That One Sick Girl

As I've been in recovery from a serious mental break that occurred a few weeks ago, I have been learning a lot about the importance of self-care. Often times, I think that we become so focused on caring for others that we forget what self-care can look like. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but it most certainly needs to be a necessity in our lives. Every day we should get up and ask the question, "What can I do to take care of myself today?" The following post is really just a list of suggestions that I have tried when practicing my own self-care. Some are obvious, while other ideas are more creative. As a little note to the readers: any products suggested in this post have been tested by me and have my stamp of approval. Should you choose to purchase any of the products listed I will receive a small stipend for no extra cost to you. First, I will start with the obvious. You can take care of yourself by doing simple things such as practicing personal hygiene, ...

Note: I have tried all of the products mentioned in this post and will receive a small stipend at                      no extra cost to you should you choose to purchase it using my link. I spend more than my fair share of time confined behind the walls of a hospital, so I have gotten pretty creative when it comes to keeping myself busy. The following list is a series of suggestions for staying sane should you ever need to be hospitalized for any amount of time. It is my hope for you to become more informed and to feel like this is a safe place to share your story. As always, if you like it, share! 1. Learn a New Skill This could be anything from learning how to crochet to learning how to paint or play guitar. Anything time consuming is really the most effective. I always have my mom bring acrylic paint , brushes , and canvas , which keeps me busy for hours at a time. Another skill that I've gotten particularly good at while...

A few months ago I made the decision to post daily gratitudes on Instagram.  It has since been one of the biggest blessings in my life, and I want to share that with my readers.  I have asked several people to post three things that they are grateful for on Instagram every day under the tag #dailygratitudes, and now I'm asking you.  I want to see how grateful you can be!  I promise it is truly one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself and other people. It works like this... Sometimes our days can be hard.  So much can change in one moment, and with so much bad in this world it is easy to forget the good and hold onto the negatives.  I myself face this everyday.  I look at all of the negatives and it tears me apart.  I've had days where all I want to do is feel sorry for myself. Daily gratitudes have helped me to get away from that ever present negativity even for just a moment.  Any simple gesture or thought can change my e...

Monday July 14 marked one year to the day that  stopped tolerating any amount of food on my stomach.  I have always had GI issues but I never imagined my life how it is today.  If I'm honest with you and with myself I can only come to the conclusion that I have developed a patient identity.  Patient identity may sound odd to those of you who don't deal with a life altering illness on a day to day basis so let me put it plainly.  I don't know who I am anymore.  I can tell anyone anything that they want to know about hospital life and TPN and physical pain but as soon as I'm asked how I feel about it on a mental level, all I can bring up is numbness.  Unfortunately, I let myself become this way and lost any recognition of who I was a year ago in the process.  My therapist and I call this the patient identity.  I can't really begin to explain what this state of mind feels like...  I don't know how.  It's like I only focus on things...

Wow I never expected this experience with a feeding tube to escalate to where it is today.  In a few short days I will be meeting with a surgeon to schedule either a gj or j tube placement surgery.  Again... wow.  The doctors originally told me that I would be rid of this tube before school started. That didn't happen. Then I was told to give it a month. Nope. The dates kept extending until here we are four months later looking at permanent placements.  The thing is I wouldn't change it for anything.  Through every trial that my life has brought me I have learned something.  I have to believe that God will use my experiences one day to help someone else in the same situation as me. Life with a medical problem can feel very lonely sometimes.  You don't always have people readily available to talk to who know exactly what you are going through and you tend to get left behind when it comes to having a normal life.  I want to help show peopl...

The most frustrating thing to hear are the words "I don't know" and unfortunately that's all I've ever heard.  All my life I've dealt with pain.  I have seen countless doctors who have given countless answers when in reality they have no clue why my body attacks itself.  I am at the hands of their mercy and have little to no control over my own life.  If you know me then you know how much I hate this.  I am the type of person who needs some sort of control over everything that I do.  When all I hear is that I'm a mystery it takes everything in me not to break into tears.  I still fail sometimes though.  I go through stages where I can do nothing but cry because I don't understand why this is happening to my body.  I put on a brave front at school or when out in public view but the truth is I struggle a lot.  My emotions are all over the place and I feel almost completely alone in what I a...