Be Kind

This is a reminder to not only be kind to others, but to be kind to yourself as well.

All too often we are hardest on ourselves. We push ourselves past our limits. Even while telling others to rest.

We put ourselves down, while overlooking the same things in others. It’s time to stop be hard on yourself. Give yourself a break. It’s okay to take a day off.

There is nothing wrong with recharging your batteries, especially if you don’t feel well. Believe me no one is going to be upset with you if you need to take a day off to feel better. If they are you might want to re-examine your role in their lives.

The only role that we can’t stop doing is parenting, whether it’s to human children or furry children, but I find my pets are very understanding when I am not feeling well. Hopefully, your significant other can help fill in the gap when you need to take some time to recharge/recover.

I had a total me day Tuesday when a wave of depression hit, I spent the day reading. I needed it as my fibromyalgia & Meniere’s are flaring as well, not to mention whatever is going on with my shoulder.

I may need more between now and New Year’s, because for me “holidays are hell”. If you read my previous blog on depression, you know why holidays aren’t as joyful as they once were for me. I highly recommend some me days anytime of the year and hopefully when you’re not sick or depressed.

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

Take a little time for yourself. It helps to recharge your batteries so you can fight the good fight.

Why I Rarely Drive

You have heard me mention that I rarely drive anymore. Do you understand why? I am going to attempt to explain my reasoning.

1. Dizziness- I am dizzy most days. I don’t think it’s safe to drive when I feel dizzy and my doctor told me not to do so.

2. Vertigo- I get mini spins (one rotation of vertigo), shorter burst of more violent vertigo or full blown vertigo attacks. – I get the first two types most days lately. It is difficult enough to walk across the room when things appear to be moving around you, I wouldn’t want to try to drive a car. I mean where should I point it?

3. Drop attacks- These sudden falls are unpredictable and I don’t want to be alone in public if one should happen. I can see the steering wheel being jerked if I had a slam attack. In fact this is enough to keep me from driving on my good days.

4. Brain Fog- this is probably the most dangerous part of driving, because my reaction time is slow and I cannot concentrate on what I am doing properly. I get confused easily and have found myself stopping on green and going on red.

I hope this shines some light on why I don’t drive most of the time and rarely further than down the street.

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

Weight Loss

This happened during my three months on Real Appeal. Every Monday, I attend sessions with a coach along with about 30 other people on a weight loss journey. We all began in September.

Together & individually we learned to track, eat healthy, count calories and to exercise. We do all of this on our own, though some people belong to gyms. I do my stuff at home using YouTube Videos. As you know I prefer yoga. (Yoga with Adrienne to be exact.)

Most days I can get my steps in. I am shooting for 4000-5000 now. It’s easier if I can walk the dogs, but having vestibular issues makes it difficult most days. Still walking in the confines of my home is possible and safer, so I do that instead.

I knew I was losing weight, but hadn’t really seen the difference until today’s progress picture. The scales and clothes sizes have been decreasing, but a belt has worked on my pants and bigger tops isn’t unusual. I noticed the difference today! Woot! (When you read this it will be two days later.)

I want you to know that it is possible to lose weight no matter your health issues, you just need to find what works for you. I need to be held accountable and I needed to want to do it. Also, I was tired of my body holding me back. I can’t do much about my health issues, but I can get stronger so that I am not holding me back. Now I can go hiking again, as long as my back doesn’t give me problems, because my legs and my lungs are stronger.

That is why I did this, and I feel better. Now if my Vestibular system would catch up. As with any change check with your doctor about any changes you make to your diet and exercise.

Love, peace and Light! Rita

Weight loss is achievable. It hard work. Healthy eating, exercise and portion control is working for me. https://mycrazylife2go.com

Neighbors

This blog is about Neighbors, not your next door neighbor, but a local restaurant here in Vegas that Ralph and I like to frequent after Sunday Mass.

Neighbors is a breakfast, brunch and lunch place with awesome food. You go in and order your food, get a number and find a table after that you get served.

The staff are helpful and friendly. They have something for everyone from delicious looking pastries, smoothies to healthy breakfasts both vegan, gluten free and with meat. It’s slightly pricey, but it’s worth it.

Here is a video Ralph and I made during our latest visit, The Ralph and Rita Show.

If you are in Vegas, Neighbors is worth a trip away from the strip and who knows you might run into us. Only if you go on Sunday.

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

We like to eat. Food has made it difficult for me to lose weight, but now I am making it work for me. You know what? I am eating more and still losing. Making healthier choices. It helps that my food allergies make it so I can’t eat most desserts.

What is Neurodivergent?

Neurodivergent is a new term to me. I heard, or rather, read it for the first time on Friday. Needless to say I had to look it up.

From what I gather it’s a way for people to lessen the stigma of many types of behavioral and mental disorders.

The Urban Dictionary says neurodivergent is a person who has a developmental disorder and/or a mental illness.

I think it is less stigmatizing way of speaking about your illness than if you say you have anxiety. People are quick to say that they do too. They really cannot relate unless they experience the level of fear that causes your body to respond by giving you diarrhea or making your head so fuzzy that you can’t find your glasses when you are wearing them.

Believe me I know the kind of anxiety they are accustomed to, because I experience that as well and it not the same.

I can understand why young people are choosing to use this term instead of their diagnosis. Especially since everyone is different even when they have the same diagnosis. That’s why treatment is so difficult for so many of us, because what works for me, might not be what works for you, because our symptoms while similar are different.

There is less stigma associated with neurodivergence than other diagnoses so it feels safer to say “I am Neurodivergent!” Please weigh in with your thoughts.

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

Keep learning new things. Life would get boring if nothing ever changed.

Insecurities

We all feel insecure at times. I think, if not then good for you. For the rest of us, we do. Wikipedia defines insecurity as a feeling of general unease or nervousness that may be triggered by perceiving of oneself to be vulnerable or inferior in some way, or a sense of vulnerability or instability which threatens one’s self-image or ego.

I am insecure about many things, but not always the same things or at the same time. It doesn’t help that anxiety is something that I fight to overcome, so I often have to double up on my fight to overcome my insecurities.

Sometimes people notice that I seek praise for my work, whether a painting, poem or story… I know that the important thing is if I like it. I can handle constructive criticism of my work without getting upset or angry. Just as I know that not everyone will like me. I am not bothered by that.

I guess my insecurities stem more from myself and my own perception of what beauty is or what I should look like or be doing. Again the depression and anxiety alter reality and skew things making things worse than they actually are.

It’s easy for me to see that now, when neither mental Health Issue is affecting my perception. Thanks to the antidepressant, hydroxyzine, I take to help me sleep. At least it’s helping with something.

Just keep in mind our perception of ourselves is rarely what others see. Bullies are in a category by themselves and can feed into our self-doubts. Don’t listen to them. Try to change your perception of yourself by replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts.

Write something positive about yourself daily. Do something nice for yourself. Take care of you!

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

Think nice things about yourself and others. Eliminate negativity.

Drop Attacks

What is a drop attack?Drop attacks come on without warning. There is no blackout or apparent cause for the attack. Some people describe it as suddenly dropping to the ground. Or for me, I feel as if I get shoved backwards. This website describes the reasons for drop attacks. Here is another resource. Mine is caused by Meniere’s.

Though I have another type of drop attack that until the past year or so that I thought was my ankle going out on me. But it sounds like a description of a drop attack, but I have been having them since I was a teen, long before my Meniere’s. Eventually, I’ll ask my doctor about them, but I haven’t had one for awhile so it’s easy to forget.

I have been lucky since I have only fallen once during my “slam” drop attacks. Less lucky with the other, but all that I have hurt were my knees, hands and pride.

They are over as quick as they happen. I feel fine afterwards, unless I go into a vertigo attack. Other people aren’t as lucky as me and sustain serious injuries from their falls.

The unpredictability of drop attacks can cause anxiety. This whole disease can. I try to take one day at a time, so I can enjoy life. I have Meniere’s, it doesn’t have me. It has taken many things from me, like my independence, but it will not rob me of fun.

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

Addendum: I wrote this blog on Wednesday. Today is Friday, so you won’t see it until Saturday. I just fell. The kind of drop attack I don’t usually associate with my MD. Except today I have symptoms. Fullness in my ears and louder than normal tinnitus, I have been dizzy and having short bursts of vertigo. So, I really don’t know what to think when I fell forward as I was moving across my living room. One minute I was up and the next I was down.