HAWMC - Day 8

Day 8 - Animals

If your health condition was an animal, what would it be?

If I had to choose just one animal, the first one that comes to mind is the SLOTH. One of the things about living with Hashimoto's is that it completely zaps your energy. What used to take me hours to accomplish now takes days. Everything seems to go in slow motion and takes complete concentration. I now live in a world where I have to remind myself daily just to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Hashimoto's also slows down the metabolism. Food just does not digest the way it used to. Making sure to get enough nutrients when you feel full all the time can prove to be somewhat challenging. Nutrient dense foods are a must.

Not only are there physical slow downs, but mental as well. For someone who used to be an avid reader. Having to re-read sentences over again can be frustrating. I've taken to keeping lists of tasks and deadlines, if only I could remember where I put that list.

It is not all that bad. I've switched my night owl ways for morning when my energy is high enough to accomplish all the important daily tasks and most days I can manage that. The monthly calender on the fridge keeps a list of even the simplest of events and the household is managing quite well.

Yes, Hashimoto's is a Sloth!

HAWMC - Day 1

It time again for the annual Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge, now in it's 3rd year. This will be my second year participating in this event. 

I have chosen to participate again this year because it reminds my why I do what I do. I find that the daily prompts allow me to look at my disease in a way that I may not have taken the time to consider on my own. I also love the connections I make with others who advocate for their diseases. It is truly inspiring to see what people are doing to change their lives and the lives of others. 

I am excited to be a part of this event and hope to use this month to get back into consistent writing and to be able to inspire as well as be inspired. 

Thank you Wego Health for putting the challenge together.

It's been a much needed break from many things these past few months. Taking a semester off of school and walking away from blogging for a while turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. It's that moment when you realize that life is jut to full and you need to take a step back and re-evaluate what is important and immerse yourself in the things that are the most important and let the rest slide away for awhile. What have I been up to? Homeschooling, yoga and farming. This picture was taken on the last day of my CSA workshare. I was actually sad to see the season end. What started out as a way for a newly single mom to provide local and organic produce for my kids turned out to be one of the highlights of my year. There is nothing like spending a few hours in the fresh air getting some exercise and meeting some truly amazing people. There was always something new to learn. Homeschooling is  proving to be both challenging and exciting. I have not regretted the decision we made and look forward to watching my baby continue to blossom in ways that I can't begin to describe. We are finally settling in to a good rhythm here at home. It has been an interesting year full of new beginning all around and I look forward to getting back to blogging. 

Quick and Easy Meal Prep Idea

Today I am excited to announce that I am guest blogging over at The Holistic Mama. With the start of the school year this week, head on over and read my article on prepping your fridge for quick and easy meals and snacks. A great way to keep things healthy as we switch into the hectic schedules of homework and after school activities.

With Fear and Excitement

This picture was taken 3 years ago in October of 2009. It is a picture that stays with me always in the back of my mind. My 15th wedding anniversary. He took me back to the place of our honeymoon. It was a best of times, worst of times moment. You see my husband and I had spent the past two years recovering from the 13 year itch and we were at the peak of our marriage, life could not have been sweeter. Yet this trip also signified the moment my life would forever be changed. On this trip I would realize that something was not quiet right. I could not put my finger on it, but I remember specifically knowing that something was off on this trip. Two weeks later I would come down with a migraine that would last a year and a half  with out a break, and that was just the beginning of a long line of  problems, before I was able to reach the turning point. I some days wonder how I ever survived it all. An additional year and a half have passed. The healing journey has been just as difficult and the marriage was unable to survive it all. Then last week the phone call came. The one I've been expecting and dreading since the healing began. After three years of hard work, my hormone levels are finally coming down. My meds are being adjusted and we go back into more frequent doctor visits for monitoring. It's what I've been working on all this time. Yet, if I have to be honest, I go into this with fear. Life with Hashimoto's is never easy, even on the good days. Just when I think things are going well, I get reminded that I have the disease. It's not a day by day prospect, it's hour by hour, and just as I'm getting used to the rhythm it's time to ride the roller coaster again. I'm excited to have reached the point where putting this disease into remission becomes a real possibility, and yet I sit at the top of the hill with my heart doing flip-flops as this coaster gets ready to make that first dive. I've decided to meet fear head on this time and I'm looking forward to the journey. Sometimes you just have to jump out of your routine and see what the unknown has to offer. Wish me luck!

Time for Some Self Care

Half way through the summer semester of college I ran into a road block. To be honest, I was actually kind of expecting it. After over a year of steadily recovering my health, I had finally hit a plateau. I was still dealing with my Hashimoto's but from a much better place and I was ready to start taking my life back. I so I pushed myself to see what would happen. To be honest, I was having the time of my life. Then it happened. Brain fog, exhaustion, hand rashes, slow wound healing, and the list continues. The thing was that this time, none of my usual self care tricks were working. So as the semester ended I had to make a decision. The decision to take the fall semester off and dive into some serious self care in the hopes of coming out even stronger for the next round. First on my list was a little weekend get away. For me this means getting back to nature and so I headed off without my girls to the river.

This was a "solo" trip, just for me (with a few friends to hang back as a safety measure). The weekend was spent in the seat of a kayak. Just me and the river. It was just what I needed. To be honest, the first evening was spent at a local festival with live music and some amazing fireworks, a great way to begin. Then off to the river were I have spent countless summers and the memories of each bend came back to me just like riding a bike. This was the first time I had been out here alone and it was a great time for some self reflection. The realization that.....

"Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are." - Chinese Proverb

...hit pretty strong out there for me. You see, even though I'm pretty comfortable with my life these days, if I had to admit it, I've never truly excepted the Hashimoto's version of me. In my day to day life, I have expectations of myself, out there on the river I had none, and it felt good.

So I am home now, back to the real world, with two realizations. One, that it's time to be who I am, and two, I need to get out on the water more often. Which I plan to do this evening.

Time for Some Change

I've decided that it's time. Things have been slowly evolving for me over the last few months. Big changes in several areas of my life have lead me to make some big changes around here. So over the next few weeks don't be surprised to see a different view until I settle in on what I want to see here. If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see or not see please feel free to leave me a comment. Please bare with me until I get situated here.