Healthier interactions start with the recognition that you are, indeed, human too. Just because you have some form of disabling condition or identity doesn’t make you more(or less) of a person than you were prior to your symptoms or diagnosis. Unfortunately, both you as the person managing your condition, and your family and friends need…
Something both Al and I have had to manage is different responses by different family and friends to our conditions and situations. I think most people with disabling and/or chronic conditions have experienced these stresses: family members or friends who may insist that it’s nothing or that you are making up your health problem, other…
I’ve been writing a lot lately about my own struggle to stay balanced while managing a migraine, my Functional Neurological Disorder(FND) symptoms, my cat Rorschach’s health, and my own emotional response to the threat of losing BiRequest, one of my primary social supports and resources. While all of this has been going on, a friend…
So often, people with disabilities are pretty much automatically ignored, put down, or ostracized by our communities. There are a lot of contributing factors, but I want to talk about some of those factors here today, as well as discuss what we can do(as individuals) to help the greater disabled community. People with disabilities are…
Once more, I am participating in A Chronic Voice’s monthly linkup. Wondering, Repeating, turning, desiring, getting Wondering As a bi person with a chronic and likely life-long condition, I have put time into wondering what informs my partner selection, and wondering about the values others who share either or both identities express. You may be…
Once more, I am participating in A Chronic Voice’s monthly linkup. words: Regrouping, Investigating, Boosting, Setting & Reviving Today, I want to talk about how very strongly we can be affected by other people and other people’s emotions. I want to talk about boundaries and expectations, and how multigenerational trauma can work. I am using…
There are times when your friends may call on you for help or support. This may be a time of crisis for them, or during a time of extra stress. Usually, when asked, people on some level want to say yes, it’s part of how humans are socialized. Now that you are living with a…
Once more, I am participating in A Chronic Voice’s monthly linkup. words: Tiring, Educating, Receiving, Giving & Quieting FND Awareness week begins on Sunday April 7, so I wanted to get things off to a good start. Reading over these words, I immediately thought about my experience with FND and as a disability rights advocate(as…
Many types of disabling conditions can make it difficult to make and keep friends! Today, let’s talk about what we can do to increase our options in terms of making friends! Challenges to connecting with others when you have a visible disability My symptoms are not generally visible, but I have noticed that I…
When you are newly disabled or just starting to realize that you have a condition that will have long term effects on you, it’s important for you to understand what you have, how it works, and what your loved ones may be able to do to help manage your situation. This isn’t necessarily easy, as…