sometimes everything feels wrong. out of place. misshapen.

when it does, it’s hard to remember some of the most basic things like: breathing, exercise, eating healthy, good rest. breathing and taking a few minutes to yourself are the fundamentals of self care. my cousin once told me something that changed the way i view events, time and how i spend it:

“time passes, no matter what you spend it doing.”
-p.j.b.

so, today. pass your time with an ounce of self care and tomorrow, you’ll thank me. well, maybe not tomorrow. but someday, this moment will be a memory and you’ll be thankful.

this world will take you down and break you if you let it so today:

take the world down.

i found that if i broke my day out into the basics in the beginning: breathing. eating. sleeping. it made it a bit easier. i later added in other basics like: showering. exercising. interacting with others. eating right. sleeping on a schedule. and the more i did these things, the better i felt. none of what you’ll find on this page is anything i discovered. but, you’ll find it from someone just like you. from someone who struggled with their own journey and their own truth. i hope these things help you like they did me.

don’t worry. i still followed my care team’s instructions and i think you should too. their instruction and care is critical to your journey.

breathe

like it’s what keeps you alive.

it’s not a secret that in order to stay alive we need to breathe. but, believe it or not, sometimes that takes work. real work. it doesn’t mean you’re depressed and it doesn’t mean you’re sick. it just means that sometimes the sheer act of breathing is all the energy you have. i get it.

so, today, i challenge each of you to spend a few minutes practicing breathing. listening to your breathing. and allowing those moments to relax you.

exercise

you don’t have to be a power lifter

when i first started my ‘during’, i was a pack a day smoker, drinking heavily, with little on my mind in the way of exercise. because of my illness, stopping my antics happened naturally. but, what about exercise?

each time i went to the doctor for follow up, i asked him ‘tell me one thing i can do to get better’. he jokes now that he didn’t have much to give me so he went to the basics that were proven true: exercise, healthy eating and good sleep. at that time, taking a few steps wiped me out and i needed to rest. so, that’s how it began. a few steps. those few steps have me now training for a marathon.

sleep

don’t just sleep. sleep well.

i’ve learned that this is the most overlooked basic and fundamental element of self care. i developed insomnia after getting sick. most doctors saw this as normal and were prepared to just prescribe medication. but, what if i don’t want more?

there are many programs out there but most of us know that brain injury or infection disrupts our sleep cycles. i began looking into what this was doing to my healing and overall cognitive function.

i’ve included below some helpful videos for: breathing, exercise and sleeping.

breathing techniques

exercise while i recover

exercise and other techniques should align with both your abilities and your care team instructions.

help me sleep