Adriel's Life

From a young age many of us are aware that we will grow old, get sick, and possibly even lose our minds. Or at least we are aware our memories will not last forever. We have a lot of time though, right? That only happens after someone has lived a long full life. Right? Things do not always happen in that order. Losing your memory at a young age is a horribly scary thing to go through. To be in your 20s and to go from having perfect recall, to not remembering a conversation th

Today I had two friends show up at my door. Now normally this would have been a trigger for anxiety for me. But in this instance I’m glad they did it! After I let them know I have been battling a virus, on top of everything else, they immediately asked what they could do. I couldn’t think of anything, but the wife mentioned there is a tea she always likes when she gets sick. So off they went to the store to get me tea, along with a promise to my boys to get them a snack. They

Dear Fibromyalgia, You and I have been together so long I don't even know for sure when you first entered my life. Was it you that caused that excruciating pain everyone said was growing pains when I was seven? Was it you that drained my energy so quickly and easily? Was it you fibromyalgia that prevented me from having a normal childhood? I may never know the answer to that. But I do know it was you that reared your ugly head when I was merely a teen. While other young ones

May 12th is International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. I like to say everyday is fibromyalgia awareness day for those of us that have it. We are constantly, painfully aware of fibromyalgia. This day is a good opportunity though to join with millions of others also living with fibro, to spread awareness to the rest of the population what life is really like when you have such a widespread, life altering illness. For the past few years I have spent the whole week leading up to M

I have a major sweet tooth, especially for chocolate! While I will splurge at times and enjoy some of the chocolate candy we all grew up with, I like to find healthier options to satisfy those chocolate craving too. Of course as a spoonie I need recipes that are simple and easy. I love finding ideas and getting recipe inspiration on Pinterest, but I usually find a way to put my own healthy spin on them. When making these candy bites, I chose to use local, raw honey as a sweet

What could possibly be the correlation between living a minimalistic lifestyle and living with a chronic illness? There are many ways the two go hand in hand. First it is important to clarify what we mean when we say ‘go minimalist’. At it's core minimalism is all about focusing your time, energy, and resources on what is truly important to you. It is about identifying what is essential in your life and working to eliminate everything else. The path of minimalism is more tha

For many the words ‘eating disorder’ evoke images of starved young women with rib cages poking out from underneath their skin. This is one very real aspect of eating disorders. But that is not the only one. The Facts About Eating Disorders In the United States alone, 20 million women and 10 million men have suffered from an eating disorder at some time in their life. The term eating disorder can refer to: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or eating

Travel. It is one of the most indescribable joys of life. The simple act of getting away from your everyday life can be a major stress reliever. It has been proven that traveling is beneficial for mental health. Getting to see new sites, encountering a different culture and way of life is a fantastic experience, possibly a life changing event. You don't even have to go far, a road trip to a nearby city may provide just the diversion needed. What Travel Means for Me In my ever

First of all, yes I am turning a Pixar movie meant for kids into a lesson about mental health. Just roll with it. Secondly, this contains spoilers so if you haven’t watched it yet and plan to, go watch it and come back. {It’s on Netflix} Third, while Dory does not have a definitive diagnosis in the movie, she suffers with severe short term memory loss and it seems pretty clear this is some type of mental disorder. Now on to the lessons that we can learn from this superb

Why is there such a stigma attached to mental illnesses? Is it taboo to tell others that you have high blood pressure? Should it be hush-hush that your spouse has heart disease? Would you be worried about telling others that your child has diabetes, waiting to hear “You just aren’t disciplining them enough”? Of course not. So why should we hesitate to tell others that we, or a loved one, suffer with depression, anxiety, ADHD, Bipolar disorder, or any other mental illn