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, ...

Anxiety is one of the most terrifying parts of my journey. It makes me feel vulnerable, weak, and very alone. That being said, I have been working a lot on realizing that I am not alone in this lately. I have to be honest with you. I was in a really dark place a few weeks ago, and my anxiety and depression got the best of me. I felt like it would be better if I weren't here. I don't want anyone else to ever feel like that, so I'm making it my mission to show you that you are not alone. You don't have to wear a mask with me because this is a safe place. If you ever need to talk, my email is right here on this website available to you. All you have to do is contact me, and I will be here. To start the conversation, I want to foster a place of vulnerability and share with my newfound knowledge with you. You see, I realized something recently. Everyone around me, including myself, is wearing a mask. When we walk down the street or through the grocery store we put a smile on...

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...

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. In the world of GI disorders and feeding tubes, nausea is often part of the equation. It sneaks up when you least expect it, and it acts as an uninvited guest to several occasions. Fortunately for those of us who deal with it frequently, there are several alternative methods to try. In this post I will offer seven alternative methods of handling nausea that will work no matter who you are.  1. Smelling Alcohol Swabs This method is commonly used by nurses in the ED as an alternate way of helping relieve nausea when nothing else works. Though it is not necessarily advised by many medical professionals, it is definitely one of my favorite methods to use when I need something quick acting that gives my medication time to set in.  2. Using Ice on your Stomach or Neck I use ice for a lot of things,...

Being away at school has been pretty great but also very difficult in several ways.  In order to handle the daily challenges from being chronically ill as well as all of my schoolwork, I had to develop some rules to live by.  I figured someone else might benefit from them also, whether they are chronically ill or not.  Here they are. 1. Breathe Having a busy schedule is part of being a college student.  It's okay to need some time to just breathe. Your friends will understand if you can't always "go go go" like they can.  If they don't, then maybe they aren't the friends you should have in the first place.   2. Health Comes First I know that going to that class is important, but so are you.  If you don't figure out your health today, then you might set yourself up for missing class the rest of the week.  You will be better off missing a couple of classes now than you would be missing the entire week of midterms because you got your...

Readers, I have a sort of test for you.  I'm going to write this post like I normally would but I want to ask that you give me some sort of feedback.  You can text me, call me, comment on my post, pm me on Facebook... whatever form of contact you choose to use I just want to see who my audience is and also get feedback from you if you have any to give.  So lets begin.  Most people come up with new years resolutions but I don't find them to be very useful so I've only thought up a list of things that I'd like to happen in the year of 2014.  If you know a way to help me with any of the following things that I'm going to write about go ahead and tell me what you have in mind.  Remember feedback is the backbone of this post.... plus I'm sitting in a hospital waiting to begin an MRE and have nothing better to do with my time.  So here it begins: 1. I am not usually into stuff like this but before I graduate I would like to be nominated for either home...