Several months ago I opened up about the struggles we've had with my son. This post is an extension of that one. Today my son had an appointment with his psychiatrist. We've been working now for about a year with this doctor to find what works for my son. Thankfully, we have found medication that works for our older son. Not so much luck for the younger one. It's crazy. These boys are the product of the same parents and have the same diagnosis but we've only got one under control.
We've had my younger son on several medications with little to no success. His doctor wants to try a new one but our insurance doesn't want to cover it. This is the root of my frustration. HOW DOES IT MAKE ANY KIND OF SENSE THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN TO MEDICAL SCHOOL GET TO DECIDE WHAT MY CHILD CAN AND CANNOT TAKE?! The medication the doctor wants to put him on is literally over $1000 a month. We can't afford that. The doctor says he can call and/or write letters to our insurance company explaining why it's medically necessary (because we've tried everything!) that they cover it but that takes time and I feel like we don't have time.
My son is so kind-hearted. He is so sensitive. I truly feel like he is a gift. BUT, he can be so exasperating. He talks non-stop. His train of thoughts literally come right out of his mouth. He doesn't have much of a filter. If he's thinking it, he's saying it. Even if it's not the polite thing to say. He's not trying to be mean-spirited, just honest. I worry about how he's going to fit into this world. Sitting still is out of the question. Focus is hard to come by, except when hyper-focus comes into play. And he's obsessive.
I love my son and I do not want him to change. I would however, like it if I could watch a movie with him without the rest of my family getting frustrated with him. The whole vocalized train of thought thing gets kind of old after ten or twelve minutes and people start getting frustrated then irritated. I usually end up playing referee. I would like it if he could sit through a class at school and be able to focus enough so that he doesn't need to wander. I know there is something out there that will work for him but this process of trial and error and insurance frustrations is getting old. I want our insurance company to pay our claims the way we pay our premiums. I want healthcare to be what it should.
Lastly, I would like to share a few links about ADHD. The first one is what really opened my eyes to what my husband, sons, and daughter deal with (to varying degrees) every day. The second one is I'm sure how my younger son feels at times and it makes my heart hurt. I've vowed to be better. I wish the world would too.
http://www.tickld.com/x/if-your-friends-ever-say-they-have-adhd-just-show-them-this
http://themighty.com/2016/01/when-i-realized-what-i-say-isnt-always-what-my-son-with-adhd-hears/
Thanks for checking in with me. I hope you are moving forward with your goals and you're feeling more empowered and stronger every day. Let me know your questions and comments. Have a great day and come back again soon!
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Keep Calm and Yoga On. . .
I'll admit it. I'm kind of a nerd. I like strange things. I like documentaries. I like news shows. One of those types of shows that I like is Sunday Morning on CBS. On January 3 of this year, I caught a piece on Sunday Morning about meditation. New research has shown that there are far more benefits of meditation than previously thought. Regular mediation can help you sleep better. It can improve your immune system. It helps your body to better deal with stress. Mediation can lower your blood pressure. I knew all of these things but I learned a new thing. Meditation can cause neuro-plasticity. If you are unsure what that is, it's when your brain creates new pathways to do things. It has been believed that your brain stops creating new pathways around the end of adolescence. New research is showing that even seniors are showing improvement in neuro-plasticity. If you'd like more info on this, see the following link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-quiet-power-of-meditation/
Okay, so all of this is interesting but what am I really getting at? This is it: I'm a yogi and you should be too. Meditation and yoga go hand in hand. Have you ever wanted to take a yoga class but been too scared? You're afraid you're not flexible enough? Or that it's too complicated? Yoga can seem intimidating. I remember my first experience with yoga. I had wanted to take a yoga class for a long time but I was intimidated and I didn't want to go by myself. I put it off for months. I had a friend who had injured her back and was in physical therapy after back surgery. She had been doing yoga as part of her therapy. She kept telling me I needed to go to a yoga class. Then she said something that almost made me re-think going to a class. She told me it was like therapy. I didn't need therapy but I wanted to try yoga enough that I did it. I finally went to a class. At the end of every yoga class, you do Savasana. It's where you lay on your mat and let everything go and simply breathe. We did that and then class was over. I can remember sitting up and thinking I felt amazing. I didn't know you could feel like that. And just like that, I was hooked. That was probably around eight years ago. I've had some really amazing teachers and some that were mediocre. I have sweat and worked my muscles until they shook. I've had that mental release and been challenged beyond what I thought my limits were. And I love yoga.
I've been teaching yoga for nearly three years now. My favorite thing that anyone has ever said to me about my teaching yoga is, "Thank you for sharing your gift." I love that. And that how I feel about it. Yoga is a gift and I love sharing it. It has changed me, to my core. I have learned to breathe. It's amazing how something we are born knowing how to do can make such a difference. We breathe too shallowly. I can now "check in" with my body and know what it needs. Yoga has helped me through some tough things. It has helped me deal with my children and ADHD. I've taught them how to breathe too.
I sincerely believe that yoga is for everyone and that the world would be a different place if everyone did yoga. There would be fewer conflicts, wars, misunderstandings, hurt, etc. We would all be a litter kinder because we'd all be a little more "in tune". Don't get me wrong, it's not a universal fix. Problems would still exist but they would be smaller.
Why should you do yoga? The answer to that is different for everyone. Some people do it to work on flexibility. Some people for strength. Some do it because "everyone" else it. The answers are as different as there are people in this world but it is universal. I encourage everyone to try it. More than once. If you still don't like it, try another instructor. Just as people have different personalities, so do yoga classes. Go with an open mind and throw yourself into it. Embrace the challenge and reap the reward.
If you have questions about yoga, PLEASE ask me! I love yoga and helping people to try it out. If you have other general questions, ask those too. Thanks for checking in me. Good luck on your goals and come back again soon!
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-quiet-power-of-meditation/
Okay, so all of this is interesting but what am I really getting at? This is it: I'm a yogi and you should be too. Meditation and yoga go hand in hand. Have you ever wanted to take a yoga class but been too scared? You're afraid you're not flexible enough? Or that it's too complicated? Yoga can seem intimidating. I remember my first experience with yoga. I had wanted to take a yoga class for a long time but I was intimidated and I didn't want to go by myself. I put it off for months. I had a friend who had injured her back and was in physical therapy after back surgery. She had been doing yoga as part of her therapy. She kept telling me I needed to go to a yoga class. Then she said something that almost made me re-think going to a class. She told me it was like therapy. I didn't need therapy but I wanted to try yoga enough that I did it. I finally went to a class. At the end of every yoga class, you do Savasana. It's where you lay on your mat and let everything go and simply breathe. We did that and then class was over. I can remember sitting up and thinking I felt amazing. I didn't know you could feel like that. And just like that, I was hooked. That was probably around eight years ago. I've had some really amazing teachers and some that were mediocre. I have sweat and worked my muscles until they shook. I've had that mental release and been challenged beyond what I thought my limits were. And I love yoga.
I've been teaching yoga for nearly three years now. My favorite thing that anyone has ever said to me about my teaching yoga is, "Thank you for sharing your gift." I love that. And that how I feel about it. Yoga is a gift and I love sharing it. It has changed me, to my core. I have learned to breathe. It's amazing how something we are born knowing how to do can make such a difference. We breathe too shallowly. I can now "check in" with my body and know what it needs. Yoga has helped me through some tough things. It has helped me deal with my children and ADHD. I've taught them how to breathe too.
I sincerely believe that yoga is for everyone and that the world would be a different place if everyone did yoga. There would be fewer conflicts, wars, misunderstandings, hurt, etc. We would all be a litter kinder because we'd all be a little more "in tune". Don't get me wrong, it's not a universal fix. Problems would still exist but they would be smaller.
Why should you do yoga? The answer to that is different for everyone. Some people do it to work on flexibility. Some people for strength. Some do it because "everyone" else it. The answers are as different as there are people in this world but it is universal. I encourage everyone to try it. More than once. If you still don't like it, try another instructor. Just as people have different personalities, so do yoga classes. Go with an open mind and throw yourself into it. Embrace the challenge and reap the reward.
If you have questions about yoga, PLEASE ask me! I love yoga and helping people to try it out. If you have other general questions, ask those too. Thanks for checking in me. Good luck on your goals and come back again soon!
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
It's a new year
Okay, so the holidays are hard. They are hard to eat well. They are hard to fit your workouts in. They are hard to get enough sleep and take good care of yourself. They are also ridiculously hard to try to keep my blog current. December was crazy but I survived and you did too! So, now what?
Many people, most probably, begin a new year with the idea that they are going to improve themselves in some way. SO many people set the goal of getting healthy "this year". Sound familiar? If so, you're in great company. Also, it's a good thing. Being healthier is a great goal. The problem is, HOW do you do that? Where do you start? How do you stay on track? I have a plan. "Being healthier" is a great goal, however, it is too broad. You need to start with smaller goal, more specific goals. What does being healthy mean to you? Really think about it. That idea is different for everyone. Your thoughts now will be different next year. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to start exercising? Do you want to begin strength training? Do you want to become more flexible? Break your overall goal down. If your goal this year is to lose 50 pounds, start with 5 or 10. Write it down. Now it's a goal. A goal that is not written down is simply a dream.
Now that you've taken your overall goal and broken it down into smaller, more manageable goals, how are you going to get there? If you honestly don't know where to start, ASK for help Maybe your neighbor lost 30 pounds last year or your sister knows someone who is good at weight management. If you really don't know what you're doing, don't try to go at it alone. When you've gotten help and you have a plan, find someone to be accountable to. No, yourself does not work. It's too easy to justify three cookies plus all the cookie dough you ate while you were making the cookies. Better yet, find someone with a similar goal and work toward it together. As you achieve your little goals, CELEBRATE your successes! You did something amazing. Acknowledge it. Try not to make your celebration something with food, especially if your goal is weight loss. Buy a new blouse. See that movie you've been dying to see. Get a massage. Now, move on to your next goal and start all over again.
When you slip, and you probably will, move forward. Don't let one slip, big or small, derail all your efforts. You are human and you will make mistakes. Evaluate where you went wrong, make adjustments, and move forward. Turn it into a learning experience. You are not defined by your mistakes.
What happens when you plateau? Or your progress isn't as fast as you planned or hoped? Look back. Look where you were and now where you are. Sometimes we have to look back to move forward. When I step toward a starting line for a marathon, I always start by looking back. I look at my efforts, how long and hard I've trained and I trust it. I know I get to reap the reward because of my sacrifices and hard work. The same is true for you. You also get to reap the rewards because of your sacrifices and hard work.
As the new year rolls forward and we move from January to February and later, stay on track. Write your goals down. Make them achievable. Be accountable. Forgive yourself. Move forward. Celebrate. And remember, you are amazing. You are brave. It takes courage to embrace change but you're doing it.
Thanks again for checking in with me. Good luck on your goals. Please feel free to share them with me. If you have something you'd like me to talk about or questions, please ask! I love feedback. See you again soon.
Many people, most probably, begin a new year with the idea that they are going to improve themselves in some way. SO many people set the goal of getting healthy "this year". Sound familiar? If so, you're in great company. Also, it's a good thing. Being healthier is a great goal. The problem is, HOW do you do that? Where do you start? How do you stay on track? I have a plan. "Being healthier" is a great goal, however, it is too broad. You need to start with smaller goal, more specific goals. What does being healthy mean to you? Really think about it. That idea is different for everyone. Your thoughts now will be different next year. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to start exercising? Do you want to begin strength training? Do you want to become more flexible? Break your overall goal down. If your goal this year is to lose 50 pounds, start with 5 or 10. Write it down. Now it's a goal. A goal that is not written down is simply a dream.
Now that you've taken your overall goal and broken it down into smaller, more manageable goals, how are you going to get there? If you honestly don't know where to start, ASK for help Maybe your neighbor lost 30 pounds last year or your sister knows someone who is good at weight management. If you really don't know what you're doing, don't try to go at it alone. When you've gotten help and you have a plan, find someone to be accountable to. No, yourself does not work. It's too easy to justify three cookies plus all the cookie dough you ate while you were making the cookies. Better yet, find someone with a similar goal and work toward it together. As you achieve your little goals, CELEBRATE your successes! You did something amazing. Acknowledge it. Try not to make your celebration something with food, especially if your goal is weight loss. Buy a new blouse. See that movie you've been dying to see. Get a massage. Now, move on to your next goal and start all over again.
When you slip, and you probably will, move forward. Don't let one slip, big or small, derail all your efforts. You are human and you will make mistakes. Evaluate where you went wrong, make adjustments, and move forward. Turn it into a learning experience. You are not defined by your mistakes.
What happens when you plateau? Or your progress isn't as fast as you planned or hoped? Look back. Look where you were and now where you are. Sometimes we have to look back to move forward. When I step toward a starting line for a marathon, I always start by looking back. I look at my efforts, how long and hard I've trained and I trust it. I know I get to reap the reward because of my sacrifices and hard work. The same is true for you. You also get to reap the rewards because of your sacrifices and hard work.
As the new year rolls forward and we move from January to February and later, stay on track. Write your goals down. Make them achievable. Be accountable. Forgive yourself. Move forward. Celebrate. And remember, you are amazing. You are brave. It takes courage to embrace change but you're doing it.
Thanks again for checking in with me. Good luck on your goals. Please feel free to share them with me. If you have something you'd like me to talk about or questions, please ask! I love feedback. See you again soon.
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