Helpful Hints
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Four Ways to Stay Warm in Fall
The weather is changing and whether you’re a fellow spoonie or not, you may be feeling the effects. I always struggle with the changing weather. For me, my circulation becomes a big problem with cooler temperatures. Having Raynaud’s phenomenon, if I don’t stay warm enough, my limbs will turn purple. That’s the best case scenario because once they start going numb, I know there’s a problem. Here are five ways to stay warm in the fall! Layer Up! This is obvious but there are lots of options you may not know about. When I started having issues, I’d end up sweating through clothes. I layered too much. Then when I…
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How to Prepare for Interstim Surgery
Recently, I had surgery to implant a battery into my back. This connects to a wire that stimulates my sacral nerve. This process of getting to this point was extensive. I started with PTNS, which is nerve stimulation that goes through your foot. After having success with a few trials, my best option was to move forward with Interstim surgery. I had no idea how to prepare for this. I decided to jot down a few ideas here. I hope you find them helpful. Track Symptoms I saw my surgeon only a day or two before surgery. At that point, they asked how my symptom tracking was going. I don’t…
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Dysautonomia Awareness Month
It’s Dysautonomia awareness month! October is dedicated to spreading the word about Dysautonomia. My personal journey with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome has been extremely turbulent. At its worst, it took away my ability to walk and function properly. I am grateful for the tremendous amounts of help I received from doctors, family, and friends. Everyday I am symptomatic in one way or another. Despite this, I continue to thrive as I learn to work with my disability, rather than against it. Unfortunately, not everyone has had a journey parallel to mine. Millions of people live with Dysautonomia. POTS specifically has a significant diagnostic delay. This leaves patients struggling to find…
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How to Confront Perfectionism
My OCD continues to improve with ERP therapy. Lately, my perfectionism has been my most difficult challenge. I started to strip away habits and compulsions. Now there’s an underlying anxiety to ensure things are perfect. Even if you don’t have OCD, perfectionism is very common. Our society has trained us that we need to always be at our best. For me, when you factor in chronic illness, that’s just not possible. I have some days where I struggle to function. It’s taken me my entire chronic illness journey to realize that it’s not a weakness to ask for help. In battling perfectionism, I’ve found some tricks in daily life. These…
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How to Stay Focused in Zoom Classes
I have discovered that Zoom lectures are extremely difficult to focus in. I know that I’m not the only one with this problem. I’ve come up with a few ways to keep myself focused. They aren’t always 100% effective, depending on the lecturer. Although, they can definitely help when I’m struggling to stay away or off my phone. Take Notes This is huge. My professors will post their lecture notes in the class. It’s easy to just avoid taking notes and keep their power points for reference. Avoid doing that. Take notes in class. It will help keep you present and focused on what is being taught. Even if it’s…
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Five Ways to Destress
When the semester started, I was extremely overwhelmed. The first week is always a challenge. It feels like there are a million things to do and no time to get it done. The first few weeks of school remind me of the importance of being mindful. I also prioritize time to destress. This looks different to everyone but here are five ways I destress. Watching Bloopers For me, laughing is key. Whenever I can get out of my head and laugh, I can feel stress melt away. I tend to look up bloopers from my favorite shows as a go to. The Office and Schitt’s Creek are my go to…
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Books That Brought Me to Buddhism
In high school, I learned about Buddhism briefly. At the time, I related to it and enjoyed reading the philosophies but didn’t give it much thought. After getting sick, I sought out meditation and beliefs to cope with what was happening. In learning more about Buddhism as a religion, I chose it as a lifestyle. Since then, I do my best to live a compassion based life. These are the books that brought to Buddhism. No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners: Clear Answers to Burning Questions About Core Buddhist Teachings by Noah Rasheta I had to start somewhere. I started with the basics. I figured learning what Buddhism is and isn’t was…
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How to Stay Present
Life is filled with trials and tribulations. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by work, family, or social situations. Having OCD, I’ve found various ways of staying present. This has become second nature. After a while, you start utilizing these techniques without even realizing it. If you have anxiety or need a little help during the pandemic, here are some tips on how to stay present. Ground Yourself Before you do anything, ground yourself. Bring yourself back to the present moment. Whether you find the rainbow, use your senses, or do 4-5-7 breathing take a moment to come back. Without grounding yourself, your mind will automatically be overwhelmed. Any attempts to…
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Creating an Online School Schedule
I have been doing online classes for a long time. I’ve done it both for high school and several semesters in college. It can be difficult to find your groove with online school. Especially if you have no prior experience. Creating a schedule for yourself is the first step to success. It’s important to set and reach goals weekly to keep yourself on track and thriving. Here are some easy ways to make a school schedule that works for you. Start Your Day off Right This is vital for me. It’s important to wake up at the same time everyday during your week. Even if you don’t have classes, this…
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Creating a Bedtime Routine
Sleep is so important. I mean, of course, it is. I hear people all the time in both the chronic illness community and not talk about their lack of sleep. Personally, I sleep like a baby. That doesn’t come without a lot of work though. I had to create a pattern for good sleep hygiene. Since this is something everyone needs, I thought I would create a guide so you can create your own routine. That way we can all get a good night’s rest to start our days off right! Stop Using Your Phone Now, I’m not going to tell you to stop using your phone in bed. For…
