Helpful Hints
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Dealing With Cancelled Appointments
If you’re anything like me, your appointments have been rescheduled. Rescheduled meaning they don’t have a date for them yet. It’s a stressful and frustrating situation and yet it cannot be helped. I’m glad that medical institutions are doing their best to keep everyone safe. But, not having my scheduled appointments is disappointing. I can’t help but think how differently some of these days would have gone if I had my appointments. Last Friday, I was supposed to meet with a new autonomic neurologist. I’ve waited months for this appointment and the answers it could bring may change my life. Now I have no idea when I’ll have this appointment.…
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Planning for the Future
This is a weird and dark time. Likely, you’re feeling a bit isolated. During this time it’s difficult to think of anything else besides covid-19. I’ve found something that can help! Planning for the future. This found me by accident. I have to register for the Fall semester in a little under a month and I needed to get my ducks in a row. Now, I have my Fall planned out and more than anything, I feel excited. Of course, no one knows what the Fall or the rest of this year will look like. I say there’s no harm in planning for the best possible outcome. I even started…
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Finding Self Love in Quarantine
This is a stressful time in the world. It seems that people are ready to snap at the drop of a hat. I’ve found that although we are distant, our reach through social media can start many arguments. During this time, we should be practicing self love. We can’t always influence people’s opinions, even when they’re hurtful. It’s important to distance yourself from negative attitudes. Put effort into your relationship with yourself. It always seems simple, until we start to focus on it. Here are some of my best tips for practicing self love during quarantine… Write Down What You Love About Yourself Before I go to bed and before…
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Confronting Fear and Anxiety
Confronting fear is something I aspire to do well. Currently, fear gets a hold of me all too often. It’s easy to let it in. Then without warning, it sets up camp in your mind and it feels impossible to evict it. Dealing with fear requires practice. There’s never going to be a time that we don’t experience fear. It’s what we do in the face of it that matters. In my life, fear can be a moment by moment experience. In the past, it’s been easy to lose my whole day to fear and anxiety. Now, I take it one step at a time. Some days are more difficult…
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Dealing With Endless Testing
Different types of testing go along with any type of chronic or acute illness. From blood tests to MRI’s, I have gone through the ringer with testing. Every test comes with different emotions. Some tests are painful, like the different injections I had to get in my hip. Other tests are emotionally taxing, like a three hour MRI of your brain and spine. All testing comes at a price whether it be physical or emotional. The more you try to escape it, the worse your experience will be. Here’s how I deal with endless testing. Radical Acceptance There will be tests that suck. Painful, traumatizing, and horrible tests will occur.…
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Tips for Having FUN at Home
Some or most of us are pretty much stuck at home during this coronavirus pandemic. It’s important not to let yourself wallow in the fear and anger that has come about with being stuck. Most people are not aware of what it is like to have to spend extended periods of time in the house. For those of us with chronic illness, we often have to spend extended periods of time in the house. Either way, it’s a good idea to keep your mind occupied and stimulated. Here are my best ideas for staying busy and HAVING FUN while at home. Play Games If you have others around your house,…
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6 Ways to get into a Spring Mindset
I am so excited! Minnesota just had the warmest weekend since the winter started. I am ready for Spring. I am ready for flowers and warmer weather. I am ready for sunshine and walking outside. I am already preparing for Spring in so many ways. Now that we’ve gained an hour of sunshine during the day, I’m excited to jump into longer days. I dislike winter. If I had it my way, I would live in a moderate climate all year round. That’s not possible right now so I’m taking the opportunity to be grateful and prepare for Spring! Here are six ways to get in the Spring spirit. Start…
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Cultivating a Healing Atmosphere
Healing is something sacred to me. It comes in many forms. Physically, healing is rarely able to take full effect, although it does show up here and there. In a mental sense, healing is all around me. I try to surround myself with an ora of peace. It’s much easier said than done. Starting off on this journey was very difficult. How do you go from frustration, anger, and confusion to healing? It starts with what you immerse yourself in. Anything from pop culture to your environment; it comes into play when cultivating a healing atmosphere. So you’re likely thinking, “Where do I start?” Excellent question! Here’s how I started…
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Creating a Healthy Lifestyle
Although most of us don’t have control over our health, we have control over our lifestyle. I put a large emphasis on the choices I make. This is due to my inability to control other aspects of life. This is a coping strategy but also very helpful. I don’t have frustrating conversations about diet and exercise. I surpass difficult lectures on lifestyle choices altogether. For me, these decisions came quite easily, when considering the alternative. I understand that they’re challenging for most people. I’ve created a short guide on how to create a healthy lifestyle. I hope you enjoy it! Focus on Key Areas When first starting off, I’d analyze…
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Tips and Tricks for Dealing with OCD
Dealing with OCD is an interesting experience. For most of my life, I was unaware of the fact that my anxiety was obsessive compulsive disorder. Having intrusive thoughts is a normal part of life but for individuals with OCD there’s a hyper focus on them. I can spend literal hours doing mental gymnastics. I repeat phrases to myself and try to ensure my own or others safety. The reality of living with OCD can be somewhat harsh. The only way to truly beat or overcome OCD is to endure. This is a therapy known as Exposure and Response Prevention. The therapy consists of exposing yourself to your fear. Then you…
