Feeling Ill? Here is Why You Should Take a Sick Day

Being sick is never a fun experience, no matter where you are. But going into work when you feel ill can be a bad time both for you and for those around you. It can be hard to make yourself rest and stay home, especially if you have a lot on your plate or if people at work regularly depend on you. However, even if you have a busy job, doing it sick isn’t the answer — for a variety of reasons. Both for your own health and for the wellness of those around you, taking a sick day is likely the best option when you’re under the weather. Here’s why you need to take a sick day when you’re feeling ill.

Your Health Comes First

At the end of the day, your health is the most important thing that you should be focusing on. Not only is self care a highly important part of life for your own experience, but the simple truth is that everything you do hinges on your ability to care for yourself and take care of your needs, which you can’t do if you put your body through the wringer if you’re already sick. You need to heal, rest and recuperate before you put your all into your job, no matter what it is.

Consideration For Your Coworkers

Even if you don’t care about your own health — which you absolutely should — you should be thinking about the well being of those around you. When you choose to come into work sick, you are making the choice that you’re willing to risk the health of everyone you come into contact with so you can do your job. Especially during COVID-19, this is an exceptionally selfish choice. You don’t know the situation of those around you — some people might be immunocompromised, or have small children or relatives to care for. Remember that nobody else is consenting to being infected, so it might be best to stay home and stop the spread.

You Can’t Work While Sick

Regardless of how hard you try, you can’t make your mind and body snap back to normal just because you want to park yourself at your desk. If you try to work while you’re sick, chances are that you won’t even manage to be very productive, seeing as you need to rest and recover in order to actually function as your best self. In fact, there’s a name for this — it’s called presenteeism, and it can cost employers $3,005 per person per year when employees and administrators do this. Instead of trying to work while you’re sick, simply take the sick day so you can spend the “unproductive” time actually focused on taking care of yourself and resting.

Keeping the Office Clean

When you come into the office feeling sick, you’ll probably run the risk of sneezing and coughing all over the place. Even if you don’t mind this, the others around you probably do. It’s important to keep the workplace clean and sanitary, especially during cold and flu season and during the pandemic. In order to keep the office a clean space for everyone, it’s important to stay home when you’re sick, even if you would rather be in the office.

You Heal Faster When Resting

And one of the best cases to be made for staying home when you’re sick is that by taking a little bit of time to actually recover and rest, you can get over your illness faster and get back to work at your full potential. When you rest and spend time actively healing, your immune system has the opportunity to focus all its energy on helping you bounce back. However if you spread yourself thin by forcing yourself to work, you might end up being sick for longer or even making the issue worse. Instead, stay home and make sure that you feel recovered before you return back to the office.

You Should Be Comfortable

At the end of the day, your health and comfort are highly important, and you should remember to treat yourself as such. If you wouldn’t send your child or spouse to work or school in your condition, you should probably cut yourself a little bit of slack and let yourself rest. Even though it can be difficult to prioritize your own comfort, you have to advocate for yourself, and that includes advocating for your own health.

Why You Should Take a Sick Day

There’s no doubt about it, if you feel sick or you notice yourself beginning to experience symptoms, the best option is to take a sick day and sit this one out for everyone involved. Not only can this help you recover quicker and take care of yourself, but it’s also considerate to those around you by not risking infection. It’s the responsible choice, and the best one for you.

Header Image Source

About The Author

Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find herin a yoga class, advocating for body positivity, whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, or smashing the patriarchy. 

5 Tips to Communicate with a Dementia Patient

Dementia can be a distressing neurological condition. With losing people’s identities, they also lose memories about past incidents, so it’s extremely important to tread lightly in any conversation with them, including the ones about their loved ones. Be extra patient with them and have as much empathy as you can. Consider looking into activities for elders with dementia that can help keep their minds as sharp as possible through this difficult process.

Dementia has not only neurological but physical and mental effects on a person and their daily lives. It makes them rely completely on other people and often face difficulty recognizing their loved ones and other things which make their lives heard. A prevalent cause of Dementia is Alzheimers disease. 

 

According to WHO, there are 50 million people who have Dementia and 10 million new cases of people facing this every year.

Ways to Communicate With Patients of Dementia:

Nursing care impacts patients There are a few easy and appropriate ways to deal with patients with Dementia. Some of them are as follows:

 

1. Be Empathetic:

Never lose sight of empathy when it comes to dealing with dementia patients. They face enough distress in the world by not recognizing their very loved ones and other things important to them. This makes them irritable at times and even difficult to deal with since they need help with everything. 

 

Not all patients with Dementia face severe symptoms, but all of them need ample amount of help, care, and attention to maintain their health. So try to always beempathic and make life bearable for them. 

 

2. Be Clear in Words:

Speak to them clearly and calmly. Losing memory causes bigger problems, including lacking attention. This can cause enough distress to them, so make sure to assist them in everyday tasks and be patient as you might have to repeat certain things while talking to them

 

When giving them instructions for anything, break it down in small chunks and explain in detail. This way, they can understand how to do something without messing it up.

 

3. Be Patient With Them:

Patients with Dementia are not like other patients. Patience with them should be an utmost priority. Do not scold or disrespect them for not following instructions quickly or not remembering something you just told them. This is not as easy for them as it is for you, so be patient with them. 

 

In fact, that sort of behavior should be unconditionally applied to everyone, regardless of their present condition. Chances are, you may not help them remember anything but you can contribute to at least not adding on to their distress by being patient and kind to them.

 

4. Maintain the Flow of Communication:

People suffering from Dementia cannot maintain the flow of communication. And when you start off with more than one topic, it gets confusing and overwhelming for them. They cannot connect the dots in conversation or link one topic with another the way we do, so it’s best to maintain the flow of communication when dealing with them. 

 

Ease the conversation for them to understand, and stick to one topic at a time to avoid making them feel confused or anxious. 

 

5. Avoid Using Pronouns:

People with Dementia need special help with pronouns. It is better to use proper names of people when mentioning them in a conversation for them to understand clearly. Chances are, they might not even remember who you mentioned, so be patient with explaining and helping them understand. 

 

Using pronouns is not preferable for people with Dementia or Alzheimers for obvious reasons, so use precise, clear, and to-the-point sentences for them to understand without struggling.

 

Final Thoughts:

Dementia can be a distressing neurological condition. With losing people’s identities, they also lose memories about past incidents, so it’s extremely important to tread lightly in any conversation with them, including the ones about their loved ones. Be extra patient with them and have as much empathy as you can. 

 

People with mild to moderate symptoms can cooperate better, but those with more severe symptoms need extra care and love to survive in the world.

 

About The Author

Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on twitter: @michellejoe524

Header Image Source 

 

Women Reveal How They Were First Diagnosed With Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition that affects 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years. While its a condition that is not always spoken about, those who do suffer from it live through painful life experiences. The symptoms of endometriosis include painful periods, painful ovulation, pain during or after sexual intercourse, heavy bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, fatigue, and even infertility. While it may be hard to talk about and/or discuss, some brave women online have been kind enough to open up about how they were first diagnosed with endometriosis.

1.

I never got the typical symptoms they tell you to watch out for (insane bleeding, unable to move because of the pain etc.) so I never thought much of it, I just kept going back to the doctor’s for the individual symptoms I was experiencing. I would be going about my day and suddenly crippled by a sharp pain in my abdomen, or have a long sustained cramp all day because of the tight jeans I would be wearing which were fine the day before and sex was almost impossible without getting some weird symptom like bleeding or pain. The timing never really matched up with my period so it never crossed my mind as a possibility until I started getting bad (and I mean bad) bowel movements throughout my period.

I had been bouncing back and forth between doctors for endless possible diagnosis (potential STD’s or a food intolerance were common) until a doctor booked me in for a surgery to confirm whether it could be endo.

There ended up being tissue on both ovaries and my bowels which explained my symptoms. After that I was told not to eat gluten, dairy, sugar or caffeine and I was told my chances of having kids past the age of 27 was low. I am frequently turned down Gynecology appointments at my local hospital due to short staffing and my case not being an emergency. I still have so many questions.

a4cb99366b

2.

I’ve always suffered with horrendous periods and ovarian cysts since I was 13. Finally at age 21 I found a gyno who agreed to do a laparoscopic surgery to figure out what was wrong with me. I was told after that I had stage 3 endometriosis. Sadly the surgery did not provide any relief and I’ve since been directed to a chronic pelvic pain clinic. The only thing that has helped with my pain is CBD oil. I’m so grateful to have a husband who is compassionate towards this disease.

danas4c2dd9ce3

3.

I was initially diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound when I was 21 years old (one month shy of turning 22 years old). The ten years before that, I thought it was so normal to have heavy periods requiring two maxi pads and awful cramps that I forced myself to go to school. After that ultrasound, I realized that my periods exhibited textbook symptoms, so I fought tooth and nail to get the diagnostic laparoscopy to confirm the diagnosis. It was an uphill battle for nearly two years. Due to not having the laparoscopic diagnosis, I often doubted that I had endometriosis because I did some crazy things while on my period like swimming in a hail storm in January when I was 15 years old. The Schrödinger’s Cat situation drove me mad and caused me to believe that I had a parasitic twin. Nearly two years after the first ultrasound and seven appointments later, I finally got the green light for the diagnostic laparoscopy in July 2018. I waited five months for the surgery so it wouldn’t interfere with the semester. On December 18th, I was formally diagnosed with endometriosis that had spread to my bladder and bowels. There was no parasitic twin. I am relieved to know that my pain was really caused by endometriosis and the two years before weren’t a lie.

sandrab4fbdf3282

4.

I first knew something was up when my low back hurt so bad I couldn’t handle sitting in my chair at work. I was in my early 20’s. I was lucky enough to have a doctor who listened to me and wanted to do a laperscopic procedure to “take a look inside.” That’s how I officially found out I had endometriosis. The “clean up” surgery worked for a few years but the pain came back. I changed birth control so many times to help to no avail. So I had a second surgery 3 years later. That lasted about a year before my symptoms came back, and now they were worse. By this time I’m 34 and married. After a year of careful thought and soul searching I made the decision to have a partial hysterectomy. My husband was so supportive, this was not an easy decision. But as my husband said “I only care about you feeling better” Best husband ever. So at 35 I had a partial hysterectomy. I am now 3 months out from surgery and it was the best decision I made. I didn’t realize how much constant pain I was in until it was all gone.

cortneyw4ca2f8328

5.

It took 3 emergency room visits and several doctors before anyone took my pain seriously. I had hemorrhage-like periods for years and was put on hormonal birth control for it. I ended up hospitalized due to the pain and was told “the source is unclear” by a male physician. Finally, a wonderful female physician diagnosed me at 24 and I’ve been in pain management since. It’s something I wear proudly.

cdorourke4

6.

My diagnosis was quick once I actually trusted my gut and went to see a specialist who came highly recommended. I assumed my struggles of heavy, prolonged flow and intense pain was normal and I lived off a box of OTC pain killers every month just to make it through the days on which I had my period, but in hindsight, I can admit that I thought it would look like I was making excuses or being a hypochondriac about my period, and avoided actually bringing it up with my doctor. When I was being woken at night from intense back and stomach pain, I had to accept that my symptoms were definitely not normal. I was quickly booked for surgery after seeing a specialist and after laparoscopic excision, the specialist confirmed that there was a golf ball-size growth removed during the surgery which had been the cause of relentless pain, prolonged, heavy periods and a host of many other symptoms which I hadn’t even realized were being affected by my endometriosis. Since then, though my condition can’t be cured through surgery, it has prevented further complications while also improving the flow and length of my period. And now, I am aware that there are many ways endometriosis can affect my life on a daily basis, but at least I am able to handle these side effects and not assume I am being a hypochondriac because now I know the cause.

TRINA77

7.

When I first began having periods in 5th grade, they would last for 3-4 weeks at a time, and I experienced debilitating pain. My mom didn’t know anything was abnormal about it since she and some of her relatives also experienced the same thing until they all got hysterectomies. It was my aunt who finally told her we should see a doctor. My doctor put me on birth control to suppress the issue at age 14. When I got to college, I started feeling more pain between periods despite the birth control. She would just prescribe me pain medicine. When I finally told her one day, “I think I have endometriosis,” she replied, “Yes, you do.” I was so angry with her that day for having known all of those years what the issue was and never telling me. I began having trouble getting pregnant shortly after that, and it wasn’t until then that she or anyone else wanted to actually find a solution to my endometriosis other than “suppressing” it with birth control.

ravensd

8.

I had HORRIBLE PAINFUL periods for over 20 years. I saw multiple doctors and each one would would prescribe me a different birth control pill to try, none of them worked. I finally found a doctor willing to perform surgery. I was told that I was one of the worst cases of endometriosis he ever saw, that is how was diagnosed. I also has multiple fibroids and cysts on my ovaries and cervix. I had to have a total hysterectomy at age 36.

marykh2

9.

I started getting pains when I was about 12, doctors thought it was my appendix at first but then said it was just my period starting and I wasn’t “used” to it. I saw multiple doctors over the next 9 years and had several different tests done, I was told it was PCOS, it was just the reality of being a girl, it’s because I expected the pain that I felt it and finally – that it was all in my head. Sex was like being stabbed with a knife, and made relationships impossible. I struggled to focus on school and then later work. Finally I went back to my GP and simply told her I couldn’t live like this, she offered to refer me to a gyno but said it would cost alot of money to which I told her I had insurance- turns out she hadn’t referred me earlier cos she didn’t think a 21 year old could afford it. My gyno was amazing, within 6 months I had the operation to diagnose and treat endo. Even though it meant something that has no cure I was relieved that I finally had an explanation, and that it was by no means “normal” to be in that much pain. I will admit I was tempted to take my results back to the doctor who told me it was all in my head and shove it is face.

sllvowles

10.

My very first period at age 13 lasted 2 weeks and was extremely painful. That’s how it went for a few months until my mom took me to the gyno. They gave me birth control which helped. I still felt pretty shitty every month. At 15 I was having pelvic pain and when I sneezed hard my ovaries hurt. It was brushed off. I asked about Endo but they said it was impossible at my age. I started gaining weight at 16 and it went out of control until 18 when someone tested me for hypothyroidism (definitely had it, but gynocological concerns ignored, dismissed as obesity issues). At 19 I was diagnosed with PCOS. The pain was attributed to that. This whole time no treatment besides the pill was ever offered. Every year I asked about Endo and was told I was” too young” to have endometriosis. For the next few years I begged doctors to look or diagnose me. I was in so much pain every month I had to take at least 1 day off of work. One time I couldn’t walk without vocalizing pain. At 25 I had a 7 cm cyst everyone refused to remove despite the pain. They also denied I could have endometriosis because I was “still so young”. They just kept changing my pill brand. One asked me how I knew I had it and
I described how it felt like my colon and uterus were connected but were constantly being ripped apart. It was dismissed as constipation. The cyst has since shrunk a bit. After 5 gynocologists (all were women btw) and at age 27 when I wanted children, finally a doctor took me seriously. She listened to everything and did an exam with ultrasound. She said she had no doubt I had it. She recommended waiting on surgery until after kids. She also was appalled no one ever recommended an IUD. That was incredibly helpful. I’m no longer in constant pain or discomfort. With her help we got twins. I’m probably finally getting laproscopic surgery this year. And now my gyno isn’t saying things like I am too young despite having all the symptoms and being in crippling pain. Honestly the birth of my twins was less painful than the ripping sensation of the Endo.

lamata

11.

I’m 17. Nobody believed me when I said something was wrong until they saw the effects. It took seeing me curled up on the floor, unable to stand and vomiting from pain for my family to take me to see a doctor. Getting diagnosed is so difficult when everyone thinks you’re just being a hypochondriac. I was taken to a female doctor, who took me seriously and scheduled an ultrasound, which revealed endo growths scattered across my lower abdomen and ovarian cysts. After years of being dismissed and feeling invisible, it was relieving to finally be seen and helped.

Stay.Weird7

12.

I’m 18 years old and for the past year I’ve been in severe pain for two weeks of the month, every month. The week before my period I would get these horrible pains in my stomach and would have to curl up in a ball. Then the next week I had my period with all the normal terribleness it brings. This year has been the first one that I was away at college, so I figured that maybe it was just because I was nervous. I never wanted to call my mom when I was in pain because it hurt to do anything and when I wasn’t in pain I didn’t want to talk about it because I didn’t want to think about. This happened up until 3 weeks ago when I was home and I was going through my normal symptoms. My mom saw me and immediately booked an appointment with the doctor. I went to my normal doctor who had me make about 5 other appointments. I was going to my last one and was starting to give up hope. The doctor looked at my ultrasound for a few minutes and then said that she was pretty sure that it was endometriosis and that there were some easy things I could try to fix it. She also told me that it was going to last until menopause. It’s scary knowing I’m so young and have something I’m going to have to live with my entire life, but I’m glad that I at least know what it is and have people helping me feel better.

feeneyb

13.

I had symptoms pretty much from the time I was in high school. I’d have heavy bleeding, awful cramps, and extreme moodiness. When I was about 23, my mom told me I was going to go on the pill if only to help with the moodiness and tears. We started with Ortho Tri-Cyclin. The first month went fine, and the second month was the worst month I ever had.

I ended up having to change ob/gyns, and when she took my history, she said it sounded like I could have endometriosis. I didn’t want to do surgery right away, so she prescribed me a different birth control pill (I forget which one) and said to skip the placebo week and just take it straight through. I did that and, on my honeymoon (the 2nd month), I had a surprise period with awful cramps – I even missed dinner one night. When I came home and saw her again, she said that was a positive result…and we did surgery and cleaned it all up.

The surgery did so much good for me! I’ve still always had trouble finding a birth control pill that works on a consistent basis – I always end up having irregular periods while I’m on them – it’s been 20 years, and I’m just now really starting to feel the things that let me know it’s back.

Please, if you don’t feel right, tell your doctor! They can help!

Kathernelson

14.

I was diagnosed when I was 20 after 5 years of excruciating pain. I had a total of 9 hospital admissions in the first year alone, that does not even include the emergency room short stays. I kept getting turned away by doctors, specialists, nurses. Everyone. They kept saying it was phantom pain, to change my diet, exercise more, it’s just cramps. I changed my whole lifestyle. Still pain. Not once did anyone ever mention that it could be endometriosis. I have other medical conditions that are hard to understand (Ehlers Danlos) so everyone just said that it was because of the Ehlers Danlos. I got to the point of unbearable pain one day, I noticed I was bleeding a lot, bright red Frank blood, my periods never came so this scared me. I passed out from the blood loss and fear. I woke up in the hospital, attached to all these poles and they said that they are taking me in for emergency surgery because they think I’m miscarrying. I wasnt pregnant, I hadn’t had sex recently so I knew for sure. They rushed me in and finally saw it. I not only had Endometriosis, I had PCOS with a burst cyst. I waited 5 years to find out that it wasnt in my head, I was suffering every day and now, I have been told I can never have kids and will need surgery every year because it is so extreme. Why wouldnt they listen?

natashamoore07

15.

I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis when I was having surgery for uterine fibroids at age 32. I had always had horrible periods where I was in excruciating pain and frequently missed school or work. Sometimes I was even vomiting. I started having severe pain in my lower back that lasted all month but was particularly bad during my period. I also had my period nearly all the time for two years ( yes, two years). My doctor sent me for X-rays for my back pain and to physical therapy. She told me I would be dealing with this pain for the rest of my life because it was from a hip issue from when my hips were dislocated at birth ( my mum took me to specialists and I was treated properly and never had issues before). At this point I was drinking liquid Tylenol from the bottle and going through several bottles a week. I was teaching high school biology at the time, and I would literally lose the ability to speak in the middle of class from the pain. My doctor also gave me injections in my back that somehow made it worse- I nearly passed out in her office. I started googling my symptoms myself, and suggested one of the diagnoses I found to her – fibroids. I went for an ultrasound and that was what I had. She wanted to give me a hysterectomy. I went to another doctor that told me the same thing. I then flew home to Boston to see a specialist there, who assured me I did not need a hysterectomy and I scheduled surgery. Turned out not only did I have three different types of fibroids, but I also had two different kinds of ovarian cysts as well as stage 4 endometriosis. It was a seven hour surgery. They removed 8 pounds of fibroid tumors, one of which was the size of a grapefruit. (Quite shocking the physical therapy didn’t help with the tumors or cysts or endometriosis.). I had two subsequent surgeries to remove more fibroids and to remove more uterine lining from around my organs. When they were wheeling me out of the first surgery, I remember struggling to open my eyes and working really hard to speak so I could ask the nurse ( I think it was a nurse) if I still had my uterus. That is how afraid I was that I would wake up without one. Ladies- I had been asking doctors for YEARS if there was something wrong with me and I was always dismissed. No one believed me. You need to keep looking for a doctor that will listen when your body is telling you something is wrong. You are not crazy, or dramatic, or exaggerating. (Quite shocking the physical therapy didn’t help with the tumors or cysts or endometriosis.). You have to fight for yourself. I recently had to fight for myself again to get my employer to make accommodations for me. Endometriosis is considered a disability- it is a chronic pain condition and you are entitled to reasonable accommodations so you are not, for example, using up all your sick and vacation time because you are incapacitated every month. There are also treatments that will help. I pretty much stopped getting my period because my dr had me take birth control pills all the time- no sugar pills- and it was life changing. I’m trying to get pregnant now so I’m dealing with symptoms all over again, but hopefully it will be worth it ( although I don’t have much hope).

jessicad4c629a545

20 Ways To Break Down Anxiety To Someone Who’s Never Had Anxiety

Anxiety Explained

 

It can seem almost impossible to explain anxiety to someone who has never experienced it. That must be why people say things like, “you should just calm down” when you’re having an attack of anxiety—because they just simply do not understand how scary and out of control it can feel.

A woman named Chrissy Stockton started a Facebook group for women who struggle with anxiety. She asked the members of the group to explain what their anxiety feels like, and here are 20 of the answers. You might find something that you relate to, or some way of explaining anxiety that you think might be helpful in your communications about it with friends and family.

1.

“I read before the best way to explain anxiety to someone is imagine you have porn up on your browser and someone comes up behind you, and you cannot hit that “x” button fast enough.”

2.

“When I’m anxious I can’t think of anything else but that one thing everything is on auto pilot. Taking a bath eating texting or even reading a book feels like a chore. Simply getting out of bed when you want nothing more than to stay in it is a challenge.”

3.

“When I am anxious I am completely fixated on the one thing. I can’t think rationally or logically, I only feel overwhelmed with emotion. It feels like everything is wrong and that it will always be that way. I can’t see past the cause of my anxiety or see that it will be fine. Anxiety makes it feel like the world is ending when it isn’t.”

I’ve Come To Learn That Drug Addiction Is A Disease, Not A Choice

I grew up in a small neighborhood where kids grew up pretty fast. It seemed as though when we hit high school, something switched in my friends’ minds that going to dinner and seeing a movie just wasn’t fun anymore. We began drinking and partying at an age that was much too young for any of us to handle. When our parents were out, away, or even going to bed early, we’d sneak in booze and liquor, partying until late hours—hindering our childhood and rushing into adulthood far too soon for us to handle.

I could handle the drinking. I was never a huge drinker, so I didn’t feel as though it was hurting anyone to have a few beers on a Friday night or drink a mixed solo cup at a party. But, when kids started bringing drugs into the picture—I took a step back. I wasn’t ready to experiment with drugs the way that my friends were, and I wasn’t ready to let it tear me apart.

I have two older sisters, and they’d warned me about drug use at such a young age. They told me scary stories of their friends, losing their lives and their innocence to experimenting with things they couldn’t handle. So, I stayed away, I chose to stay away. My friends chose to partake in the experience. They chose to step through a door that they had no idea was going to be locked shut on them for years to come.

I’ve heard so many stories in the media about drug use, how it’s a choice to use drugs so often that you overdose on them. That every time you use drugs, you’re making a choice to put them in your body. That if you overdose, you chose to die. Every time a celebrity death comes up that is drug related, I brace myself for the comments that will come through social media, how selfish it is and how stupid they are to have chosen such a life.

I used to think that taking drugs every day was a choice. When I was young and my sisters told me about using drugs, they told me I had a choice—a choice that would affect my life for years to come. I agreed, that trying drugs, and beginning to take them—it’s a choice. It’s a choice to succumb to peer pressure and other pressures of society telling you to do so. It’s a choice to decide if your SO uses drugs, you should, too. It’s a choice to try a stronger drug, once the other drugs have lost their strength.

But, once you become addicted to drugs, it is no longer a choice for you—it becomes a disease.

Being an addict is a disease. It’s one that should be recognized as a health condition and treated as such. I never thought this way until I saw friends—close, family friends of mine—battle addiction with drugs for years. I watched friends I grew up with go to rehab multiple times. I saw friends of mine die from overdoses. I saw friends in abusive relationships with addicts. It was hard to escape the epidemic that was taking over my town and neighboring towns—everyone was sick.

The way that people look at addicts disturbs me. They look at them as though they’re disgusting, they’re pathetic, they’re a burden on society. But, they don’t look at people with other illnesses the same. People who develop diabetes from poor diets, they made a choice to eat the way they did. They didn’t choose to develop the disease, but they chose what to eat. Those who are diagnosed with cancer due to smoking—they did not choose to develop cancer, but they chose to smoke. However, if you find out someone is sick with cancer, or diabetes and heart disease—we don’t look down on them as though they are horrible, disgusting people in society.

There is a stigma that is associated with addiction. People look at addicts as though they are trash. But, I’ve come to learn that they are not trash, they’re not horrible, they’re not disgusting. They are sick.

They are sick with a disease that needs curing. They are sick with an illness they cannot shake. Instead of looking at these people as though they are horrible and disgusting, be kind. Understand that—like a person with cancer—they, too, are terrified to lose their life. They are fighting every day to stay alive. They didn’t choose to be an addict.

But, just as any other sick individual, they are fighting to stay alive.

20 Things That Will Actually Help Alleviate Your Anxiety When It’s At Its Worst

Anxiety is not something that is easy to deal with—especially on an everyday basis. For those who suffer from anxiety and anxiety disorders, they know that coping with the illness when it is at its worst can be the hardest part. Trying to “talk yourself down” or prevent an anxiety attack can be near impossible for many individuals. That’s why some users on Reddit seek outside advice and help on the site from those who also deal with anxiety and all of its problems. u/sailorv1993 asked Reddit users to share what helps them when everything seems too much and, some of the responses will really help you navigate your own anxiety, too.

1.

I know a lot of times when I’m feeling super anxious about something my brain just flips the “everything is terrible and going wrong and nothing is right” switch, and it’s just a downward spiral. Learning to just let myself feel every emotion, even if I know it’s just the anxiety talking has helped me work through the attacks. Validate yourself and your feeling, let yourself feel whatever your brain is throwing at you, and then when you’re calmer you can sort through the emotions. It’s helped me a lot.

godoftitsandsangria

2.

Focusing on my breathing and then if that doesn’t work, physically stepping away/leaving the situation. Also carrying around a water and taking a sip when I need to ground myself

cmccx

3.

Music. Lots and lots of music.

Tylord2

4.

oddly enough, cleaning and organizing things/rooms.

makidee33

5.

Taking a lap. When I feel like the walls are closing in, I excuse myself from wherever I am and go for a walk around the block to get fresh air and a little exercise. If this isn’t an option, I discreetly take a benzo and do some breathing exercises (there are some apps that help if you aren’t familiar!).

vagsquad

6.

My friend got me out of a panic attack pretty quickly by just having me focus on my hands. Placing them on the table, raising above my head. It re-centers your brain almost like a reboot because for me at least a panic attack is when my anxiety gets so high my brain short circuits and everything is in overdrive.

pearljune1

7.

Meditation and deep breathing. It sounds cliche, I know, but trust me it works. Learn it.

bawzzz

8.

My big, 72-pound, rescue dog. It’s like he just knows when I’m having a hard time and will come lay with me… literally just came down the stairs to check on me as I typed this.

hermi0ninny

9.

Small, manageable goals. If I’m having a panic attack, I just have to accept that it’s happening and focus on breathing. It will always pass. If it’s looping thoughts or rising anxiety, I try to focus on factual positives. Things are rarely ever as bad as my brain would have be believe.

Smched

10.

Going in a bathroom and putting my hands under running water.

Thecookieisalie

11.

Grounding exercises are what I have to do when I get panicky count 5 things you can see 4 things you can touch 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. Then close your eyes and breathe slowly, rinse and repeat.

-Aurum555

12.

Sitting in the shower.

cayebaye

13.

I just think to myself: “But will I die?”

The answer is always no. I may be anxious about something, but I know I can get through it. It helps.

Aetas800

14.

Crying. I know it sounds weird but its instant relief for me. You just gotta let it out.

Ilikesticks45

15.

My wife’s heartbeat. There’s lots of little things that can help, but hearing that works the best.

urosko

16.

My worst anxiety occurs during inaction, so I look to do something marginally productive like sweep the floor, make a snack, or shave. Obviously this is useful if the anxiety is due to being overwhelmed, but it works for me when feeling anxious about less tangible things as well. Even the most insignificant or minute task is better than sitting in anxiety, but the more lengthy and involved, the better relief (and sense of accomplishment).

-username_offline

17.

I know this might sound stupid but what helps me is calling myself out. If I’m starting to get an attack I start to go through emotions out of nowhere like over thinking or just wanting to punch a wall for no reason. And when I’m feeling them I just say wait a minute Why am I mad in the first place that’s stupid of me. Or even just telling myself hey don’t be sad there’s no point. But if I forget to do this and I’m in a public setting I close my eyes and count to 10 and I even sometimes breath in hold my breath for 5 or 10 seconds and breath out like u would if u where using a inhaler.

Princessclaya2

18.

CBD oil. It takes the edge off.

zenaa21

19.

I have a conversation with myself. I ask why I’m anxious, reasons why I should be anxious, reasons why I shouldn’t, why I’m afraid, how I should deal with it, etc.

Then I just give myself a pep talk afterwards and give myself encouragement that everything will be okay and I’m doing my best. Sometimes it works but other times the anxiety is overwhelming so I just acknowledge it’s there and force myself to go on with my day and take deep breaths throughout and try not to get angry.

On the medication side, beta blockers has helped me significantly for super intense moments.

pineapplebuttface

20.

Silence and holding perfectly still. The latter is complicated by the need for oxygen, so I breathe as slowly and with as little movement as possible. After a minute or two I can usually segue to deeper breathing and carefully controlled stretching, and then to normal movement again.

Dandibear

This Woman’s Endometriosis Halloween Costume Shows How Painful Living With The Disease Can Be

Many people live with chronic illnesses and conditions that are not visible to the human eye. For these individuals, it can be extremely difficult to explain and have others understand what they go through on a day-to-day basis.
Continue reading This Woman’s Endometriosis Halloween Costume Shows How Painful Living With The Disease Can Be

Exit mobile version