5 Tips for Holiday Self Care
It is hard to believe that it is already time for the December Link Up from A Chronic Voice. This year has gone by so fast and I am quickly approaching the one year anniversary of The Frozen Mind. For this link up, I want to talk about the Struggle of the Holidays. The holiday season is so busy and the to do list seems to get longer by the day. This month’s prompts are perfect for talking about Holiday Self Care. First, let me tell you a little about the Link Up. Each month, there are 5 word prompts given and you have to use at least 3 of them in…
5 Ways to Guard your Mental Health during the Holidays
To some, the holiday season may be the most wonderful time of the year but the time period between Thanksgiving and the New Year can be difficult for several reasons. Issues within the family, a recent loss of a family member, health crises and other struggles can make the holiday season difficult to manage. When you include the enormous amount of holiday activities being exhausted only makes the season stressful. When you add in the colder weather and less sunlight each day, seasonal depression and health issues can compound to make the season less than merry and bright. With all of this in mind, finding ways to guard your mental…
6 Ways to Avoid Sensory Overload During the Holidays
Many types of Chronic Illnesses are affected by sensory overload. It can make symptoms worse and make treatments inadequate. But what is Sensory Overload? It occurs when one or more of the body’s senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment around them. Too much noise in itself may not be enough to tip the scales but if bright lights are also there the brain can be impacted. For me, too many sensory factors at one time can trigger significantly worse than normal Hemiplegic Migraines. A public place with fluorescent lighting, loud noise and strong smells is a definite recipe for a severe Hemiplegic Migraine. Unfortunately, the holiday season is full of crowded rooms, music, smells and…
5 Ways to Survive the Holidays
When you have Chronic Migraine, the holiday season can be difficult to manuever. There are parties to attend, gifts to buy and activities to take part in. All of these things equals stress that can trigger migraines that can stop you in your tracks. There are things you can do to help you survive the holidays. Stress Explained There is a misconception that stress comes from bad things and nothing could be further from the truth. Some of our most happy moments are stressful including weddings and having a baby. Not all stress is bad stress but that doesn’t mean that our bodies react to it in good ways. Unfortunately,…
10 Ways to Pace Yourself During the Holidays
It will soon be Halloween and around here, some radio stations begin playing Christmas music the day after. So, in my mind, the holiday season starts the day after Halloween. That is usually when the Black Friday ads start being leaked and when I start planning out what everyone is getting for Christmas. The problem with all of this is the expectation of making the holidays perfect. This unrealistic expectation can leave you running in circles and accomplishing little. That is why it is important to pace yourself because if you don’t, you will find yourself in a heap on the bed after it is all over. Last year, I…
Breast Cancer Awareness- What to Do and What Not to Do
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to help spread awareness, I want to share some information about this disease that takes so many lives each year. Breast Cancer By the Numbers About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12.4%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. In 2018, an estimated 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 63,960 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. About 2,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2018. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1…
4 Ways to Pamper Yourself When You Don’t Feel Well
Why Pamper Yourself? As I am writing this, Hurricane Florence has been pounding the North Carolina coast for 24 hours and is starting to slowly start her journey south toward me. All of the models show very little likelihood that it will make it here and for that I am incredibly grateful. That doesn’t exactly mean that I am completely “out of the woods” so to speak. The Barometric Pressure started dropping around 3 am and has continued to drop significantly through out the day. I have had a hemiplegic migraine that morphed into a nasty headache with nausea and all over joint pain. I feel like I need to…
The Ladder Theory: How to Tackle Life One Thing at a Time
A few years ago. my daughter was having severe issues with anxiety. She had just turned 18 and felt like the world was coming down around her. She thought that she had to have her entire life figured out. There were too many things to focus on accomplishing at one time and it was paralyzing her. This is when the “Ladder Theory” was born. I was sitting on her bed and she was completely distraught because she was so overwhelmed with all of the things that she thought had to be done right now. I wish I could take credit for what I said but honestly, it just flowed out…
4 Ways to Discover an Attitude of Gratitude
It can be difficult to feel grateful when you live with chronic illness. Sickness, fatigue and fear can make it easy to become more resentful and less grateful. It is important to find things in life to be grateful for, in spite of living with chronic illness. It may take practice but you can discover an attitude of gratitude that will change even the worst of days. 4 Ways to Discover an Attitude of Gratitude: Don’t just look at the obvious things. It is only human nature to look for the most obvious things to be grateful for. It is easy to be grateful for shelter when you have a home, for food when the…
How to Have & Keep a Joyful Attitude
Having a joyful attitude comes easy on days when everything is right on track. But on days when the medication doesn’t seem to work or when the walls feel like they are closing in, it can become easy to be weary and restless. During weeks in which the Barometric Chart can show others how rough the migraine days have been, it is easy to get lost in the pain. Like many other emotions, being joyful is a choice. Having a joyful attitude is not necessarily an indication of how life is at this very moment. Having joy is a conscious act that requires focus, dedication and perseverance. It is determined…
