Category Archives: Anxiety

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

How to accomplish goals

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I think it is important to have goals in life, but they can be a challenge to meet. We all have random things that come up daily, which can create distractions slowing down reaching our goals. What are a few of your goals? These can be short OR long-term goals, but it would be interesting to know. What are the ways you set goals and how do you achieve your goals? Throughout this post, I promise you I will share my short-term and long-term goals, but also ways to achieve your goals.

Understand your Emotions:

It has been proven that our success stems from being happy first, and we are not happy only because we succeeded with a goal. This is because our emotions are in a positive and good place. During times when we are in a pessimistic, glass-half-empty mindset, reaching our goals is less likely to happen and we need to discover ways to step in with our mood and discover new habits of gratitude.

Determine your Purpose:

Our goals tend to line up with our life’s purpose. Achieving our goals will be much easier when we know and connect with this purpose. Some goals require us to be more tenacious, but with the right amount of determination, we can accomplish anything we set our minds to!

Ask yourself one question, WHY?

Intrinsic goals are goals that are not set by anyone but us. It is crucial to understand the meaning of every goal we have and how our life will be more fulfilled once we achieve any of the goals we set.

Write down your short-term & long-term goals:

Take 20-30 minutes to think about the goals you want to accomplish. To clarify, the differences a short-term goal is something you want to do in the near future. This can mean today, this week, or even this month. Long-term goal takes time and planning. These goals are something you want to accomplish in the further out future, such as later this year, early next year, OR maybe in the latter part of 2022. Create a commitment to goals and define whether certain goals require changes or need to be removed because they are conflicting with other important goals.

Set challenging and risk-taking goals:

We might not know this, but at the end of each, we look back at key points during the day. Something that has been found is, the things we followed that were outside our typical comfort zone, involved accomplishing something important to us and provided us with “authentic self-esteem”. The more we push ourselves with challenges, the more we will believe in ourselves.

Changing our password

Every day we are prepared all day by words, scents, and sights around us. Something that never occurred to me is to use these passwords to reinforce our goals by changing our passwords using words regarding our goals and characteristic you want to take on. For example, if your goal is to eat healthily, you could use “health” or “healthy” as a password. If we are constantly reminded of one of our goals because it is one of our passwords, we use daily, we will unconsciously find ways to make them happened because they are at the forefront of our minds.

At the beginning of this post, I promised y’all I would share my short and long-term goals, the way I will try achieving my goals, and why my goals are important to me. My five-year plan for accomplishing my long-term goals, how I plan to accomplish my goals, and the reason why each goal is important to me.

Put An End To Stress

This goal is important to me because I understand how and why stress unfavorably impacts my health. The way I intend to achieve this goal is to continuously remind myself to not stress over things I do not have any control over. A few of the things I do not have any control over are going to the dentist (I have always had an irrational fear of the dentist0 and have avoided them. I can see when I look in the mirror the large amounts of broken teeth. This issue is not due to me not taking care of my teeth but is because of all the steroids I was forced to take during the times the MS acted up. This goal will hopefully be accomplished by the end of 2021 if not before.

Another one of my long-term goals is to write the book I have dreamed of writing. The reason this goal is important to me is that writing a book has been something I have wanted since I was a young child.

I have been the only person standing in my way of achieving this goal It weighs heavily on my mind because I always tell myself that I am not a good enough writer. The ways I am going to accomplish this goal is to continue writing on my blog and improving and building on the skills I already have. I am anticipating achieving this goal within 5 years. This is obviously a goal that takes planning, organizing a plan and pure determination.

My short-term goals are goals I want to achieve in the next two weeks. One of these goals is to create a plan to eat healthier. I can admit that I do not eat the best food and I do not eat three meals a day. The best-case scenario is I have 2 pieces of toast for breakfast, uncrustable for lunch, and dinner either more toast or macaroni and cheese. I know everything on this list is extremely unhealthy and some will say I eat like an 8-year-old child.

This goal is important to me and not because I want to lose weight (which would be nice), but because eating healthy makes you feel better physically and emotionally. I plan to achieve this goal by making a meal plan that includes only healthy foods and no junk food or fast food.

My second short-term goal is to get my house organized and clean. This goal is important to me because a disorganized house creates chaos, clutter, and stress. I am planning to go through the closets, drawers, and each individual room to put anything not being used in a donations bag that will be taken to the nearest Good Will location.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed this post and I am looking forward to reading your comments, and what you goals are. I hope your week is going well and you are staying as safe as you can! 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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Happy Monday y’all! I hope you had a nice and safe weekend. Are you ready for this new week to begin? I guess there is no turning back and we do not have a choice about the new week and just need to embrace it the best we can. Considering my weekend was full of stress because our poor baby boy cat was not feeling well and had to go to the doctor on Saturday morning. Then last week many people lost their jobs with the company I work for, this week has to be a little better or at least that is what I am hoping for. It is sad there were so many people laid off, but I hope this does not sound selfish, I am thankful to still have a job. I honestly could use another weekend to recuperate from the weekend I had, but bring on Monday!

This afternoon I have to go to the one place I dread more than just about anything, the dentist. The endodontist that will be doing my root canals on Thursday wanted me to see a dentist to help develop a comprehensive plan for what needs to be taken care of in my very screwed up mouth. It is awful that I do take care of my teeth and keep them clean, but because of the vast amounts of steroids I have been forced to take when I had relapses from the MS, my mouth is a mess and has many issues to address. I still hate the dentist, but I am sure I am only going to hate them more after this week.

Now that we are starting a new week and a new month, we need to try to stay motivated and optimistic. I cannot even believe it is already May because the first few months in 2021 have gone by super fast. Before you know it we will be saying “Merry Christmas”. Anyways, it is my hope the quote I am sharing with y’all today will provide you with the motivation needed to begin this week and I hope your week gets even better with each day! I would love to read what you thought about this quote and everything I have written today, and I promise to respond as quickly as I can.

Thank you for reading this post and visiting my site. I always appreciate your support and the time you take to read. I hope you have a great day and you continue to stay safe. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Random acts of violence

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Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to hear about violence taking place in the United States. Anytime we turn on the TV there is at least one, if not more awful things happening. We are constantly hearing about mass shootings, cops killing unarmed people (most often black men), or other acts of violence where innocent people are dying Some people have become desensitized to the various amount of hate-filled violence that occurs, which these acts cause others vast levels of distress and despair.

When you combine isolation due to COVID and feelings of despair from the violence taking place, the emotional impact can be extremely intense. Of course, working from home is great, but I do feel very isolated and like I am on house arrest a lot. Situations like what happened with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and countless others murdered by those that are “supposed” to protect and serve, the police cause me to feel anxious and angry and I am not an angry person. The case against Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis had me on edge. When I watched the verdict being read it did give me a glimmer of hope, but there is still a lot that needs to be done.

The recent and senseless mass shootings that have occurred in the United States are heart-wrenching. The one on March 16, in Atlanta GA at 3 spas left 8 people dead, 6 of which were women of Asian descent. It has been stated this murder rampage was due to anti-Asian racism, which does not make any sense to me. These women were innocent and simply doing their job to take care of their families. Atlanta, GA is only about two and a half hours from where I live, but these acts can happen anywhere because the levels of hate and racist behavior are exceedingly high. I do not understand why some many Americans have any issue with people of Asian descent because these people are NOT doing anything wrong or causing any harm to anyone else.

Only six days later, on March 22 in Boulder, CO another gunman went on a shooting rampage at a supermarket. This incident left 10 innocent people who were at a grocery store picking up items needed dead. People that knew this 21-year-old gunman said he was prone to anger problems and his arrest record showed where he assaulted a classmate in 2017. It was obvious this person had issues, so why was something not done to help him?

Less than a month later on April 15 in Indianapolis, IN at a FedEx facility a gunman started shooting people in the parking lot before he continued his shooting spree inside the building. This mass shooting left 8 innocent people dead before the gunman turned the gun onto himself. Not to sound insensitive, but if the end result was taking his own life, why did he not just do that in the beginning and leave the innocent people he killed alive?

There are no motives to make sense of these tragic deaths or to make it easier for the 26 families that lost a loved one. Even though there is not anything we can do for those affected by these events, there are ways we can help ourselves to cope better.

We have all been dealing with the pandemic for over a year now, often fearing for our safety, as well as for those we love because this virus is deadly. Then adding mass amounts of violence can shake communities to their foundations. Whether you live in the United States or another country, how do these situations make you feel? Some of us may feel like we are in danger if we just go to the grocery store or other normal activities outside the home. Other common reactions may include numbness and shock, difficulty making decisions, anger, inability to turn off the images seen on the news, tension, anxiety, loss of appetite, headaches, disturbed sleep and bad dreams, and or worry about future mass violence events.

Just knowing about these traumatic situations can be emotionally draining and cause you to feel unstable with typical life challenges. Issues with work, ongoing issues with the pandemic, financial struggles, or just staying on top of our daily activities can feel overwhelming and stressful. Try being kinder, patient, and more understanding with yourself because you are not alone.

Urgent do not forget to take care of yourself. Everyone reacts to these situations differently. It does not matter if an act of violence occurred where you live or on the other side of the world because our mind and body can react as if it were much closer. The following eight tips are ways we can practice self-care.

1. Safeguard your body’s needs by focusing on eating healthy, get proper amounts of sleep, and spending time outdoors.

2. Stay active in ways you are comfortable with. There is no need to push yourself too far and causing any extra stress on your body.

3. Embrace relaxation exercises such as meditation and relaxing breathing techniques.

4. Maintain a consistent bedtime routine to help you relax at night.

5. Collect information regarding the available mental health services and support.

6. Avoid using alcohol and drugs to help you cope.

7. Take the necessary breaks from watching the news on TV and or social media.

8. Give your attention to things you enjoy such as listening to music, walking, writing, other types of arts and crafts.

I know this post was not very uplifting or positive, but these are real issues the world is facing, and they are upsetting me tremendously. I do not like being negative or angry but wanted to bring these issues to everyone’s attention. This was not to upset anyone or ruin your day, so please forgive me.

I want to thank you for visiting my site today and reading this post. I hope you are having a good week and 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

My COVID Vaccine Experience

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~To Get The Vaccine OR To Not Get The Vaccine~

On Saturday morning, with an incredibly special thank you to my wonderful husband, I was finally able to get the COVID vaccine. If I had waited for either my specialist or the governor of the state, I live in to get this vaccine, I am sure I would have been waiting until at least summer. I do understand the need for front line workers and elderly individuals to be among the first to get the vaccine. However, I also think people with a weak immune system should be able to get the vaccine as well. Truthfully, it is not just because I have a weak immune system but those with a weak immune system can become deathly ill with this virus. I guess in a sense it is a blessing this vaccine was created so quickly, but it is also awful there are so many people that will have to wait to get the vaccine because not enough were rolled out.

It typically takes 5-10 years to create a vaccine and yet the COVID vaccine was done in less than one year. I know I did just get the vaccine, but one of many reasons why I was so hesitant about getting the COVID vaccine was because it so fast. I was obviously concerned about the side effects it might have that they were unaware of. I do not think there were enough tests completed, but during this pandemic with so many people dying each day, I guess there were not many options.

We have all been living in fear for so many months and most of us have been staying at home to be safe. This past year has created the feeling of isolation, which can feel very lonely. Many of us missed out on celebrating the holidays with our family because of this virus. I do still believe that if everyone had followed the advice from experts in the beginning, things might have been better. There was a lot of misinformation being released from the government, which as y’all already know had me feeling terribly angry. It will not be a surprise to any of you that have been reading my posts during the Trump administration, but I think the way the pandemic was handled or rather not handled was all wrong.

I do passionately believe that if there had been someone else in charge in the beginning of the pandemic, things would have been handled faster and more efficiently. We were all told so many lies about the virus either not being that serious or that the virus was a hoax. Many people never thought anyone could put the lives of other human beings in danger, but that was not the situation. Unfortunately, the former president of the United States did not have any concerns about anyone but his own safely.

I know y’all are not reading this to hear about what I think of the former president or the ways this virus got so out of control, but I do want to let y’all know how my experience was getting the COVID vaccine. I am not going to lie to y’all I was very nervous. As I already said one of my biggest concerns was the possible side effects of a new vaccine. Another concern I had was any potential interactions with my MS medications. The Nurse Practitioner at my specialist’s office told me some of the other patients on Gilenya did already get the vaccine and did not have any side effects. I also called the manufacturer of Gilenya to find out if they heard of anyone taking this medication getting the vaccine and having a bad interaction, but with the vaccine being so new they did not have any information. I am also very aware that no two people will probably experience the medication, the vaccine or the two together the same way, but I had to cover all basis before I got the vaccine.

Before I even got the vaccine, I was already dealing with a nasty headache, but I think it may have been caused by stress and lack of sleep. After I got the vaccine on Saturday morning, my husband and I stopped to get some breakfast because I was so hungry. We just went through the drive-thru and took the food home to eat. My headache did not ease up and I was exhausted, but again, the night before I hardly slept at all. Overall, besides the fatigue and headache, I did experience body aches all weekend. To be completely transparent, I could not tell if the body aches were from the vaccine or the rainy weather we were expecting. On most days I do ache from head to toe, but the aches seemed much more intense.

Much to my surprise, I did not have any severe side effects from the vaccine and even have the second one scheduled for February 13 at 9:00 AM. I prefer to do things like this early in the day and when I have a day or so without having to work just in case, I end up not feeling well. I think another reason I was so terrified of the vaccine is because I never even got the normal flu shot because of possible negative interactions with my MS medicine.

My husband has already had his 2nd COVID vaccine and even after I do as well, we will continue to behave as if we did not get it. We will both continue to wear masks, social distance, and sanitize everything because we both feel that you can never be too safe. It is awful that thousands of people are still dying daily because of this virus and upsetting how many others still refuse to wear a mask. I will never understand why people cannot see the increased numbers of new cases and deaths, and still think a mask is too uncomfortable to wear. In my eyes, a little discomfort for a short amount of time is worth it if it will save lives!

I am not going to be one of those people that says you must get the vaccine because I think you need to be comfortable with this. Nothing I have said in this post is meant to be medical advice and I would still advise you to consult your physician before getting the vaccine. Yes, I think it will keep you safer, but even after getting the vaccine you can still get COVID. I was told if you have had the vaccine and get the virus, symptoms might not be as severe. Unfortunately, with this virus and the vaccine still being new, I do not think anyone really knows answers to be 100% true, but they are working with the information they do have.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my post today! I guess this topic can be controversial, but I did want to share my vaccine experience with y’all. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and hope it will help you to make your own decision to get the vaccine or to not get the vaccine. 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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Let It Go Friday

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~We Finally Made It, Happy Friday ~

I am so glad that we finally made it through this week! I do not know about you, but I think this has been a painfully LONG week! Of course, work has been busy, which I like, but I can use a break from the insanity! I am not sure if it is stress-related or the colder weather, but my pain levels have increased drastically. Yes, I am going to be getting the first COVID vaccine tomorrow morning and if I am being completely honest, I am nervous about it. I am not nervous about getting a shot, however, I am nervous if this vaccine will have a negative interaction with the medication I take for the MS. At least I do not work the weekend and my husband will be sure nothing bad happens to me, and if all else fails the hospital is close to where I am going for the vaccine.

Our work week tends to be stressful and even cause some negative emotions to bubble up. Now that the weekend is so close, it is time to let go of all bad energy and feelings and just enjoy the short weekend. As I get older, I am understanding more and more, we have to do what brings us joy and care much less about what others think of us. As long as we are continuing to be kind, caring, understanding, and fair to others we are doing everything right. I am hoping the quote I am sharing with y’all will help remind you to live your life doing what you love and not trying to impress anyone else!

What do y’all have planned for your weekend? Y’all know I never do anything over the weekend, but you also know I am leaving the house tomorrow! Is it crazy that I am excited to leave the house but nervous about why I am leaving the house? Does anyone reading this post have Multiple Sclerosis, take Gilenya, and have received the COVID vaccine? I know that everyone experiences medication and side effects differently, but it might help relieve my anxiety to hear from someone that can give me a little information about the vaccine.

Thank you for visiting my site today! I really appreciate you continuing to visit and love reading your comments. It might sound silly to some, but I consider all my fellow bloggers friends. 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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~It Is Time To Make The Most Of Another Week~

Happy Monday y’all! I hope you had a nice and safe weekend! My weekend was quiet and uneventful, which is the way I like it to be. It is sad how fast the weekends go by and then how long it seems to take the week to pass by. Did you do anything over the weekend? How ready for the week are you? Considering I have been busy at work, I am assuming this week will be just as busy which is fine with me! My husband’s birthday is tomorrow and normally we would be up snowboarding during this week, but because of COVID we are not able to. Considering he has already been able to get his first part of the vaccine and will be getting the second in a few weeks, I am hoping he will be able to do a little snowboarding before the season ends. I hope that next year he will be able to snowboard for his birthday because he loves it so much!

Unfortunately, the world is still experiencing many tragedies and hard times. The attack on the Nation’s Capitol was just the beginning to what the United States will face in the weeks to come, but I do hope I am wrong about this and it will be a peaceful few weeks. In my eyes, there does not need to be fear or hate because this does not accomplish anything useful. There are so many people struggling in this country at this time and I have a deep desire to help those that are in need.

As we begin this new week, I think it is important to start motivated and with a positive mindset! I hope the quote that I am sharing with y’all today will provide you this and your week will only improve as each day passes. We may not be able to control what is going on in the world, but we can control the way we respond to things and people. No matter what life throws our way, we must always try to show respect, kindness, and treat others the way we wish to be treated. I think one way to accomplish this is by keeping ourselves calm during all the chaos we witness because nothing good will come if we get anxious and stressed.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a great day and you stay safe! Monday is never the greatest day of the week, but I think we can turn it into something magical if we try. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Chaos & Tragedy in the United States

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We Need To Stop The Hate & Violence Now

Happy Sunday y’all! Before you start reading this, I just want to provide you wait a small DISCLAIMER/WARNING. I do the best I can to not write about politics, but this is about more than simple politics. I think y’all know by now I try to be open-minded, fair, kind, compassionate, and understanding, which is why this was so important for me to share. I know you might feel differently about tis, but I would really love to read and understand what your thoughts are.

The continued insanity that is going on within the United States is disgusting and shameful. The way people are following the idiotic ideas they are hearing from the president is not only awful but inhumane. Who would have thought our nation’s capital could be invaded so easily?  These people were domestic terrorists that were fueled by the hatred from the president of The United States.

This tragic display of repugnance was not how decent and logical people behave. The way Donald Trump has encouraged his cult followers to act is repulsive. Besides, 5 people being left dead after the riot that took place at the Nation’s Capital on Wednesday, more than 50 people were arrested so far, and for what? On January 20th, Joe Biden is still going to be sworn in as the 26th president and Donald Trump will be gone.

The violence and brutality that we all witnessed on Wednesday was very upsetting and never should have happened. Of course, I did not know anyone involved personally, but none the less it was awful to see. A leader of a county should NOT be instilling hatred and violence but should be promoting peace and equality. After all, this is The United States of America and was known as the land of the “free”. Throughout history, former presidents have not stimulated violence and rage but tried keeping the peace among the citizens. I cannot help but wonder why so many are okay with Trump’s behavior to the point they would storm a federal building and create mass amounts of destruction.

Over this past year, there have been countless situations that should have been handled in a better way. The government knew about COVID-19 and did not share the information with the American people. Donald Trump decided to place the blame for this virus on China, instead of taking responsibility for the safety of the people he represented. I understand COVID-19 started in China, but President Xi of China shared his concerns with the world and yet Donald Trump was more concerned with being re-elected than caring for the lives of the people.

I do not like to write about political things because it tends to be a VERY HOT topic with people, but this past Wednesday was very upsetting to me. Never in a million years would I thought what took place this past week would have ever happened in a building that is so protected. With Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20th, I am worried we are going to see much more chaos and violence, but I hope there will be much better planning to protect the innocent. I will never understand why Donald Trump has so much hate within him, but sadly since his favorite toy, Twitter have been taken away from him, I think there is a chance his toddler like behavior will get worse in the next week or so. I think we all know that this man child tweets about everything and his cult followers enjoy all of his heinous words.

This post is a lot different from what I normally write about, but these issues weigh heavily on my mind and heart. I do the best I can to avoid the news because I cannot seem to make it through a segment without crying. I have always dreamed of world peace and a very small part of me still has hope that we can someday experience this, but the logical part of me realizes our chances for world peace are slim. The world is too full of hate and while much of this hate is intensified by the current president, some people are just miserable and enjoy spreading this hate.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I do know that some of you are not going to agree with one word of this post and while I might not understand the logic behind this, I will respect your opinions. The great thing about what the United States is supposed to stand for is, we are free to think and believe what we want to. Please know regardless of if you agree or disagree, I will always be sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and many positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Pandemic Crisis

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21

~The Never Ending Crisis~

I know I have talked about COVID-19 numerous times since the pandemic started, but sadly things are only getting worse every day. The state that I live in surely isn’t the only one, but it has had a HUGE surge in new COVID-19 cases and deaths. I know it isn’t a good thing to live in fear because life is too short to live that way, but I am terrified of this virus and I think for good reason.

Currently, I basically do not even have an immune system and that is due to the medication I take for Multiple Sclerosis. So, I am dealing with a medication that is supposed to be slowing the progression of the MS but also weakens my immune system to a dangerous level with this virus being as uncontrollable as it is. Let me put it like this, from Monday to Friday in a city with about 68, 560 people living in it, there were 1,187 new cases. That is only the reported cases and who knows how many others are a systematic and have no idea they are sick and spreading a deadly virus.

If you pay attention to the news, you will see that thousands of people are dying daily from this virus. I am not able to watch the news without crying and maybe it’s because I am overly sensitive, but I can’t understand how this wouldn’t tug on everyone’s heartstrings. Some of these innocent people that have died with COVID never leave their homes and others were extra careful, and still ended up with the virus that took their life. How sad is it when someone loses someone they love and can’t even have a normal funeral because of a deadly virus? For me this is heart wrenching and unimaginable.

Of course, I do not for even a second believe we were informed in a proper time frame or manner. If only we received the warnings when those in charge knew there was a deadly virus spreading, maybe we would be in a safer and better place today, and maybe those that lost their life would still be with the ones they love. I do not see how it is possible for a President, Prime Minister, Chancellor, or whatever the name of the leader is would not be made aware of something like a deadly virus and not act accordingly for the safety of the citizens, but this did happen this year because our President cared more about reelection and lost anyway.

This year’s holidays are very challenging and unique. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I feared going anywhere because of COVID. Christmas is only a few weeks away and I honestly do not feel safe leaving my house. There are so many what-ifs and no clear answers. My husband and I always went to my mother and stepfather’s house for Christmas Eve, but that isn’t happening this year for a few reasons and of course, COVID is one of those reasons. We would then go to my in-law’s house on Christmas day and I am not sure that is happening this year, only because of COVID.

Then there is New Year’s Eve. It is definitely a time to celebrate 2020 ending and 2021 starting, but what do you do on New Year’s Eve? That is right, people hug and or kiss. How can you even celebrate the New Year when you have to (or at least should) social distance? I can tell you that my husband and I will do what we have done for the past few years, which is to stay home just the two of us with our two sweet fur babies. Even before COVID, staying home was a safer way to bring in the New Year, or at least I feel like I am too older to celebrate at a bar with way too many people too close together. I have not ever enjoyed crowds because it makes me uncomfortable and nervous.

This is the first time I started writing without overthinking it. I knew what I wanted to write about, but I didn’t know the way it would come together. I typically write my posts out by hand because I feel more connected to what I am writing when it is written by hand. I am trying to change the way I think because I don’t think it make sense to write it out and then type it because it is kind of like doing double the work. Y’all have probably heard this saying before, “Work smarter not harder!” I am going to start doing this.

Thank you so much for visiting my site today. I hope your weekend has started off great and you are safely enjoying your time away from work. I think this is the first weekend in a while that I am not working overtime and it is rather nice. I might have been getting a little burnt out, which does not help the pain I deal with daily. I do look forward to reading your comments and I promise to 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