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Creating a Value Tree
This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about values. As we learn more about ourselves, it’s important to outline what attributes mean the most to us. For me, when I am hurt or offended I want to better understand why. It’s easy to say that something hurt us but it can be difficult to see why it hurt so badly. I decided to create a value tree to better understand my interactions. You may be thinking, what is a values tree? I don’t even know if this is a real thing but we’re doing it anyway. Here’s how I made mine: Establish Important Attributes To me, I chose to outline…
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A Review of Liquid IV
I have had mixed experiences with electrolyte drinks. Some have too much sugar, others don’t work or cause other problems, and some taste horrible. I found liquid IV relatively soon after being diagnosed with POTs. I think it’s convenient because of the packet style. They fit into bags, I often keep several packets in my car. They’re just handy to have around. For a while, I only drank Liquid IV and water. I was symptomatic but felt well hydrated for the most part. It was later that I started supplementing with small bottles of Gatorade. Liquid IV was no longer holding me. Like my health, my dependence on various electrolyte…
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I Have Hope
It feels like the last few months have flown by. So much has happened and not just in my life. The world is changing before our very eyes. This is the longest period of time my health has been “stable” in the past two years. I say “stable” because a lot is still going on. I am celebrating six months of not being hospitalized. It’s a weird party to throw and there’s no balloon or card that celebrates that event but I’m excited. I went through this same type of transitional stage last year around this time. Suddenly I’m going from reacting to being. When some of these health threats…
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Five Reasons Everyone Should Get Therapy
I love therapy. I’ve been going on and off for about eight years. Therapy is an important tool for me to stay on top of my mental health. When I was younger, I struggled with anxiety quite a bit. Therapy allowed me a safe space to divulge my fears and face them. I learned coping skills and anxiety no longer felt like a burden. It was something I had and after time, I didn’t even think about it anymore. Now, for the past year, my OCD has been popping up and bothering me once again. So, I’m back in therapy. Truthfully, if I wasn’t moving around so much I don’t…
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Owala Water Bottle Review
I ordered two 32 ounce stainless steel Owala water bottles. I got one with a flip spout and the other with a twist cap. You might be asking yourself, “why do you need 64 ounces of water at any given time?” The answer would be, I need to drink at least three liters of water a day for my POTs. It’s an insane amount of water but I digress. I chose to get one with a twist cap so I could put Liquid IV in it. When you use a water bottle with a straw with Liquid IV, it can get moldy or gross in general. I opted for stainless…
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The Spoon Theory Explained and Why It's Important
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have seen #spoonie or #spooniesister. So what does that mean? The spoon theory is used to explain our energy throughout the day. When you have a chronic illness, you may start with spoon depletion. Say you have 20 spoons at the start of the day. You choose to shower (5 spoons). You cook lunch or dinner from scratch (5 spoons). Then you go to work (10 spoons), by the end of the day, you’re completely out of spoons. All your energy is gone. This may impact the number of spoons you start with tomorrow. You may choose to borrow…
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My Favorite Meditations from Insight Timer
I love Insight Timer, I have it as an app on my phone. It’s got thousands of meditations of different lengths and content. Lots of different creators with different approaches. All around, I haven’t found any issues with this app. In fact, I recommend it to everyone. That being said, I thought I’d give a list of my favorite meditations so if you’re starting out you have a place to begin! There are links below to the app store and google play. Apple App Store or Google Play Store For Stress and Anxiety: Allowing Your Thoughts to Flow by Lama Yeshe Rabgye (12 minutes) Radical Acceptance by Chad Foreman (21…
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What to do When You Feel Out of Control
There’s been a lot going on lately. The world seems to have flipped upside down, at least in the United States. I’m not going to get into the politics of it. Right now, you might feel out of control. We’re all experiencing a little bit of feel helpless. So how do we deal with that? Here are some ideas to help you regain a sense of control! Turn Off the TV This is important. We all need to stay informed and up to date but it doesn’t have to be our primary focus. You need to take a step back. What is happening is not going to change if you…
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My Interview with the Invisible Wave Movement
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Jessica from the Invisible Wave Movement. Their mission is to: “Raise awareness, foster community, and advocate for policy for young adults with chronic conditions all around the world!” Being able to do this gave me a lot of joy. My goal, being a theatre major, has always been to share the voices of those who are waiting to be heard. I didn’t anticipate being part of a community where my own voice was silenced. For a while, I was stifled by the realities of my condition. Getting the opportunity to speak about my journey with chronic illness was a…
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STOP INTERACTING WITH SERVICE DOGS
The general public rarely has the opportunity to interact with service dogs. There are thousands of service dogs working throughout the United States. Most people don’t know how to interact with them. I’m going to explain why Crush and I need space in public. In addition, I will talk about why in general you shouldn’t interact with service dogs when they are working.Crush is with me in public to do a job. He is my lifeline. When my blood pressure or heart rate gets too low, he alerts me. When I’m starting to itch the precursor to a life-threatening allergy attack, he alerts me. His job in public to help…
