When it comes to the holidays, some things I try to do every year no matter what. Whether I'm looking forward to the festivities, dreading them due to depression/anxiety, or not able to do much due to a chronic illness flare, this doesn't change. These are my holiday musts.
Songs
I'm not the type that likes to play Christmas music much. I hate how it is everywhere once Halloween is over, and I don't listen to it on the radio. There are a few songs that tend to get in my
Category: Life Tips
The time change in spring and fall is rough on most people who have to go thorough it. I'm not sure if anyone outside the U.S. does Daylight Savings, but I know that there are only a few lucky states that don't. (I'm so jealous!) To try to help at least a few more people to get the rest they need, I researched some DST sleep tips.
Daylight Savings Tips
I think the best tip I found was to gradually transition over a few days. Starting a few days ahead of
You don't need to wait for a partner to go on a date. Treat yourself, and try some of these ideas for a self date. 1) Go to a bookstore and roam around. Buy yourself a book or a nice journal to write in. 2) Visit an animal shelter and spend time with the critters. Adopt one if you connect, and have the means to provide a good home. 3) Take a favorite book to a coffee shop and hang out. Time with a choice drink, great book and maybe a treat
Since it's getting close to Valentine's Day, I've gathered some cheap date ideas to share with you. You don't have to spend a lot to have fun and get romantic!
1) Movie Night at Home
Popcorn, Netflix, maybe some snacks, and your sweetheart is all that is needed for this date. What's more romantic than getting to snuggle up with your Valentine?
2) Game Night
Pull out the board games, and have fun together! You can even invite some other couples over and have some friendly competition.
3) Bake Together
This has the potential to
Everyone has their own ways to de-stress. There are numerous ways to go about it, and none of them work for everyone. These are the ways I relax:
1) Games on my phone
This works fantastically for me. I can distract myself from any intrusive thoughts with games. I have both mindless and more brainy types so I'm set no matter what I need. Some people might actually find this stressful, but it is a great diversion for me. Puzzle games and word games are my favorite.
2) Coloring
Unless you live under
I have never liked housework. Now that I deal with fibromyalgia, dysautonomia, and arthritis, I'm less able to do it. It still needs to get done though, so here are some of my thoughts and tips to get the most done with the least effort.
Work out what your bare minimum is.
What do you have to have done for you to feel you are not living in filth? For us, that includes vacuuming, sweeping the kitchen floor, doing at least one load in the dishwasher, and a load of laundry.
Even perfectly healthy people can find themselves short on energy at the end of the day. Anyone with chronic and/or mental illnesses knows that fatigue is a real problem. You still need to eat though. I usually find myself short on energy for cooking, so I've collected some helpful shortcuts over time. I'd like to share a few with you. 1) Buy frozen, precut veggies, like onions and bell peppers. This really reduces prep work. Bonus, they are easy to keep on hand and won't go bad if you don't use them