Category Archives: Anxiety

Irritating Sounds!

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Each person has unique qualities that set them apart from everyone else. These qualities are not something negative or to be ashamed of, but they can create challenges for the person to handle. Since I was a young child there have been certain sounds that I found extremely irritating, which I thought made me strange. It is not loud noises, but small noises such as people chewing gum, chips, popcorn, ice, or anything else that crunches. I remember a time being in the car with my mother or anywhere else when people were chewing gum and it caused an intense feeling of pure and utter irritation. Are there any sounds that you find irritating?

There is a rare disorder known as misophonia that affects about 20% of the population. Scientists suggest that one in five people suffer from this disorder to some degree and less than 1% experience extreme symptoms. This disorder can trigger emotional or physiological reactions to sounds. Of course, those that do not suffer from this view the reactions as an unreasonable and illogical response to sounds that can range from anger and annoyance to panic with a need to flee.

Those that live with misophonia have explained they are triggered by oral sounds, such as the noise a person makes when they eat, breathe, or chew anything. Other sounds people have found to be irritating can include the tapping on a keyboard, table, or steering wheel, or the sound of windshield wipers or blinkers. Some have said small repetitive motions are the cause, such as someone fidgeting or wiggling their foot.

Those with misophonia have said they respond to visual stimuli accompanied by sounds and have an intense reaction to repetitive motions. It has been suggested by researchers that those with this disorder have issues with the way their brains filter sounds and one feature of “misophonia sounds” would be their repetitive noises, which exacerbates other auditory processing issues.

Misophonia appears to range from mild to severe. Many have reported various physiologic and emotional responses. Mild responses can cause people to feel anxious, uncomfortable, disgusted, or have the desire to flee the situation. The more severe response may include rage, anger, hatred, panic, fear, and or emotional distress. 

Doctors are unsure what causes this condition but have stated it is not an issue with the person’s ears. They do believe it may be related to the way sounds affect the brain and trigger an automatic response in the body. The onset is not known, but symptoms have been reported to begin between the age of 9 and 13 and last a lifetime. This is more common in girls and comes on quickly and does not appear to be related to any specific event.

A recent breakthrough study discovered that misophonia is a brain-based disorder. Researchers have referred to a disruption in the connectivity in parts of the brain that processes both sound stimulation and the fight/flight response. This is said to involve parts of the brain that code the importance of sound. 

If this is something any of you deal with, I am sorry because I know how incredibly frustrating it can be. There have been times I had to cover my ears to avoid the annoying sounds because it causes me massive amounts of frustration and anger. It was so hard to deal with when I worked in an office setting because many people loved chewing gum and that is one of the most annoying sounds in the world. Thankfully, I am not working in an office setting, so I do not deal with this anymore, but my husband does love chewing ice and tries to say it is soft ice. It is NOT soft ice! If this is something you must live with, how do you handle it without losing your mind?

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope what I have shared is something you do not live with, but if you do, please know you are not alone. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. I hope your weekend has started pleasantly and you enjoy these two days! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Power of music

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Music has some magical powers, and some songs can touch our hearts and souls in different ways. There are countless numbers of songs that mean something different to each person listening to it at any given time. Certain songs we turn to during a variety of emotions that we can relate to may stabilize whatever mood we are in or emotions we are experiencing. 

Have you ever thought about music and why you feel the way you do about some songs? Of course, I have given this a great deal of thought. I will not go through every song because that could take days. However, I am going to tell you about a few songs, but please know there are so many more where these come from. For me, music has been an escape from the reality and craziness life can and has been. I find the songwriter’s creativity fascinating and captivating, which leaves me intrigued by where their inspiration comes from.

One song I turn to when I am having a bad day and feeling extremely down with little hope is a song by Simple Plan, “Welcome to my life”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0U0AlLVqpkIf you take a few minutes to listen to this song and feel the meaning behind the words by answering the questions in the beginning honestly, you will be able to understand why I feel so strongly about this song. There have been many times I have felt like breaking down and a few times have broken down. Too many times I feel out of place because my views are distinctively different from everyone else.

As I just said, I do feel like I do not belong and many do not understand me, I cannot change who I am and do not want to.  I would rather not fit in than conform to be like everyone else because I think too many people are followers, more like sheep. There are several parts of this song, “Welcome to my life”, that hit home to me. There have been times I have wanted to run away, but never do, and instead, I turn the music up loud to drown my thoughts. It is not that I hate feeling trapped in this world, but I do not hate the way things are going in the world. There is too much mean and evil behavior, lies, and deceit. These are the things about life I will never understand, which is something that sets me apart from others.

On a more positive side, there is a song I listen to that always brightens my day and makes me smile. This song has a calming vibe and makes me happier. “Down South” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX4KhF2Zdz4 is from a California-based band called Radical Something. This is an upbeat and positive song! Many of you probably already know how much I love the beach and this song provides a beach type. I have mentioned in other posts that the beach is my happy place because the sound of the waves eases all negativity from my mind.

I think once you listen to this song, you will understand how the ambiance from this song is soothing. One line from this song says, “And, you could smile if you learn to put your pain away”, which I think is a very true statement. Every word in the chorus reminds me of how I feel when I am at the beach. This reduces my stress and anxiety, which is a necessity in life, especially with the way things have been recent.

A song that reminds me of a good time is from a band based in Florida called, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The name of the song is, “Your Guardian Angel” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Em4fUOrZo. This is the song that played after my husband proposed to me on stage with the band eleven years ago. I still remember every minute of this day and the time we were on stage when my husband asked me to be his wife. It was a day written in a time that was as perfect as can be. No matter what happens in this life, that day will always be the most magical and amazing day in of our life. Therefore, it will always remind me that good things can happen in life.

Life has been painful and difficult, but no matter what I am dealing with in this life music can make most things better. The songs that are written come from something someone else has gone through and being able to listen to the meaning is a wonderful chance for discovery. I think trying to relate to the songs we listen to can provide clarity and peace, which we could all use at from time to time.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have enjoyed what I have written and the songs I have shared. I hope you are having a great and safe weekend. I am looking forward to reading your comments and maybe you will share some of your favorite songs as well. I will respond to all 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

Is a perfect world possible?

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What would it mean to have peace in our world and is this something that could be possible? Should it be so difficult to have everyone be happy, free, fair, equal, and forgiving? Unfortunately, for centuries this does not seem to have been the case. Through war, people have tried to gain more control and the desire to force everyone to think the same way. War does not do anything but get too many people killed. Attempts to overthrow other countries, killing and destroying the lives of innocent people is complete nonsense in my eyes. 

The amount of hate that erupts between people due to differences that cannot be changed is not solving any issues and only creates more problems. Why should anyone be allowed to judge someone based on the color of their skin, race, national origin, sexual preference, religious and or political following? Who can say the way another person is living, is not the right way to live? I strongly believe if we were all the same, the world would be an incredibly boring place to live. The past several years has shined new light on the way people think because it was made to seem normal and acceptable. These behaviors only spark hate and violence. Why are so many people unable to think for themselves and simply follow others like they are sheep? Why are so many unable to love and treat others with respect? It is 2022 and we all need to start evolving and being much better than we have been.

Do we even understand what peace means? I almost doubt it anymore because it is not something we have seen much of or seen at all. Peace is societal friendship and harmony, in the absence of hostility and violence. There is NO conflict or fear from impending war. We are all human, but no one is perfect so we SHOULD be able to get along. We may not have a lot in common, but we do all have a beating heart and feelings.

If you were able to make changes to the world for the better, what would your perfect world look like? What changes would you to accomplish this? Even though there is no such thing as perfect, changes could be put in place to make the entire world happier.

One MAJOR issue is corrupt politicians need to be replaced and bring in honest people that care about the safety and happiness of the world. People from every country need to rally together and become stronger. If we could support one another with love, compassion, and empathy, HUGE and AMAZING things could begin. Even people within the same country should start understanding each other.

Why does it matter where someone is from? Why does it matter what kind of job someone holds? Why does it matter who another person loves? None of these things should matter to anyone. The reasons people feel hatred in their hearts are unacceptable because most of them are meaningless. Unless someone does something to mentally, emotionally, or physically harm someone, there should not be any animosity. One person is not able to fix the issues we see, but if there was a big enough following and joining together, change is possible, and we could all live in peace!

Thank you for visiting my site today and reading this post. I know some people will not agree with a single word in this post, which is okay because these are my feelings. I will respect how you feel but expect the same in return. I would love to read your comments and 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

How do you know?

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How do you know if you are making the right decisions in life? Overall, does it matter or does life just go according to the master plan? We all know there is no rewind, fast forward, or pause button available in life, and what is done is done. I used to say that our life is just a story written before we were born, and we are just here to play the part. I do still feel this makes some sense because the choices made in life lead us in a different direction.

What happens when there is a fork in the road, you can only go to the left or the right how do you decide which way to go? Often, the path of least resistance is the easiest way to go, but it is not always the best way.

Life does not contain a manual and is more we are living and learning. We could be faced with the same type of decision several times in life, but they are presented differently. We are tested throughout life between good and evil. There cannot be love without hate, dark without light, or good without evil, which keeps life balanced in most cases.

No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. Learning from mistakes is critical for personal growth. We need to remember that life is short, so happiness is a necessity in life. Living our life unhappy is no way to live and determining reasons for unhappy feelings is challenging. We are never trapped in a job or a relationship, whether a friend, life partner or even family.

I guess the reason I am writing this post at an unreasonable time is that I do not know if I made the right decision with the part-time job. I know do not have to stay in this job because I am not imprisoned to the job and can quit at any time, but I do need a job. There are pros and cons to the job, working from home is the most important. The biggest con is, I am on the phone all day and hate talking on phones. Yesterday was only the second day and I felt like I did not know what I was doing, which is extremely frustrating. I guess time will tell and it is still new. No one knows everything after only two days.

How has your week been so far? We already made it through the bulk of the week and the weekend will be here soon. Have there been any challenging decisions you had to make this week and if so, how did you come to a logical conclusion? There is a HUGE part of me that feels our decisions can alter the course of our lives, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have written and, in some way, it resonates with you. I am excited to read your comments and 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

Life’s Concerns

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It is no secret that we have not been able to do anything in several years besides be imprisoned in our home because of COVID. Recently, we were able to get out of our house and the states we live in to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Of course, he loves doing something extremely cold, and I am not that good at, snowboarding. Even though it was bitterly cold and a long drive, it was fabulous to have a change in scenery and freedom from our home.

Now, one small problem is, what do you do when there is a long drive ahead and you despise driving? I never expect my husband to do all the driving a long drive and will always offer to do some of the driving. My husband is aware of my distaste for driving and tries to not have me drive much. I have two reasons for detesting driving. Driving near the huge 18-wheeler trucks is terrifying and it is extremely challenging for me to see at night. My vision causes me to feel worse than a deer in headlights.

As wonderful as it was to be out of our house for the first time in three years, it was still a little concerning due to the increased number of COVID cases. Obviously, being fully vaccinated reduces the risks, but even those that are fully vaccinated have been falling ill with COVID. I prefer to not be another COVID number and worst-case scenario in the ICU fighting for my life. We have made it during all these years with COVID not getting sick, even when our family was.

Dealing with extreme temperatures is problematic for me. I know it is because of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). My body does not acclimate well or fast. Temperatures are one the enemies for me. With colder weather, we can put on more clothing, but it is still a slow process. Then with hot weather, we cannot take off enough clothing to cool down. I have mentioned previously when I deal with colder temperatures, I have heating pads to help and with hot temperatures, I have cooling products that help some.

There will always be challenges in life and we must find ways to handle them. Life is not going to pause because it gets hard. Somedays, life may seem to be painfully long, but logically it is short. We get one chance at life, so making it the best we can is ideal. We need to fight for what we want in life and never give up and surrender to the challenges.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you are having a good week and enjoyed what I have shared today. I am looking forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as I can. I hope you are doing everything possible to stay safe! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Bad News Week

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I hope y’all have had a wonderful week and you are looking forward to the weekend. I managed to fall behind with my blog and still have a few comments to respond to. The past few days I have been consumed with either a migraine or back pain that was so awful I could hardly do anything. Wednesday morning, my back pain was in a different location than normal. On a typical day, it is my mid to lower back that is in pain, but Wednesday morning it was only in my lower back and it took me at least fifteen minutes to pull myself from the bed. This pain was like nothing I have experienced before and had me mildly concerned. I did not lift anything in the previous days, so it did not make sense and I detest when things do not make sense.

I started having another mean migraine on Wednesday that nothing would help it to ease up. Having a migraine and the unusual back pain was extremely frustrating and nothing was making any sense. I detest when things do not make sense because I am the type that needs logical answers. I guess with Multiple Sclerosis, answers are one thing I may never get.

I would assume I know why there were so many issues with pain and a migraine. I do believe I could make an educated guess because after dealing with this unpredictable and hateful illness and knowing my body better than anyone else. My assumption for these issues is none other than stress. I feel like I continue getting bad news daily almost like there is a sign on my head saying, “Please do something that is going to create more problems in life” on my forehead. I mean getting laid off on December 9th and two weeks later having my truck in the shop with an expensive repair, and then on Wednesday learning that my former company is not paying out for the PTO I did not use threw me into the worst stress tailspin.

I was counting on the PTO payout for bills, my husband’s birthday, and a few other things. I cannot say I am surprised that my former company was going to screw me over again. Apparently, my former company thinks it is perfectly acceptable to basically steal money from me and it seems they can do that legally.

I have been constantly looking for another job and it has been beyond frustrating. Many places are hiring for remote positions, but it has been almost a month and I am still unemployed. Being unemployed is causing my personality to change and I do not like it. I feel like my anger about what has occurred and keeps happening is causing me to be a little hateful. I love my cats more than I can explain, but my mood even has me being angry with them and not wanting to be anywhere around them.

I am trying my best to stay positive, but it is becoming harder every day. I keep trying to tell myself that everything happens for a reason and the perfect job is out there for me and will surface when the time is right. I do not know what I did wrong in a previous life to have to continue dealing with challenges, but whatever it was I am so sorry. I just really need a break and have something, just one small thing happen work out.

I am working on another post and will hopefully have it completed tonight. I have also been working on a short story to help build on the creativity I know that I have inside. Writing has been an outlet for me and even though two of my cats are doing everything possible to not let me write because they want my attention, it is still the only thing that lets me escape from reality.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I appreciate your time and look forward to reading your comments. I will be responding to comments today and tomorrow, so I will be caught up soon. I hope you have a lovely and safe weekend. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Difference between personality traits

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When we can recognize the different types of traits one can have, we can understand those around us better. Through this post, I am going to explain the difference between Introversion, Empathy, and Highly Sensitive People. I know not everyone is interested in this kind of information, but I am incredibly fascinated and hope you will be as well. Once you have read about these traits, you might find you can relate to one of two of them and I would love to know which resonates with you the most.

Over the years the term Introvert has been misunderstood. About 30-50% of the population are introverts. Many believe when someone is shy or antisocial, this means they are an introvert, but this is not always accurate. The truth is many introverts are social and enjoy spending their time with a few close friends. With this understanding, it is important to know that introverts commonly feel drained quickly when they are in social situations and they need a great deal of time alone to rejuvenate their energy. This is the reason introverts tend to prefer to stay in or spend time with one or two people, instead of a big group.

Something I found interesting because I was not aware of it is being an introvert is genetic. This involves differences in the way the brain processes the “reward chemical”, dopamine. Those that are born an introvert do not feel rewarded by external stimuli with things such as large gatherings and small talk. Where introverts lose energy with groups, they get great satisfaction from more meaningful activities such as reading, creative hobbies, and time alone to ponder their thoughts.

About 70% of all introverts are also highly sensitive people. A person that is a highly sensitive introvert may come across as very observant, caring, emotional, and even though others are exhausting, they can read them very well.

Over the years, empaths have taken on several different meanings. It is mostly and most accurately explained by a person with the ability to understand the mental and emotional states of those around them.

An empath would explain they do not just notice another’s feelings but feel the other person’s feelings deeply, almost as if they were their own. They can become overwhelmed with feelings of stress and the empath may experience panic attacks, chronic fatigue, and physical symptoms that are typically used to form a conclusion for a medical diagnosis.

Being an empath, can be thought to be a blessing and a curse for the person. This is often felt so intensely, and the empath is unable to turn it off or ignore the feelings. It can take years to establish ways to turn it down when necessary. This can result in the empath going from feeling extremely happy to being overpowered with stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions because someone else came into the room.

The trait of being a Highly Sensitive Person has been commonly misunderstood. With one word, “sensitive” being in the name tends to leave these people with negative views from others. This does not mean you are made from glass and will break easily or cry at a pin drop. It does indicate you process more information regarding the world than those around you.

Highly sensitive people can be described as the following:

*Process information and notice connections that other people do not.

*Become overwhelmed or overstimulated because the brain processes so much input.

*Like empaths, they pick up on emotional signs and feel empathy for others deeply.

*Conscious of the smaller things that others overlook.

Highly Sensitive people have different emotional elements involved. Similar to an empath, they feel the emotions of others and tend to be sensitive to more than emotions only, but are sensitive to all sensory inputs. They may become overwhelmed in situations where it seems to be noisy, crowded, or too fast-paced no matter what type of emotions they are dealing with.

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you are having a great week and you enjoyed the information in this post. I am looking forward to reading your comments on this post and 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

~How to handle holiday financial stress~

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Slowly we are getting much closer to being able to celebrate and enjoy the holidays, as we did before the pandemic. Thankfully, vaccines and boosters are readily available for everyone over age 5 years old and they are free of charge. Currently, 42.7% of people worldwide have been fully vaccinated. In the United States, where I live 59.6 of the population have been fully vaccinated. I know many that have reservations of the vaccine, but how many people have died from the vaccine compared to those that died due to the virus? Maybe there have been some that died after getting the vaccine, but would they have died regardless of the vaccine?

Last year most of us were not able to celebrate holidays or even visit family because of the COVID fears. Hopefully, you were able to spend the recent holiday, Thanksgiving with your family and be thankful for the day! While we were able to enjoy the day, we have many more days ahead of us, especially if we can keep the virus under control. Of course, no one has answers to if we will face lockdowns again and fear for our lives, but we can at least try remaining hopeful.

There have been various challenges we have faced during the eighteen months of the pandemic. Unfortunately, some lost their jobs, which created financial stresses. Holidays can always come with more financial stress, but with the right amount of thought, logic, and planning, it does not have to. To help you reduce your holiday finance stress, I am going to share a few tips that might help.

Take time to give some thought to gifts. Our family and friends have different desires and wants to consider. Instead of going to the stores or shopping online mindlessly, think about each person individually. Does the person have any hobbies? Does the person enjoy personalized gifts from the heart? Does the person enjoy gifts that have other meanings? Children are typically easy to please and just enjoy a physical item they can open. Children also tend to want the newest toy available but might also enjoy arts and crafts. Therefore, a coloring book, crayons, colorful paper, and markers may keep they entertained and happy for hours!

You may also be able to divide people into different categories. This can help prioritize who you are buying for and the costs of what is purchased. With this shopping will become more about giving something meaningful, instead of just buying random items.

Create a list that you can follow. This is like going grocery shopping, which some of you might not make a list before you go grocery shopping. Do you find having something in your hand to shop with is helpful? So, you do not forget things you need or buy things that are not necessary? Creating a holiday shopping list will prevent you from impulse buying. It can be easy to start shopping for family and find something you want, that is on sale.

Creating a list that does not include yourself and stay concentrated solely on your list can help maintain your financial focus. Once you decide who you want to buy for and have an idea what the person would like, you can check things off along the way, which can provide you satisfaction for staying on task and completing an important task.

Understand your reason for holiday shopping. Once you get started with your holiday shopping, you might start feeling overwhelmed. Thoughts such as what and who you should do for, and feelings of stress being to build up inside. When you feel this start, take a step back from the situation and remember why you are holiday shopping. Also try to connect with the moment and pace yourself. Mindful breathing and meditation might help you to stay calm.

After you connect and check in with your body, ask you’re a few simple questions. Why is this important to you? Who and why are you trying to impress someone? Do you think anyone will be disappointed with your gift or are they expecting something different? Understanding the source of your stress may help you to keep it from getting too out of control.

Obviously, no one wants to disappoint someone else, but most of the time your family is not going to be disappointed. Our family just wants the chance to spend time together and creating new memories. Truthfully, it would only be a shallow type of person that would be disappointed with what we give them. Although we do all know someone that would be that shallow and they might be one of our family members, try to not allow yourself to fall into that mindset. Just remember, holidays are not about what you get or how much you spend, it is about being surrounded by loved ones!

I hope what I have shared will help reduce your stress around the holidays. It is supposed to be a time of joy, not unnecessary additional stress. Life is already difficult enough and we deal with other stresses that we cannot avoid. I do look forward to reading what you thought about what I shared. Stress has been said to be a silent killer and I believe this is true. Nothing good comes from stress, but there is a lot of things to enjoy in this short life!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my site today. I hope your weekend begins great and only brings you more joy. The weekends are so short, so they are best spent doing what makes us happy. Even with that said, whatever you do this weekend, please do so in the safest way possible. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Boost your immune system

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During the past year and a half, eighteen long months we have learned many valuable lessons about the world and those living in it. From coast to coast, throughout every country people have endured the stress, fear, and anxiety from a wildly contagious and deadly virus. Some of the most prominent issues with COVID-19 are the misinformation that has been shared in the news and social media, but also those that are refusing to get vaccinated and or wear a mask. Too many people have politized this virus, which should NEVER have been a political issue because it is science-based. This virus has already killed millions of innocent people worldwide and has not stopped. Throughout this post, I am going to share important information on the complications from COVID and ways we can strengthen our immune system to defend against illnesses and viruses.

COVID-19 may be different for each person that gets the virus, but some are going to be similar. Symptoms may range from minor to severe and even lead to death. The symptom may include fever, coughing, shortness of breath, trouble breathing, fatigue, chills, body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion, loss of smell or taste, nausea, and diarrhea. Some people are asymptomatic, which means they have the virus, but do not display any symptoms and are continuously spreading the virus.

Unfortunately, some people may experience COVID-19 complications that are caused by a condition called “cytokine storm”. This condition is when an infection prompts the immune system to flood the bloodstream with cytokines, which is are inflammatory proteins. These proteins may kill tissue and damage organs, and, in some situations, lung transplants will be required.

The immune system behaves similar to the way a security system we have in our homes does. My immune system does not behave the way it should, which is where my fears stem from. Although, our immune system is complex it is the first line of defense against illness. Our immunes system is comprised of various organs, cells, and proteins that have several vital roles, which include:

1. Fighting disease-causing germs such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi and eliminates them from our body.

2. Acknowledges and negates harmful substances from the environment

3. Fights disease-causing changes in the body.

Considering how crucial our immune system is and the ways all the variants of COVID-19 are impacting the world, we must do everything we can to keep our immune system healthy. Personally, the medication I take for my Multiple Sclerosis causes my immune system to be weak. Even though I have been fully vaccinated, I work from home, have groceries delivered, and rarely leave the house, I am still worried. On the rare occasion, I do leave my house, I do wear a mask because there is no way to know if the vaccine was effective for me. Also, I would not want to be an asymptomatic carrier and pass it onto someone else, even though they had the option to get the vaccine and did not.

Unfortunately, as we age our immune response capability may become reduced. With cases of COVID from the Delta variant steadily increasing, now is an important time to do everything we can to keep our immune system as healthy as possible. I am going to share several ways to help build and maintain a healthy immune system. Before you continue reading, please remember I am not a physician, nutritionist, or health expert, this is just information I have learned through a little research.

Maintaining good gut health could be the golden ticket! It has been suggested that doctors believe up to 80% of our immune system is found in our gut. A diet that is abundant with plant-based and unprocessed foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spice display a protective effect. Utilizing this type of diet can reduce inflammation and promote good gut bacteria, which establishes stronger immune health.

As COVID-19 continues to mutate into different and more contagious variants, continuing good hand hygiene is crucial. Washing our hands multiple times, a day for at least 20 seconds is the best and most effective way to not spread bacteria, viruses, and infections. You can count to 20 each time you wash your hands, or you can sing happy birthday or Mary had a little lamb 2 times as you wash your hands!

Continue or start taking vitamins daily. Vitamin C supplies immune defense by assisting cell function and defending against environmental contributors. If you do not want to take a vitamin C supplement, there are several natural sources including oranges, strawberries, spinach, kiwi, and grapefruit. Vitamin D can increase the immune response and defend against respiratory conditions. Of course, there are vitamin D supplements, but 10 minutes of sun exposure a day is an effective natural source.

We have all heard many times that stress is a silent killer, but it also harms our immune system as well. Stress can cause us to produce additional levels of cortisol and cytokine, which triggers inflammation. Stress can also decrease the number of white blood cells in our body that help fight off infections. Discovering ways that work best for us will restore much of what is needed for a healthy and fulfilled life.

Developing a schedule to get an adequate amount of sleep every night can help boost our immune system. Research suggests that less than six hours of sleep each night might make someone four times more likely to get sick, than someone that does get the proper amount of sleep. Our body depends on a full night’s rest to replenish cells and proteins. Of course, during the workweek, it is easier to stay with a sleep schedule because we have a set time our workday will begin, but we should use the same sleep schedule on the weekends as well

If you are currently a smoker, it is time to quit. Smoking does so many awful things to our bodies and increases the risk of cancer. There are many programs available to help you quit smoking, but it does take you making the first step! If you drink alcohol, it is best to only do this in moderation. Alcohol not only creates negative impacts on our physical body but also on our mental health.

Staying hydrated might not protect us fully from viruses but becoming dehydrated has many negative impacts on us that can easily be avoided. Dehydration can cause terrible headaches and hinder our physical performance, focus, mood, digestion, heart, and kidney function. I have mentioned before the importance of staying hydrated and provided a few useful tips. I drink water all day and even have a bottle beside my bed at night, so if I become thirsty it is available. I have purchased a few phenomenal bottles on Amazon that keep my water cold all day. I leave one bottle in the freezer, filled halfway with water so when I take it out there is ice in the bottom that helps keep the water even colder! I will share a link to the bottles that I have and hope you will find them as helpful as I do! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0764PGKL4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I hope the information I have shared will be helpful for you. I know there are many other ways we can work to keep our immune health the best it can be, so if you have other advice, please share with us! I have already said before, the vaccine is free, and everyone needs to get this as soon as possible. Being vaccinated and or wearing a mask will save lives. The people that are not getting vaccinated and wearing a mask are contributing to the death count, which is wrong and selfish.

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you are having a relaxing, safe, and wonderful weekend! I am looking forward to reading your comments, which I will respond to 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

The New Dentist

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Y’all know I had an appointment with another dentist this week and I must say, she was the first dentist in almost 40 years that I actually liked. I explained to the new dentist my reasons for not taking too kindly to the endodontist, which she understood. She did tell me that was not how he normally acted, but he is one of those perfectionists and just wants to make sure that I am going to do what is necessary to keep my mouth healthy. I told her that I did understand this and normally appreciate people being upfront, but that there is a fine line between being honest and rude, which he crossed that line.

I am going tomorrow afternoon to have my two root canals done and I am not looking forward to this. Next week, I will be going back to the nice dentist to have x-rays done and a cleaning, which will not be too bad. I know how important dental health is and that it does correlate to the heart, so I guess it is good that I like the new dentist and will not fear going to her.

I am not sure how I will be feeling tomorrow after the root canals, but if I am feeling okay, I will try to do a post to update y’all on how it went. I will try to be nice and not bite him for the nasty attitude he had when I first met him. I might give him some advice to go back to school to learn how to act around patients that are terrified of dentists, but it probably would not do any good. Those of you that have seen neurologist know they have a dry personality or more like a personality of a tick and that is how I felt about the endodontist.

Thank you for visiting my site today. This was just kind of an update on my dental experience because I had mentioned the appointments. I hope you are having a good week and you are continuing to stay safe. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa