How To Self-Soothe When Life Seems Totally Overwhelming
Self-soothing is something that many people learn in childhood. It’s the ability to calm yourself down, even when the world around you feels overwhelming. Unfortunately, many of us miss out on this critical developmental stage, either because of traumatic events in our lives, breakdown of our families, or abuse from parents. This means that we enter adult life without the ability to withstand the inevitable knocks and blows that it deals us. The good news is that there are a host of ways that you can self-soothe when life feels like it is getting too much. Here’s what to do: Breathe Deeply Deep breathing activates the rest-and-digest part of the…
Dealing with travel anxiety
This weekend I am going away for a few days to Scotland to my best friends wedding and right now I’m dealing with travel anxiety. I’m full of worry about what to pack and what could happen, so let’s have a chat about it. When you have chronic illnesses, both mental and physical, routines become something that help you to cope. Doing things in a particular order or a certain way is comforting and makes having illnesses easier to deal with. But routine can become a kind of prison, you can’t do everything the same every day, it isn’t living life to its fullest. So, when we were invited to…
When insomnia rears it’s head
When insomnia rears it’s head it can feel overwhelming and make you feel unable to control the situation. I’ve struggled with this so many times over my life and yet I am currently struggling with these things now. Usually my sleeping is something I can count on, I don’t nap anymore, even with ME/CFS, and I take CBD at night to help as well. But sometimes no matter what you do, insomnia can come into your life like an invader, taking your ability to rest at night or get things done in the day because you are so tired. The last week or so I have been struggling with this,…
Awareness months matter
Today my best friend made me cry, she sent me a BBC news article about chronic pain and how sufferers are treated. It reminded me why raising awareness means so much to me and why awareness months matter. I felt seen, like someone, a random journalist, cared enough to interview people and to write an article. Then a big place like BBC news thought it mattered enough to post it up and make it a push notification on people’s phones. I doubt the journalists realised how much this means to people who suffer with no help and no light at the end of the tunnel. But I wish I could…
THE WELLNESS ROUTINE THAT RELIEVES PAIN AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE
Our daily activities leave many of us feeling extremely tired and exhausted and yearning for the best way to relax and unwind. Soaking in a hot tab has been recommended to achieve relaxation. Including soaking in the hot tab in the daily routine gives the body more than relaxation. The benefits of soaking in a hot tub include stress relieving, mitigating the pain caused by arthritis, helps in muscle relaxation, among many others. As more seek to tap into the benefits of soaking in a hot tap, the more hot tubs for sale are getting popular with each passing day. Regular exercising helps the body stay in shape, but sometimes we lack…
MS awareness week 2022
MS awareness week 2022 runs from the 25th of April to the 1st of may and this year the theme is the uncertainty of Multiple Sclerosis. This disease has touched my life in many profound ways so let’s talk about it. Multiple sclerosis was a diagnosis that was given to me almost 20 years ago by a specialist because my symptoms fit. I had neurological problems, numbness, headaches, trouble walking and memory issues. I remember how upset we all were when in my 20s I was given this diagnosis and was started on a treatment that involved injecting myself every day. I saw the most amazing clinic regularly, had scans…
The process to get disability benefits
I have spoken a few times about how the process to get disability benefits, mainly PIP has affected me. But today I want to talk about the steps so far and how they have really gone. Personal independence payment, otherwise known as PIP, is a disability payment supposedly set up to help you pay for things you need to be more independent. This is important as a disabled person and I have to say independence is hard to find, so anything to help that is very much appreciated. However, the way this process is set up it often feels as if they are on purpose trying to make it impossible…
What I learned from my depression flare.
I am starting to feel like a human again, so I thought I would look back on what I learned from my depression flare. Like a butterfly crawling out of its chrysalis, I am starting to feel refreshed, still battered, still bruised, but I am getting there. I am someone who tries to see the lesson in every day, and every experience good or bad. I have spoken a lot about mental health here on the blog, as well as on my YouTube channel, and being honest about how I am doing is really important to me. As I find ways that help me, I share them that is how…
As I watch my dog sleep
As I watch my dog sleep, I feel a little helpless, and lost you see he has just got home from the vet. He has been sedated so he is very wobbly, and it has me thinking back on when I first got sick and how my parents must have felt. I am not a parent, I have not been blessed, but I have always had animals, as a child we always had cats and now I love dogs. I currently have two dogs, a shih tzu called Gizmo and a rescue mongrel called Dexter. Honestly, I love them so much and I couldn’t imagine life without furry creatures to…
Brain Ramblings
Brain ramblings, those times when you let your thoughts just spill out and usually do not share, but today I thought I would treat you all to one I had last night. I was in bed watching one of my favourite shows This Is Us, and my favourite character Nicky Pearson was the focus of one of the episodes. Suddenly my mood changed, and I felt sad, like the character I rarely leave the house because of my mental health. Yes, mobility is also an issue for me, but it is my anxiety disorder that mostly keeps me from going out and when I do I only do so with…
