Life's twists: Keeping your stress in check

Hi my fellow warriors, family and friends new and old!

First off - our love goes out to our friends in Florida & the Carolinas-heck, all of  the areas affected by Hurricane IRMA!

The world is with you.

   It's been a while since my last post....there has been much to process for our little family! No worries - everyone here is healthy and that is the best thing in the world! Our children grow and grow each day it seems and Clayton and I are too (in other ways). When life gets too cozy, curve balls are a must to keep things interesting, I guess.

   It's easy to get overwhelmed by the stress and let my autoimmune condition get the best of me. For those unfamiliar, anyone with an autoimmune condition that has a tremendous stress mounted on them  will begin to have immune system problems if steps aren't taken to relieve it. Sickness will mount in the form of  colds and flus until you can get back in control and put your stress in check. It's not only important for me but also my family that we spend a few moments every day for ourselves without the thoughts of what might be.

   There are strategies we can all utilize when life's situations can get up in your face and shake things up. Stress cannot be avoided, but it can be dealt with in a healthy manner.

Some tips from the National Institute of Mental Health include: 

• Recognize the Signs of your body's response to stress, such as difficulty sleeping, increased alcohol and other substance use, being easily angered, feeling depressed, and having low energy.
• Get Regular Exercise. Just 30 minutes per day of walking can help boost your mood and reduce stress.
• Try a Relaxing Activity. Explore stress coping programs, which may incorporate meditation, yoga, tai chi, or other gentle exercises. For some stress-related conditions, these approaches are used in addition to other forms of treatment. Schedule regular times for these and other healthy and relaxing activities.
• Set Goals and Priorities. Decide what must get done and what can wait, and learn to say no to new tasks if they are putting you into overload. Note what you have accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do.

   A big change for me is not being employed at all this year besides the occasional freelance work....I've always held even a part-time job  (usually 2-3) as I raised the older girls and this is a new concept! How exciting and FUN it was to be able to just be a mom for a while. And then this happens--- your partner's position of over five years gets yanked with less than a week's notice..right 

around the day after his birthday. Sometimes timing stinks.

Thankfully, with both of us used to living on the edge with no real salary to speak of, we had a nice little cushion in the bank. After the initial panic subsided (and let me assure you - we are talking a few days), we tried to enjoy a little vacation time. It has been literally years since we've enjoyed even a weekend off together and even with the arrival of Finn, Clayton was granted three days off of work only. Such is the life of the hourly employed.

   This happened August 1st and it is now mid-September. We couldn't afford to spend too much while we wait for our opportunities to reveal themselves, so we chose to enjoy the scenery around the area we live. Hiking seemed to revive us and open our minds to big changes.

Chica, Finn and I

Lost Cabin Trail, Black Hills, South Dakota

     Clayton has secured a temporary position through a Veterans program  and we are so grateful for that. It is, however, significantly less an hour than what we are used to making and he has an hour commute each work day. We have all switched over to days....that's a big change. We always have enjoyed operating on a schedule that less people take. We loved operating in the minority.  Now we are a weekday family. I have lost my yoga and swimming partner for the time being. We get to swim together once a week - sometimes less due to our new schedule.

   There are positives that we have found with this scenario, however. We really had to sit down, examine  and be open about things we really want. We looked at  what we thought of ourselves, see how we saw ourselves in the mirror...our qualities, our experiences. We actually used this as yet another way to learn more about each other and somehow I think we appreciate the other even more....if that was possible! This was another instance that we were each other's solid foundation in another one of life's lovely whirlwinds. 

My person :)

   We both have been offered job opportunities and we are carefully deciding  if that is the direction we are thinking is best for us and our family. Some of my fellow Hashi warriors have reached out to me and I might be joining up with them on a little business venture....if I pull the trigger, you'll be hearing about it for sure!

    Hiking has been a great tool for me...I feel grounded, stronger, get fresh air and our girls really love being in the wilderness. It's great for all of us! We also have connected with friends with hiking - it's been a win/win.

Hiking a National Park a few hours

away from where we grew up.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Black Hills, South Dakota

Mommy & Me yoga at home

Hiking the Badlands with my pal Amy

Until next time!

Blessings!

Stay strong, my friends!

Anti-Anxiety: Five things that gotta give for happiness

   Hey everybody! I'm still here :) I've had quite a bit going on from school events, art passions, to a work situation to doing the impossible....throwing a birthday party for our daughter for over 25 people to attend...in our home! And we all survived, including me! AND the best part was the exciting activities didn't evoke a flare from the outer reaches of hell.

The beginning of a

cocoa nib GF birthday cake

   I am going on month 6 of a complete dietary change of removing gluten, cutting down on soy because of my thyroid medication and incorporating a rash of supplements to help my body function "normally"....well like everybody else anyways. The changes I've noticed Hashimoto's has most likely plagued me my entire life, so this new me takes some getting used to! Every day I've decided is an adventure!

Summer's favorite-Cocoa Nibs and Lavender

in my own inner workings haven't been my kind of normal ever! We've come to learn that my
   Which brings me to the topic of the day---just what brings happiness? Is it a person, is it a place or is it maybe a something? Being on a Hashimoto's journey puts things in perspective for a person and for their whole family. Hashimoto's is a mostly invisible disease that can be seen through blood work. A Hashi person can explain all day to healthy folks what it is like. At best, the usual outcome is sympathy rather than empathy and then there are those  that simply won't believe because of their ignorance and lack of an empathetic soul. It can make for a frustrating, uncomfortable and humble existence until you decide on just being happy.

My book I wrote, illustrated, edited and compiled

arrived! And it's Chica approved!

    5 Things That You Need To Give Up to Be Happy

I know! I'm telling you that you need to give up a few other things on your Hashimoto's journey that you haven't already.

1) Dwelling on the past.
We can all sit around a lament that we can't eat that big fat cinnamon roll, or maybe all we really want is a nice cold malt beer with the crew after work. Yeah I'd love to be able to sit down at a restaurant and not spend the entire time worrying and watching for the signs to begin that I've been "glutened" (and for me that means I'll be spending the next 12-20 hours swollen everywhere, in excruciating joint pain and sleeping in a pool of my own sweat). I like to center on how fulfilled my life has become and I've accepted that I am a person with a chronic illness. Does this mean my life ended as I know it? On the contrary! My life began because I learned how to be me and know my own code---I'm not as sick as I used to be!

2) Negative Self Talk
It's easy to get in the habit of getting annoyed with the little tweaks and pains associated with this or any autoimmune condition. Nobody enjoys fluctuating internal temperatures, body inflammation, skin so dry it cracks and bleeds, hair loss, never ending waves of nausea, ringing ears, I could go on, but you get the idea.

This is how I measure my hair loss

every week.

Giving yourself negative talk puts negativity in motion. "I suck!" or "Ugh look at that fat roll!" or "I'm such an idiot!" All of these comments do nothing to forge you forward and only hold you captive in a negative space.

3)Complaining

   This condition puts me in yet another higher category for heart disease, among several others.  I was feeling disgusted and was talking that over with my husband as I huddled in our bed under  a cozy, luxurious blanket. "You have always been active and made health a priority, right," said my husband. A muffled "yeah" came from my blanket fort we've knick-named 'Kick-Ass'. "Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, you are still here on this earth with me because you are one of those people.  The ones that took such good care of your health through diet and exercise before you were diagnosed that you are one of the ones that actually made it and not one of those you hear of that died on the treadmill underaged  and were the epitome of health...maybe those folks had

Hashimoto's and just didn't get diagnosed in time." I was quiet and then sincerely gave my thanks.  I didn't take the time to think of it like that because I was too disgusted to keep being informed of all health diseases that are linked to this condition. Since that realization, I marvel at myself! I always thought I was pretty amazing but now - WOW! I kick some booty :)  I'm still here and that is something to celebrate! Everything else people complain about are really small and quite frankly, most of the small stuff you can change.

"A New Life"

by Cris Ness

4) The Need To Impress Others
   When my husband and I first met, we were talking about good deeds. The discussion went on about if there is really such a thing as a good deed without strings attached...can a good deed be done without the need to feel superior about doing said deed. Something that we continue to ponder and banter about :) Thinking about that got us thinking about how good deeds might be done to impress people and therefore it is not a good deed. The need to impress friends, family, neighbors, school mates and coworkers...
    Anyhow, most likely it took several things to happen to you  to FINALLY get diagnosed with Hashimoto's. In Western medicine, it takes the failing of some organ to see it has been under siege  being attacked by you for quite some time even though several symptoms were probably there and now your own body has  nearly killed part of  itself.

Or maybe you've had some trouble conceiving or you've gotten pregnant a few times only to go through the devastating scene of losing a child due to your condition. In these cases, it's really easy  to not care after events like these. You really aren't in a position to care who has the newest car on the block, who is wearing designer clothes, or if the fact that someone didn't "like" one of your pictures or posts means that you should worry the person may or may not be upset with you. You have no time to worry about these things because you are learning about the new rules for you. That and you are battling fatigue that encompasses all your days and nights until you get on top of your Hashimoto's and all the components of it.

5) The Need For Other's Approval
   I've said it before and I'll scream it from the highest Alp, I'm the luckiest woman in the world. My family is the most compassionate and caring people for me. I'm blessed to have everything in my life. We love each other, we celebrate our differences, we try to be empathetic and in most cases we are fairly successful. Is our family perfect? Nope, but it certainly is perfect for us. With autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's, unless folks are practically living with you, they won't 'see' your disease. They won't experience an anxiety attack, they won't see the 18 hours you sleep when you 'aren't feeling well' and they won't notice the brain fog associated with it. This separates the friends from the acquaintances. This disease has shown me who my real people are and who are the ones that can't see beyond their own glass lives. I can thank my condition for that-it's a glorious thing to be alive and not striving for other's approval.

Pictured left to right, daughter Summer, daughter Sydnie,

Me, daughter Keira, and my parents Daryl and Meri Jo.

There you have five. You have five ideas to churn over and see if you can find your happiness. Look at yourself and see if changing any of these five things can make an impact in your life. It really has in mine and has been a big pull in my recovering with my Hashimoto's and Hypothyroidism. I hope it helps you - even if you don't have a chronic illness, these five things can help you find your happiness!

Interested in my newest book? It's adorable!
Click here


Blessings Lovlies :)