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Celebrating Life!
On December 22, 2019 I came very close to losing my life. It was by far the closest call I’ve had. I was hospitalized nine times previous and on and off steroids, that is quite the claim. I feel lucky to be alive. A large part of why I’m here today is because of my service dog, Crush. I couldn’t be more grateful to have him in my life. After being discharged from the ICU on December 23, 2019, I’m happy to report I haven’t been hospitalized since! I can’t explain to you what an incredible accomplishment that feels like. This year has included six surgeries. Including one to get…
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Why I Don't Set My Goals According To My Chronic Illness
I made an article last week talking about why I don’t make goals based on my OCD. Today, I want to talk about why I don’t make goals based on my chronic illness. Now, these two things differ quite a bit. That’s why I’m writing two separate articles. Chronic illness poses a lot more physical challenges and isn’t about what I believe I can do. It’s more about finding a way to work within the circumstances I’m in. I have several different chronic illnesses. This changes the way I interact with the world on a daily basis. I have a service dog and often need to accommodate my disability in…
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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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Appreciating What I Have
I’ve been struck lately by how grateful I am. Everywhere I turn, there is something to appreciate. I thought I would list some here in hopes that you too can find gratitude everywhere you look. It has made me undeniably happier. Being grateful and appreciating what you have is such a gift. It’s a simple reminder of all that’s going well. It’s appreciating what you have and not holding onto what you don’t. It’s a blessing. Here are some things that I am grateful for. You! This blog has been such an amazing experience. It gives me a space to share my journey, help others, and sometimes vent a little…
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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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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…
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Your Language Matters
Language is so important in our everyday life. Communication of any kind is how we fulfill our needs as humans. Language matters. I come across people talking about themselves very negatively. Sometimes it’s not even negative. They’re words that perpetuate a message of intolerance towards issues we all face. One of the most blatant examples I come across people saying things like “I hate my body” or “my body is broken.” I’ve talked about this before but I want to explain why I think this is so toxic. How we talk about ourselves is often how we allow other people to treat us. If we degrade ourselves, other people may…
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Celebrating My Birthday
Today is my 21st birthday. I love celebrating my birthday, I always have. My family often makes a pretty big deal out of birthdays. This year is a tad different because of Covid. I’ve imagined for years what this birthday would feel like. When I was 16 it was a mystical number that felt like it would never come. After going abroad at 18 and over, 21 lost some of its charm. Drinking was no longer a novelty. I never anticipated moving back to the states before my 21st birthday and once again being unable to legally drink. Moreover, I never anticipated not wanting to drink that much in general.…
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10 Quotes That Keep Me Moving
I love inspirational quotes. On hard days it can put things into perspective and help you move on. On good days it can remind you that things are constantly getting better. On any day, it can be a nice boost to your mood and just keep you motivated. I have the app Motivation on my phone and I love the little reminders they send me throughout the day. Here are my top ten! Let it hurt. Let it heal. Let it go. Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on hard days you know that there are better things coming Nobody’s…
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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…
