Author Archives: Positively Alyssa

About Positively Alyssa

I was diagnosed 18 years ago, when I was only 19 years old, with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. I had gone to my eye doctor because I had lost vision in my left eye. Prior to my appointment, I had prepared myself to have the doctor confirm that I would be blind in my left eye and that was all. Never in a million years did I expect to hear the doctor tell me that after consulting with his colleagues, that I need to go for an MRI that day because they were thinking that with my symptoms that I had MS. Just a couple hours later I went to get the life altering MRI. I remember that phone call like it was yesterday. My eye doctor called me from his home at 9:30 at night to confirm what they suspected, I in fact had MS. He immediately referred me to a specialist he knew and I was able to get in to see him that same week. Luckily, after a round of steroids, my vision came back in my eye just leaving me with leg pain that would continue to be part of my life. Through the years I have tried numerous different medications that are meant to slow the progression of the disease down. I was never good at the injections and it wasn't because of the needle, it was because the medication burned like fire going in. Still after all these years I still go through my battles of denial, anger, frustration and sadness. However, I have always said that I would NEVER allow MS to control my life but I would control the disease. For the most part, I have been pretty successful with that. I mean we all have our bad days but it doesn't make the situation any better. With this blog I am hoping that with my experiences, endless amounts of research and a powerful fight i me that I can not only help others going through this but that I can learn from others as well. Living with the ups and downs of MS can be challenging but the power of the mind can beat anything that is thrown our way!

Motivational Monday

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It is Monday again, and we have an opportunity for a successful, and amazing week. I know how much most people dread Monday morning because it makes it official the weekend is over and we are not facing another LONG week, but maybe it might be all just in the way we perceive things. The more we dread a new week, the worst it will be, right? I think most of us do not know how to answer that question, as many of us have not tried to embrace the new week with open arms and an optimistic mindset! It cannot hurt to at least try, right?

We all have a choice to make today, we can accept things as they are, or we can give up and surrender to the challenges we may have to endure this week. Most of us have been through things in life that were painful, and we were not sure how we were going to get through it, but we are all strong and determined and survived the pain. Hearts can mend, scars can heal, and everything we have gone through will keep making us stronger. There will be dark days, but they will be followed by bright beautiful days. Stay focused on the good things in life, and try to not dwell on the bad because the bad things will only drown you from the past.

How was your weekend? Are you ready for this new week? Is there anything you are looking forward to this week? I do not believe I have anything going on this week that I am looking forward to or dreading, but there is a doctor’s appointment next week that I have been dreading since the minute I scheduled it. I think it is safe to assume that work will be busy this week, which for the most part I am fine with because the busy days go by so much faster.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared, and that you found the quote motivating. We might not be excited for the week to begin, but this is one of many things we have no control over, and we must hope for the best. I look forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

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My Sunday Thoughts

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Happy Sunday, y’all! I hope you are having a great and relaxing weekend! I had planned to write a few posts about topics I feel are important, but unfortunately, I have been struggling with awful leg and feet pain this weekend. I know it is just neuropathy, and I am assuming it has something to do with the change in weather. Yesterday, it was 90 degrees where I live, which I feel is way TOO HOT! I have never dealt well with hot weather, but this weekend has been challenging. I am doing everything I am supposed to do, at least according to my Neurologist, but I cannot deal with the neuropathy all summer. I am sure my body will adjust to the extreme temperatures, but I wish it would do so faster!

What have you been doing this weekend? As I already mentioned, I have been dealing with neuropathy issues, so I have not left the house or done much of anything. I was able to rest most of the day yesterday, but I did do a few loads of laundry. A few things I remember about last summer were to start my vehicle and let the air conditioning run for a little while before driving. Also, it is crucial to stay hydrated, so I have been drinking tons of water!

Considering I have no intention of leaving my house until Tuesday when I must go to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions, I am hoping to work on the posts I wanted to do yesterday at some point today. I am not going to make any promises, but I hope to have both completed by the end of next week. Every month has awareness topics, but there are two in June that I feel are important to share and discuss. One of them is, Pride Awareness, and the other is Gun Violence. Pride Awareness is important because I do not think anyone should feel any shame because of who they love or be discriminated against. And Gun Violence because there is too much of this happening and it needs to end!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you can enjoy the rest of your weekend, and you are able to do something that brings you joy. I always enjoy reading your comments, and I will respond to all of them as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Pick-Me-Up Friday Eve

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I know it has been a shorter week, but it has felt like a long week! As much as I enjoy long weekends, I always dread the short weeks because you have to consolidate five days into four, which tends to be chaotic! How has your week been? Of course, Tuesday was disastrous, and Wednesday was only slightly better. Today is the first day of June, which also means the HOT weather is coming, especially in the south where I live. I know I have said this before, but I do not like when the weather gets too hot to even leave the house. Does anyone reading this enjoy warmer weather or rather HOT weather?

This week is almost over, but we do still have one more day until the weekend returns, so I thought a little pick-me-up could be helpful for everyone! I know it is not a long weekend, but do you have anything planned for this weekend? I am happy to say that I have nothing planned but am hoping for a nice, and relaxing weekend. Unfortunately, during the week, or maybe even in our personal lives, we might feel as if we are expected to be how others want us to be. I have always been happy to be myself, which includes all of my imperfections and many flaws, and if someone else cannot accept me for me, that is their loss, not mine. This is why I wanted to share this quote with everyone today because you should be proud of who you are and know how amazing you are!

What do you think makes a home feel homier? Does hanging pictures on the walls, decorating the inside and or outside of your home, or it is all love that makes your home feel homier? Since the weekend when I finally hung pictures on the walls in our living room and added beautiful plants to our front porch area, our home feels more like we are living here and it feels like home. Of course, our house has always contained a lot of love, but these simple things made everything prettier! The only things we still need to do is, hang more wall art, put curtains, and shutters up in the living room, and curtains in the guest bedroom!

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you enjoyed what I shared today, and it provided you with the pick-me-up needed near the end of the week. More than a pick-me-up, I hope it reminded you how amazing, and wonderful you are regardless of any imperfections. We all have imperfections, but they make us unique! I look forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes! 

Always, Alyssa

Inspirational Wednesday

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Happy Midweek! Today is the third day of the week, but only the second workday due to the holiday on Monday! Of course, I enjoy a long weekend, but my goodness, the Tuesday following a long week was beyond insane! I knew it was going to be a busy day, so yesterday being super busy was not a surprise. What was surprising was how rude some people were. I guess maybe their long weekend was not all that great. How was your long weekend? Mine was pretty good. We were finally able to do some things around our house that make the house a little more homey. We now have flowers on our front porch, which I think makes the house look amazing, and we finally hung pictures!

Considering we were able to bypass Monday and skip ahead to Tuesday, we have already made it through half of this week! Even with that said, I do believe we could all benefit from a little inspiration to help us through the last part of the week. I do enjoy busy days, but even I could use some inspiration! I hope the quote I am sharing with you today, will add some inspiration to your week, and help you get through the final part of this week. I do not know about you, but I cannot believe we are almost halfway through the year already! Where does the time go, and why does it go so fast?

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you are having a good week, and it continues to get better until we reach the weekend again. Are you looking forward to anything else this week, besides the weekend? I cannot think of anything that I am looking forward to, but I am sure there are going to be many amazing things that will happen this week. I look forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Monday and long weekend

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Life should be viewed as a journey and never as a race. Why is it that when we were children, all we wanted was to be grown, but once we are an adult with many responsibilities, we wish we could be a carefree child again? Most of us thought when we were young children that life would be better once we were an adult because we thought adults made all the rules, and as children, we did not want to listen. I wonder how many of us now, as adults and with everything we know or think we know if, we would rethink how fast we tried to grow up.

What advice would you love to offer to your younger self? I believe I would tell my younger self to slow down and learn to enjoy life more because it could be over at any moment. I would remind my younger self to learn ways to not be so hard on myself and to try to stop being overly critical of everything I do. It is not good to put yourself down with almost everything you do, and we should be able to see our self-worth. Unfortunately, there will always be too many others that want to criticize who we are and what we do, so we should not add to that negativity.

As we grow older, we will start to notice more and more how short life is, especially when we start losing family and friends. There is nothing guaranteed in life except death. Our lives and those we know, and care about can lose their life without notice, so it is important to appreciate life more. Sadly, I think many people take life for granted and only end this negative cycle when it is too late. I try to remember this daily, and whenever I leave the house, I tell my husband that I love him. I also try to never go to bed angry because what would happen if another person does not wake up? Life is fragile!

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you have been able to enjoy the long weekend, and we do still have the rest of today before the workweek begins again. Long weekends are great, and it is a good feeling when you wake up on Monday morning to realize that you do not have to work! Have you ever wondered why even a three-day weekend is never long enough? I hope you enjoyed your long weekend, and you were able to get caught up on the rest you might have missed. I am looking forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Friday Eve Pick-Me-Up

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Happy Friday Eve, y’all! Of course, it is wonderful that tomorrow is Friday, but even better, we are heading into a long weekend! I do know that even when it is a three-day weekend, it never feels long enough, but I am still glad to have three days off from work! I wish I could say we were going out of town or doing something exciting, but we are staying at home. I would love to go somewhere over the weekend and to get some flowers for our front porch because I love how beautiful flowers look, and smell. Of course, I will be saying something different when there are too many bees, which I am terrified of! Are you excited about the long weekend, and do you have anything planned?

We are at the end of this week and only have one day left before the long weekend, but I think we could use a little pick-me-up! I loved everything this quote states and I agree with every word. We all have something to be happy about, but this does not mean we cannot have a bad day because we are all simply human! The hardships we all endure will never make us weak, but will make us stronger! No matter how hard we try, we will not always succeed, but I think we can fail when we give up and stop trying! Love is easy, and love is free, so there is no reason to not spread as much love as we can!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared today, and that you have a wonderful day! Even though I do know there is a long weekend coming, this week has felt long. The weather has been causing me many issues with my Multiple Sclerosis, including increased pain and fatigue! Hopefully, this weekend will offer me some relaxation and will ease my pain! I am looking forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes! 

Always, Alyssa

Mid-Week Inspiration!

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Today is the halfway part of the week! This means that we have survived the first half of the week, and the second half should be easier and better! The even better news is that soon we are going to be able to enjoy a long weekend! How has your week been so far? Even though I have been looking forward to Friday since Sunday night, the week has not been too bad! I am just a little tired, and I need a good night’s sleep, which has been difficult with how HOT it has been! I guess the hot temperatures are one of the downfalls of living in the south!

We have made it through what has always been the most challenging part of the week! Considering we do have a couple of days left in the week, I think we could all use a little inspiration! I hope the quote I am sharing with you today inspires you, and that it helps get you through the rest of the week! The ocean has always been my happy place, and nothing troubles me or stresses me when I can hear the sounds of the waves. Sadly, it has been a few years since I have been to the ocean, but I am hoping to get there this summer!

Do you have anything planned for the long weekend? I am not sure if I have any plans, but I will enjoy sleeping later and having more quality time with the three sweetest, and most loving cats in the world. It does not matter if I am having a difficult day, or if the evil Multiple Sclerosis is acting up, our three cats can lift my spirits and make me smile! Of course, the boy cat has asthma and takes medicine twice a day. Most of the time, he does not give me any trouble, but every once in a while, I have to battle with him. No matter how much trouble these three try to cause, I would not trade them for anything in the world!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and that you are having a good week! I am looking forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. The week is closer to being over than it was yesterday, but I hope the rest of your week goes well. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Motivational Monday

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Well, it appears it is that time again, and we must start a new week☹. I am not sure where the weekend went because I swear it seems like it was just yesterday and I was excited for the weekend. It is funny how things work the way they should and go by in the blink of an eye, but those things we all dread, always return to torment us. Did you have a nice, and safe weekend? Honesty, my weekend was very unexciting and even a little miserable. Today, it would be so nice if we could be offered a do-over like they do in movies and TV shows.

What is the best way for you to begin a new week with strength and motivation? I know the weeks can be overwhelmingly exhausting, but it is important to move past that negative emotions and try to view the next days as seven days of opportunities. I am just as bad as anyone else when it comes to Monday morning but, if this dreaded morning does burden us, things would be far worse. We must remember something crucial in this life, we matter, and no one can take away our powers or our self-worth!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you had a lovely weekend, and you have a wonderful week! I Try to remember, if one of the days this week makes you feel like failure, you are NOT a failure and you live to tell your story. I am looking forward to reading you comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Sunday Thoughts

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It is late Sunday afternoon, and the weekend will be ending too soon☹, but I do hope you have been able to enjoy the weekend as much as possible. For reasons that I am unaware of, I had low energy this weekend. I tried doing as little as possible, so I would be ready for the workweek beginning tomorrow. Of course, I did a few loads of laundry because it had to be done. I had every intention of finishing a blog post that I have been working on for a few days, but I was unable to finish it yet. However, I do promise that I will get this post done soon because it is an important topic to me. I will give you a little information about what I am writing about, as this was inspired by my cousin, whom I am not close to all, but the post will be about family dynamics.

How do you recover from a long week, and the changes with the weather? I know the weather always causes me issues, which I blame on Multiple Sclerosis. I do not like the warmer weather and the temperatures have already been too high for me and it is not even summer yet! How crazy is it when the temperatures have already reached the HIGH 80s? This tends to worry me about what to expect for summertime. There are many things I do not understand about Multiple Sclerosis, but one of many is why changes in the weather cause so many problems. I mean, one would think living with an incurable illness that is also unpredictable would be enough of a punishment, but of course, not because then the weather wreaks havoc on my body!

The good news is that next week, in the United States, we are going to have a 3-day weekend! I am thrilled to be able to have three days off work because I need this, and I am sure many others do as well! Please do not get me wrong, I do enjoy my job, and even though I will end up saying three days off was not enough, I am looking forward to the days off! I think it would be amazing if we could work four ten-hour days every week and get three days off😊! I think it would provide a better work-life balance. I say this, but I also think it would be better to have animals run the country because they are fair and loyal. Animals care about and love others more than most humans do, so I think it would make for a better world. Heck, my cats would do much better than any president we have ever had!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope your weekend has been amazing, and that you have enjoyed what I have shared today. I would love to read your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Of course, I am not feeling myself right now, but I will still do my best. I know the weekend was short, but I hope you are ready for the new week to begin tomorrow. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Let It Go Friday

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Happy Friday, y’all! How was your week? I swear, I know I say this every Friday, but it was a long week, and I am so thankful it is finally over! Remember, just because the week is over and the weekend is about to begin, you do not have to make any plans that you do not want to make. Make this weekend about what you want and what you need, and just once think about yourself. Please do not think this is selfish behavior because it is not selfish to think about your needs. My goodness, if you are anything like me, you always think about everyone else and what they want, so there is NOTHING wrong with thinking about your needs!

At the end of the week, I think it is the perfect, and best time to let go of any negative emotions or stress the week may have caused. The weekends are too short, and we should not waste any thought or energy on the last week. We should be able to enjoy the weekend to the fullest, but there is only one way to do this, and the choice is ours to make! I hope the quote that I am sharing with y’all today, will help you let go of anything negative the week may have caused you. It does not matter if the negative emotions were caused by the week or something you are feeling inside. Let’s try to let go and enjoy life because life is too short, and tomorrow is not a guarantee to any of us! Make peace with anyone that may have betrayed you, caused you pain, or made you angry!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you had a wonderful week, and that you have a fantastic weekend. I think I have been looking forward to today since Sunday night, so I am very thankful it is finally here! I am looking forward to reading your comments, and I hope you enjoyed what I have shared today. I will respond to your comments as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes! 

Always, Alyssa