Hidden Disability Advocate | Speaker | Author | Adventurer
Folks who live with “moving target” conditions–that is, conditions that are inconsistent from one day to the next–are often subject to triggers. Triggers are events that initiate or worsen symptoms. They can be sensory triggers, which are experienced as sight, … Read More »
I’ve had quite a rough run with my chronic illnesses these past several months. Really, it’s been building up over two-and-a-half years, since I got COVID. Now, I’m finally making some headway. With help from medical professionals, I’m finally starting … Read More »
This week, I was presenting yet again at SUNY Cobleskill. I do something a little different each time, and this time I did my “Self Care and Time Management for Folks with Hidden Disabilities” presentation for incoming new students utilizing … Read More »
In the journey of invisible illnesses and mental health, we get assigned words. The words are diagnoses. Diagnoses can be powerful blessings. They are a pathway to understanding, to treatment, to community, to validation. But they may also hold devastations … Read More »
I love discovering words or phrases or even inventing words of phrases in order to simplify communication. I find it particularly important when talking about invisible disabilities, even more so when it’s a “taboo” topic that people already avoid talking … Read More »
On one of my worst days this week, I dumped a scoop of cat food into the bowl I keep on my back porch. Hearing the clank of all the crunchy little pieces against the stainless steel, I felt valuable. … Read More »
Here’s the thing about not having a diagnosis: It’s very challenging to move forward. I couldn’t get a clear treatment plan, because we didn’t know what we were treating. I couldn’t explain to friends and coworkers what was going on, because I didn’t know myself. I couldn’t connect with other people who were sharing my experience because I didn’t know who they were. And maybe most importantly, I couldn’t properly grieve. Because I didn’t know what I was grieving.
I avoid in-person trainings and especially conferences, because my chronic conditions make them quite uncomfortable and even agonizingly painful. I live with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease (with one terrible herniated disc named Larry), and … Read More »
I am so thrilled to have my own business and all the flexibility that comes from being self-employed. I’ve managed to become an entrepreneur both despite and because of my hidden disabilities, which are: osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease (with a … Read More »
I want to share here a few pages from my latest Splat book, Spactivity Book: Self-Care and Carefree Distractions for Adults With Hidden Disabilities. These 4 pages feature a coloring page, Splatquake kit instructions and checklist, and a journal prompt. … Read More »