Sick Ramble

Being sick makes even the most mundane tasks unmanageable. This week has been no fun for me at all. I've been sick. Not even the regular kind of sick where you have an annoying runny nose that lasts a week, but the miserable kind of sick where every muscle aches and you can hardly talk because your throat hurts so much. But luckily I did not have to be on my own.

Being sick at school is tough. Of course my dorm has to be the furthest from the dinning hall. Normally I would not complain about this because I love the exercise (even though there are often scary homeless people throwing insults at anyone who walks by) but these are not normal circumstances. When you can hardly move, walking a couple of blocks up hill just isn't going to work. I had to call someone.

I am so lucky to have someone special in my life who would drive 2 hours just to come pick me up from school. Stuffy and sniffling, miserable me waiting in my sweatpants, hardly able to carry my own bag of clothing for the weekend; it was definitely a sad sight. But that didn't matter. He gave me a huge hug and helped me with my bags. He just wanted to do what ever he could to help me, even if there was a chance of him getting sick too. I can't thank him enough.

We went back to my house. It was much more comfortable there than at school. I got to rest and eat soup and watch movies all day (and since this blog is all about life tips I'll throw this in as well: when you're sick it is key to stay hydrated). It would have been an amazing mini-vacation if I hadn't been so sick. Waking up at 5 in the morning with a coughing fit just stinks. But I'm getting better, I don't feel as achy. I had to return to school because I couldn't miss any more days of class. Luckily for me it was a Wednesday when I got sick. Usually this would have been an issue to go home in the middle of the week but thanks to optional midterms I only missed two classes.

I don't like missing my photography class but I really wasn't feeling well. I did some practice at home for a big project that I'm working on (surprises! You'll have to wait and see!). I don't like missing classes in general. Not only am I paying for them, I also don't like letting people down. I felt bad having to tell my group for my cultures & heroes class that I couldn't make it. We were doing a group presentation. I sent in my work of course but I wasn't there to help present (I couldn't have anyway, I could hardly talk).

So now I'm back to school (even though I wish I could still be home snuggled warm on the couch). But I have work to do and obligations to keep. I will push through this sickness the best that I can and stay positive all the way. 

TEDTalks Stories

I'm not surprised that we are now finding the topics of depression and anxiety in TEDTalks. It is so brave of these men and women to share their stories of how they live with these. They even say "in hopes that others don't feel so alone." Now that is a cause I can stand behind.

Here is a link to several talks covering various topics from depression to schizophrenia and anywhere in between. Even if you don't suffer from any of these disorders I hope you can find them interesting and enlightening.

--> TEDTalks <--

Identify and Overcome

After the loss of an amazing actor, who touched the hearts of millions though his comedy and films, we remember him for all of the great things he did in his life. Robin Williams will always have a special place in my heart. I grew up with movies like "Flubber", "Aladdin", and "Mrs. Dobtfire." There was always something special that he brought into his roles, a kind of passion that made his characters so lovable.

But with his passing brings up the topic of depression in the media. These topics have anyways been difficult to talk about and people often wish to shy away from bringing it up in conversation. But it needs to be talked about. I recently read an article on a popular site that I wanted to share.

--> Identifying and Overcoming Depression <--

Writer Lisa Winter does a great job of helping the reader understand what depression is and what you can do to help someone you love who might show signs of being depressed.

I can't say it enough. Those who are suffering with depression are not alone. There is always help and a shoulder to lean on. Life is too beautiful to give up on yourself.  

Intro

After some time writing my blog on Tumblr, I arrived at the decision to upgrade and start writing on an actual blog site. I am excited to start writing a little bit more professionally.

For those of you who have followed me over to my new blog, welcome back! It's so great to have you here and I hope you continue to enjoy reading my posts. No big changes are planned for the context of my posts so I hope this new site does not deter you from continuing to follow me.

For those of you who are new to following me, or are just stopping by, welcome! I promise not to bore you with a sappy intro so I’ll just give you a quick summary of what I hope to accomplish with this blog (also found on my original blog site).

I wanted to start this blog for those of us dealing with depression and hardship in our lives. I have been dealing with depression for almost 10 years now. There is one thing to remember: You are never alone in this fight. I hope to be able to bring up things that have happened in my own life and reflect upon them so that others (as well as myself) can learn from them and learn to open up and live and love life again. Stay tuned for a wild ride of insight on coping, thought provoking questions, inspiration quotes, and a possible path way to personal enlightenment.