documentation. For those with a service dog or curious about how the process differs with a service dog, this article is for you. I went through the application/interview process with three companies. I feel like I have a decent sense of what to expect and how it differed from the average experience. So here’s what you should know. When I Disclose I like to tell companies during the interview process that I have a service dog. This is completely my personal preference. It does open the door…
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Where I Go From Here
If you read my article on Wednesday, you know I didn’t get into grad school. Well, I didn’t get into my top choice grad school. I have changed my plans. I’m applying to more. I am unwilling to give up on my Fall 2021 semester. That was one school out of the ten that I could apply to. I am a worthy applicant and my drive and passion for Disability Studies are evident. I found out Monday night and automatically looked at the deadline for my second choice. After giving myself Monday night to be upset, I pulled myself together. I went into task mode. I became very aware of…
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Getting Bad News
I don’t know how to put into words what I’m experiencing right now. Long story short, I didn’t get into the graduate school I wanted. That feels embarrassing and defeating to say to all of you but it’s the reality of my situation. When I got the news, I was beyond discouraged. I had put so much time, thought, and effort into applying for this school. I think this is a great learning experience. I knew that being denied acceptance was a possibility. It was always in the back of my mind. I stayed hopeful until I knew with absolute certainty, that was not my next step. I spent a…
