It is winter and we are in the midst of the holiday season. A time for joy. A time for togetherness with loved ones. A time of giving and being gracious. So many pleasures wrapped up in just a few short months. Let's be honest though, the holiday season can be a very stressful time. This stress is often heightened for those of us dealing with chronic illnesses of any nature. I thought it would be important to talk about some ways to help lower the stress level throughout the season so that we may all enjoy the moments we share.
Since diabetes is such a prevalent disease in our nation and across the world right now I believe this is a good place to start. Stress affects Type I and Type II diabetics very differently and yet still has a great affect on the control of one's blood sugar levels. Both Type I's as well as Type II's are cautioned to keep stress levels low in an effort to maintain some sort of balance with blood sugar levels. I found a very useful link pertaining particularly to diabetics that is very useful http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/stress.html
Not only can the information on this sight be useful for diabetics, it has information that we can all use across the board.
For those of use with food restrictions such as Celiac Disease, Diabetes, or food allergies there are some quick easy ways to make your holiday season even brighter. Often times going outside of your own home to eat with diet restrictions is very difficult. Many hosts don't know of possible food allergies or diet restrictions of their guests. Plus, it is difficult for any host who is not accustomed to your specifications to try to accommodate. I have found for myself, because my digestive system is so sensitive and my symptoms can become debilitating quickly, it is easier for me to eat beforehand. That way I can casually sip a drink or just enjoy the company at the outing. Another thing I like to do is prepare a meal before, preferably an easy one or left overs, and pack them to go with me. I may get a few looks or a question or two, but I just politely answer with whatever information I am willing to divulge.
I have found that it is important to focus on the moment. Not only do I say this for the enjoyment of the moment, but also to prevent feeling overwhelmed. No one person around you is going to understand your perspective of the world or how difficult the holidays can be for someone with a chronic illness. Do not let their opinions or lack of knowledge influence how you take care of yourself while still being included in traditions. It is easy to get caught up in what is going on around you, and you should, but remember who is number one.
A routine is something health professionals as well as mental health professionals emphasize as a stress reducer. Throughout the holiday season a routine is nearly impossible to stick to, and yet with a chronic illness it is often important in the management of your disease. With travel and feasts and traditions this can be difficult. Do not beat yourself up over a few indulgences or strays from your daily routine. Do your best with what you have around you and be proud of your efforts.
Most important remember how badly you feel when managing your disease gets out of whack. Many diseases, in a state of stress, get exacerbated. When this happens and you don't feel like yourself, it leads to irritability, fatigue, and opens your body up to risks of complications from whatever you may be suffering. This, in itself, should be a motivator to keep you on track, let you loosen up enough to enjoy yourself, and that will allow you to not become overwhelmed.
This is a time of joy and excitement. This is a time to remember how grateful we are to have one another. This is not a time for our disease to control us. Just like a rope is woven with many strands, our disease is only one strand of the rope that makes us who we are- STRONG.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
My Words On Connecticut Shooting
I had originally set out this week to make a post regarding Celiac Disease and its relation to diabetes, thyroid disease, neurological disorders, dermatological disorders, cancers, and other diseases. I certainly know for myself, it does seem that these are all closely linked. Unfortunately, in my research I have not found a whole lot of hard evidence that I could pull together and make sense of as would a medical professional. In working on researching this topic, I was nose-in to my lap top with my TV playing the morning news in the back ground. That's when I was punched in the stomach!
A mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. WHAT?! An elementary school? I had to stop what I was doing to fully listen to what I thought I had just heard. Sadly, what I thought I heard was exactly what I heard. I just couldn't believe it. Suddenly, I was no longer able to focus or think of anything else. I even got up from my chair and began pacing back and forth while listening to the news reports as they rolled in, and at this point, as I write this, not all the details are known.
My first thought was that of my own son. Last week I was on my way to pick him up from school and I got an automated call from the school letting me know it was on lock down and they would not be releasing children. The message stated they had no further information at that time but would contact us as soon as they had more. I instinctively went to the school anyway to wait it out all the while thinking, "If there is something dangerous in the area causing a lock down, should I even subject myself to that danger?" Even with that thought my instincts forced me toward the school. My gut was telling me, "If my son is in danger, I don't care what could happen to me....I need to be there." While I was battling myself in my head, my auto-pilot had me in the parking lot before I knew it.
When I got to the school all the parents were outside waiting and trying to get information. I hear within minutes that a man with a gun was threatening to "shoot-up" a grocery store just down the street from the school. That was another blow because I had just kissed my husband goodbye from his lunch break. He headed off to work at the pharmacy at that same grocery store as I went to get my son. So, not only was my son in danger, I now knew that my husband was in danger as well. Luckily, in our small town it ended well. The gunman was caught and no harm was done to anyone in the store or along the way. The children were released quickly thereafter. Relief is an understatement to what I felt.
As I hear the stories rolling in about this shooting in Connecticut, I just cannot believe it! I cannot imagine what those parents are going through. I cannot imagine what those poor children have gone through let alone what they have seen at such a young age. My stomach just turns and turns and the anxiety for these people is just overwhelming me at this point. I am writing this because I am sure I am not the only person feeling these emotions.
It makes me think and wonder what is going on in the world today. Is it the mass media in addition to social media combining to give us immediate information of tragedies across the world that brings attention to all of this? Or is the world becoming a more evil and dangerous place? Or is this combination of the two, drawing the evil towards the attention they will receive? We cannot protect everyone all the time. We cannot predict the actions of free willed human beings who ultimately are animals. Am I growing up and just suddenly realizing the devastation that we cause each other?
There are so many questions. There are less answers. I am curious to hear other people's thoughts and opinions on this. How do we talk to our children about this? If it were to happen in our childrens' school, how would we help them deal with the aftermath and post traumatic stress? How do we, as adults, wrap our minds around this insanity and come to terms with this?
We have recovered from tragedies in the past. Columbine, Virginia Tech, 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan just to name a few. This is an elementary school. It could have been our own children.
I am speechless and yet have a million questions. We all think we are immune.......yet we are reminded frequently that we are not. Cherish what you have, brush off the stressors, and treat others with respect. Behind every smile is a secret battle.
A mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. WHAT?! An elementary school? I had to stop what I was doing to fully listen to what I thought I had just heard. Sadly, what I thought I heard was exactly what I heard. I just couldn't believe it. Suddenly, I was no longer able to focus or think of anything else. I even got up from my chair and began pacing back and forth while listening to the news reports as they rolled in, and at this point, as I write this, not all the details are known.
My first thought was that of my own son. Last week I was on my way to pick him up from school and I got an automated call from the school letting me know it was on lock down and they would not be releasing children. The message stated they had no further information at that time but would contact us as soon as they had more. I instinctively went to the school anyway to wait it out all the while thinking, "If there is something dangerous in the area causing a lock down, should I even subject myself to that danger?" Even with that thought my instincts forced me toward the school. My gut was telling me, "If my son is in danger, I don't care what could happen to me....I need to be there." While I was battling myself in my head, my auto-pilot had me in the parking lot before I knew it.
When I got to the school all the parents were outside waiting and trying to get information. I hear within minutes that a man with a gun was threatening to "shoot-up" a grocery store just down the street from the school. That was another blow because I had just kissed my husband goodbye from his lunch break. He headed off to work at the pharmacy at that same grocery store as I went to get my son. So, not only was my son in danger, I now knew that my husband was in danger as well. Luckily, in our small town it ended well. The gunman was caught and no harm was done to anyone in the store or along the way. The children were released quickly thereafter. Relief is an understatement to what I felt.
As I hear the stories rolling in about this shooting in Connecticut, I just cannot believe it! I cannot imagine what those parents are going through. I cannot imagine what those poor children have gone through let alone what they have seen at such a young age. My stomach just turns and turns and the anxiety for these people is just overwhelming me at this point. I am writing this because I am sure I am not the only person feeling these emotions.
It makes me think and wonder what is going on in the world today. Is it the mass media in addition to social media combining to give us immediate information of tragedies across the world that brings attention to all of this? Or is the world becoming a more evil and dangerous place? Or is this combination of the two, drawing the evil towards the attention they will receive? We cannot protect everyone all the time. We cannot predict the actions of free willed human beings who ultimately are animals. Am I growing up and just suddenly realizing the devastation that we cause each other?
There are so many questions. There are less answers. I am curious to hear other people's thoughts and opinions on this. How do we talk to our children about this? If it were to happen in our childrens' school, how would we help them deal with the aftermath and post traumatic stress? How do we, as adults, wrap our minds around this insanity and come to terms with this?
We have recovered from tragedies in the past. Columbine, Virginia Tech, 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan just to name a few. This is an elementary school. It could have been our own children.
I am speechless and yet have a million questions. We all think we are immune.......yet we are reminded frequently that we are not. Cherish what you have, brush off the stressors, and treat others with respect. Behind every smile is a secret battle.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Technical Difficulties
As if life in general weren't complicated enough. I have to admit that I am not too tech savvy. I was one of the later of my generation to join MySpace just before Facebook became the big thing. I was then reluctantly talked into joining Facebook. All the while, I had a laptop and a cell phone. Let me notate that both were very basic models, as I do very basic things tech-wise.
I got into MySpace and then into Facebook. They are very addicting. As Facebook took over the world and MySpace faded away, I was sucked in even more. Especially just becoming disabled and suddenly having minimal connection to the outside world, this gave me a way to feel connected to all the people I was distanced from by my new situation. Not only that, I was able to connect with old friends I had lost contact with as well as family members who lived out of town. That was a highlight for me because at the time my son was very young and I felt it was my obligation to keep my family updated on him. I liked being able to post pictures and status updates to the masses rather than singularly text message or picture message my family or friends. Let me be clear, my page has and will always be private, strictly for family and friends.
Remember I said I had a cell phone this whole time. The problem was that I had a basic cell phone. I have had a cell phone since I was in college, granted that journey began over 10 years ago. That was when texting became the big thing. I am a texter. Smart phones came out, but I never had the money to afford one. By the time my son was born, I was getting mocked a bit because I would send picture messages around. My basic little cell phone took pictures and could send them, but when those who had smart phones would receive them they would be tiny little, sometimes unremarkable, pictures. I got mocked. Eventually, someone bought me a digital camera. Full circle, Facebook allowed me to use my camera to send these pictures. All the while, I held on to my basic cell phone.
I cannot explain my resistance to technology other than it overwhelmed me. More recently I am starting to gain ammunition as to why I do not want to embrace further technology. Although, I see its importance in medicine, I do not see the importance to constantly add more "conveniences" to our lives considering we are all overwhelmed by multi-tasking. Add that to the growing obesity rates and I'd say some of these "conveniences" are more detrimental than helpful. Scratch that, I should say the user of the convenience has the control to use it wisely, but the vast majority are falling prey to the evils. It is human nature to follow the crowd. Hindsight is 20/20.
So much has happened with my health, our family, our nation, etc. in the past several months. For myself personally, some relationships have been seriously damaged if not ruined, by the evils we do not always see in technology. Now that I have not only watched marriages end, friendships end, family drama being stirred up.....the list goes on, I am just astonished by the fact that so many of us have not backed away to repair the damage. I myself have had my share of troubles.
Last spring I lost a friend over several months of Facebook posts that were misunderstood. We obviously did not communicate well so the misunderstandings turned into hurt feelings and anger ensued ultimately ending the relationship. I blamed that on my friend that I had just lost, sure it was her and not me who let Facebook come between us.
Just last week I commented on a post I apparently misunderstood and offended a family member. That family member's comment in turn offended me. My solution to that was to end the communication for that conversation on Facebook and actually get a hold of my family member to make sure this person knew I really cared. Honestly, I should have called her directly. But rather than make a big deal out of a simple Facebook post, I texted unrelated conversation in an uplifting manner and made sure I let the my family member know how important they are to me. I have to admit, I am a little shy and my thoughts and emotions come out much better in writing than in talk. My go-to for any problem as long as I can remember is to write it out. A little more than a decade ago, a hand written note was acceptable. Even with that, it can be misinterpreted.
Finally, last night I fell prey to the very thing I misunderstood about my family member's post a few days before. I finally got a smart phone a few weeks back. I discovered the Facebook app. I should have seen it coming. Facebook sucked me back in and the next thing I know, I am commenting and status updating left and right. Yesterday I was taking my son to Tae Kwon Do and listening to a song that has brought me a lot of peace this past month. The line that gets me every time came on at a stoplight which gave me the opportunity to quickly post it as my status update. Problem being, I did not use quotation marks or sight the song writer. Within hours, I had an influx of phone calls, text messages, and emails asking if I was "OK". Apparently, the way I had posted that particular update made it look as if I wanted to end my life. Damage control continued for an hour or so and I finally updated my Facebook page with more information to end the confusion.
I should have vocalized this thought several months ago when it first occurred to me. I have stated I am not the best with vocalizing. I should have, if nothing else, written a blog about it then to get it out. Instead, I kept my little epiphany to myself and landed in the position I was in last week and last night. Technology and it's conveniences are meant to be enhancements to our lives. Social media, email, and texting should enhance an already stable relationship not replace it.
I am much better at writing than talking. I can express myself much more freely in writing. I am definitely much more articulate in writing. Writing is like a thought. No one else can hear it. The difference is, a thought is kept inside the mind whereas writing can be displayed. In the display it is impossible to completely set the emotional tone of the words. Anyone who knows the writer well may be able to "hear" the writer speak the words as they read the writing. It is those fragile relationships, maybe new or distant or from the past, that fall victim to the tragedy that is misunderstanding and lack of real communication.
Little ol' me in lil ol' small town USA is calling the masses to open their eyes to the devastation lack of communication causes. I heard once to be kind to everyone because behind that smile is a battle. Everyone of us, whether it be illness, finances, divorce, what-have-you is going through a great struggle. Some of us are hanging by a thread. The lack of communication adding to the misunderstandings and overthinking that comes with social media and technology can break that thread in an instant. It is so hard to "communicate" what we are really trying to say in 160 characters on a screen. Don't take the ones you love for granted. Let's enjoy these conveniences by enjoying how they enhance our lives before we all become hermits tapping away at a keyboard or touchscreen all alone.
I got into MySpace and then into Facebook. They are very addicting. As Facebook took over the world and MySpace faded away, I was sucked in even more. Especially just becoming disabled and suddenly having minimal connection to the outside world, this gave me a way to feel connected to all the people I was distanced from by my new situation. Not only that, I was able to connect with old friends I had lost contact with as well as family members who lived out of town. That was a highlight for me because at the time my son was very young and I felt it was my obligation to keep my family updated on him. I liked being able to post pictures and status updates to the masses rather than singularly text message or picture message my family or friends. Let me be clear, my page has and will always be private, strictly for family and friends.
Remember I said I had a cell phone this whole time. The problem was that I had a basic cell phone. I have had a cell phone since I was in college, granted that journey began over 10 years ago. That was when texting became the big thing. I am a texter. Smart phones came out, but I never had the money to afford one. By the time my son was born, I was getting mocked a bit because I would send picture messages around. My basic little cell phone took pictures and could send them, but when those who had smart phones would receive them they would be tiny little, sometimes unremarkable, pictures. I got mocked. Eventually, someone bought me a digital camera. Full circle, Facebook allowed me to use my camera to send these pictures. All the while, I held on to my basic cell phone.
I cannot explain my resistance to technology other than it overwhelmed me. More recently I am starting to gain ammunition as to why I do not want to embrace further technology. Although, I see its importance in medicine, I do not see the importance to constantly add more "conveniences" to our lives considering we are all overwhelmed by multi-tasking. Add that to the growing obesity rates and I'd say some of these "conveniences" are more detrimental than helpful. Scratch that, I should say the user of the convenience has the control to use it wisely, but the vast majority are falling prey to the evils. It is human nature to follow the crowd. Hindsight is 20/20.
So much has happened with my health, our family, our nation, etc. in the past several months. For myself personally, some relationships have been seriously damaged if not ruined, by the evils we do not always see in technology. Now that I have not only watched marriages end, friendships end, family drama being stirred up.....the list goes on, I am just astonished by the fact that so many of us have not backed away to repair the damage. I myself have had my share of troubles.
Last spring I lost a friend over several months of Facebook posts that were misunderstood. We obviously did not communicate well so the misunderstandings turned into hurt feelings and anger ensued ultimately ending the relationship. I blamed that on my friend that I had just lost, sure it was her and not me who let Facebook come between us.
Just last week I commented on a post I apparently misunderstood and offended a family member. That family member's comment in turn offended me. My solution to that was to end the communication for that conversation on Facebook and actually get a hold of my family member to make sure this person knew I really cared. Honestly, I should have called her directly. But rather than make a big deal out of a simple Facebook post, I texted unrelated conversation in an uplifting manner and made sure I let the my family member know how important they are to me. I have to admit, I am a little shy and my thoughts and emotions come out much better in writing than in talk. My go-to for any problem as long as I can remember is to write it out. A little more than a decade ago, a hand written note was acceptable. Even with that, it can be misinterpreted.
Finally, last night I fell prey to the very thing I misunderstood about my family member's post a few days before. I finally got a smart phone a few weeks back. I discovered the Facebook app. I should have seen it coming. Facebook sucked me back in and the next thing I know, I am commenting and status updating left and right. Yesterday I was taking my son to Tae Kwon Do and listening to a song that has brought me a lot of peace this past month. The line that gets me every time came on at a stoplight which gave me the opportunity to quickly post it as my status update. Problem being, I did not use quotation marks or sight the song writer. Within hours, I had an influx of phone calls, text messages, and emails asking if I was "OK". Apparently, the way I had posted that particular update made it look as if I wanted to end my life. Damage control continued for an hour or so and I finally updated my Facebook page with more information to end the confusion.
I should have vocalized this thought several months ago when it first occurred to me. I have stated I am not the best with vocalizing. I should have, if nothing else, written a blog about it then to get it out. Instead, I kept my little epiphany to myself and landed in the position I was in last week and last night. Technology and it's conveniences are meant to be enhancements to our lives. Social media, email, and texting should enhance an already stable relationship not replace it.
I am much better at writing than talking. I can express myself much more freely in writing. I am definitely much more articulate in writing. Writing is like a thought. No one else can hear it. The difference is, a thought is kept inside the mind whereas writing can be displayed. In the display it is impossible to completely set the emotional tone of the words. Anyone who knows the writer well may be able to "hear" the writer speak the words as they read the writing. It is those fragile relationships, maybe new or distant or from the past, that fall victim to the tragedy that is misunderstanding and lack of real communication.
Little ol' me in lil ol' small town USA is calling the masses to open their eyes to the devastation lack of communication causes. I heard once to be kind to everyone because behind that smile is a battle. Everyone of us, whether it be illness, finances, divorce, what-have-you is going through a great struggle. Some of us are hanging by a thread. The lack of communication adding to the misunderstandings and overthinking that comes with social media and technology can break that thread in an instant. It is so hard to "communicate" what we are really trying to say in 160 characters on a screen. Don't take the ones you love for granted. Let's enjoy these conveniences by enjoying how they enhance our lives before we all become hermits tapping away at a keyboard or touchscreen all alone.
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