Category Archives: Awareness

Mental Health Awareness Month Part 1

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Before I get started and you continue reading, please be advised I am NOT a medical or mental health professional, nor am I giving any advice. I will share the knowledge I gained through hours of careful research because I wanted to share factual information regarding this essential subject.

Since 1949, the United States has acknowledged May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Unfortunately, there is a negative stigma surrounding mental health, and people may feel uncomfortable talking about it for fear of judgment and ridicule. While we should always recognize the courage and resilience of the tens of millions of Americans who are living with at least one mental health condition, we must make an extra effort during May. The mental health professionals who have dedicated their lives to aid in the healing of those struggling with mental health deserve acknowledgment and appreciation for their selfless efforts. Loved ones who remain devoted and supportive, standing with the one dealing with any mental health situation through every step of the journey to overcome the challenging battle should also be embraced with compassion, consideration, and empathy because this can be an emotionally draining and love road to travel.

A mental illness is any condition affecting an individual’s thinking, behavior, or moods and can drastically impact one’s day-to-day living and how they relate to others. The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) intentionally uses the terms “mental health conditions” and “mental illness/illnesses” interchangeably because there is not a massive difference between them. An important fact that must be understood and relayed is that mental health conditions are prevalent. We may not hear about them often because many stay silent because they are too scared to be open and talk about their struggles.

There are many known mental health conditions affecting people, and the estimated number of cases is upsetting because too many people are not being properly treated or diagnosed. Sadly, too many people suffer silently and try to weather the storm alone. The NAMI has made public the following statistics, but please keep in mind these numbers could be a little higher or substantially higher.

One in five, 19.86% of adults (nearly 50 million Americans), in the United States experience mental illness yearly.

One in twenty, 4.91%, of adults in the United States experience a serious mental illness yearly.

One in six youths, ages 6-17 in the United States experience a mental health disorder yearly.

50% of all lifelong mental illnesses begin at the age of 14, and 75% by the age of 24.

The second leading cause of death among those between ages 10-14 is suicide.

The staggering numbers I have shared are only estimated and could be much higher due to many undiagnosed and untreated cases because of not seeking the necessary help.

Throughout the rest of this post, I want to share common warning signs of a mental health issue and common symptoms (but some different conditions include other unique symptoms). Before going any further, please understand a mental health condition is not a result of a single event. Research has suggested that multiple bonding causes, genetics, environmental factors, and lifestyles may determine whether an individual develops a mental health condition or not. Those who have a stressful or work life or traumatic events in life can be susceptible to developing a mental health condition. A few takeaways from this so far are if you have a mental health condition, it does not indicate you are broken beyond repair or that you or your family did anything wrong, as there is no one at fault for mental health conditions. Anyone who deals with a mental health condition can live a happy and meaningful life, including but not limited to healthy social, school, and work relationships, which is far more likely to happen with proper treatment.

Mental health professionals are acutely aware of many mental health illnesses and understand each has their own set of unique symptoms. Unfortunately, this can make distinguishing the difference between expected behaviors, behaviors resulting from physical illness causing altered actions and thoughts, or an actual mental illness. There is an abundance of common symptoms for mental health illnesses, which include extreme levels of worry or fear, feeling overly sad, disorderly thinking or difficulties concentrating or learning, drastic mood changes, extended or intense feelings of irritability, evading friends, family, and social interactions, an inability to understand and or relate with others, delusions or hallucinations, overusing substances such as alcohol or drugs, multiple physical ailments without a cause, and suicidal thoughts.

Mental health illnesses can begin during childhood. Young children are still growing and learning ways to communicate and identify their thoughts and emotions, and their signs may vary from adults. The most common and clearly defined mental health signs in children revolve around behavioral issues. Some signs include changes in performance in school, heightened levels of anxiety, hyperactive behavior, increased nightmares, habitual disobedience, aggression, and temper tantrums. These issues are typically more intense than children not getting their way or acting out.

The issues described above are only part of the battle when considering mental illness and the most common symptoms directly related. As a whole, mental health issues are unique, complicated to diagnose, and difficult for the person suffering to understand and accept. Mental health issues are comprised of numerous factors an individual endures. The following symptoms are critical to consider and the ways they may contribute to mental health conditions but may help when deciding on treatment options.

Anosognosia is a neurological condition causing a person to lack awareness of their mental health condition and instead are in denial. They do not have insight into that something with their thought process is not rational. An individual can have moments of clarity, and acknowledge their illness, but their insights shift back and forth.

The risks of suicide and suicidal thoughts can be terrifying, but it is crucial to understand help is available. We may be able to avoid this terrible outcome if we reach out to family and friends occasionally, so they know you are available and care about them. There are several warning signs of suicide, but the following are only a few and include an increase in alcohol and drug usage, aggressive behavior, withdrawal from friends and family, drastic mood swings, and impulsive or reckless behavior. Again, these are only a few signs that scratch the surface, but when a person has suicidal thoughts, they can go far deeper.

Self-harm is not as simple as it sounds and covers a range of different actions. Unfortunately, this is an issue extremely common in adolescents and young adults. One who is causing self-harm is displaying signs of emotional distress and uses pain as a coping mechanism. Self-harm can make an individual feel additional shame on top of how negative they are already feeling about themselves. Self-harm may include frequent cutting or burning, drinking alcohol, or doing drugs. Once the person has caused themselves enough scars, they may start avoiding interactions with others because they are unable to hide their scars.

Approximately 18 million people with a mental illness smoke as a coping mechanism to deal with symptoms or stress from life. Adults with a mental health illness have a higher rate of smoking than someone without a mental illness. The nicotine in cigarettes can temporarily alter moods and distinguishing symptoms, which makes a person consume more cigarettes. Smoking is not only a temporary relief but an unhealthy way to cope as it can cause more negative health consequences.

Substance use disorders is the continuous misuse of alcohol and or drugs. Those experiencing mental health issues may misuse drugs and or alcohol to cope with the overwhelming symptoms they are experiencing. The term for this combination is known as dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders. The symptoms of a substance abuse disorder may include withdrawing from family and friends, drastic behavioral changes, involving themselves with risky behaviors, development of a high tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, and feeling they need the drugs or alcohol to function in their lives.

Thank you for visiting my site today, and this will be all I will share today. I did not want to provide an overwhelming amount of information because I wanted you to be able to absorb as much as possible before adding the common mental health illnesses. I am working on completing the second part of this post, which will cover the most common mental health illnesses. I feel this information is important because mental health is consistently neglected, and our society has shunned it. We all must make a conscious effort to understand these issues better, so we can attempt to acknowledge when we or someone we know is suffering. There is no way to force someone going through a mental health illness or crisis to get the necessary help, but if we can start by understanding them, we might be a step ahead. 

Always, Alyssa

Stress Awareness Month Part 2

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Happy Friday Eve! I hope you are having a great week and that things are going well. I am a little less than one month away from beginning my class so that I can become a certified medical coder. I have been looking forward to this class and being able to get certified since I completed the basic class for medical coding, and even though I do not have much longer to wait, it feels like a long time to wait. I aimed to find a job and balance my class and a job, but I am starting to think my husband might be right. He wanted me to have the time needed to focus on my classes without adding any stress of working, which I did fight him on because I knew I could handle it. After completing three classes and wanting to do well, I was studying a lot, and if I had been working full-time, would have been challenging and exhausting. The class I am starting on May 20th will require me to take a state exam, so I must focus and have plenty of time to study to ensure I pass. Although I have thanked my husband for all his support, I might not tell him he is right about not working with the class. It is going to be our little secret😉!

Earlier this month, I mentioned April is Stress Awareness Month and said I would be doing more posts about this issue, but I had too much on my mind and failed to do so. I want to discuss stress more because it is a terrible thing many people endure. Today, I want to share symptoms, causes, and ways of overcoming stress, and I will not make you read for hours about this because I know you have other things going on in your life. I can speak about stress from a personal level as this is something I have battled a lot with and even more so this year with everything that has happened. I am not making excuses for waiting so long to do another post about stress awareness month, and I do apologize for that.

There are numerous causes people go through when dealing with stress. Some are very common, which I will outline for you to view. 

Financial: retirement savings accounts because we all want to retire before we are 80 years old and be taken care of. College tuition is either for us or children for some people who have children. Housing expenses are something we all experience, but some people may be living beyond their means.

Jobs include work pressures, conflicts with co-workers or bosses, and work overload. I never thought I would say this, but I miss work stress and dealing with co-workers.

Relationships include relationship issues whether they are romantic or platonic.

Life changes which include major life changes, death over a loved one, divorce, loss of a job, getting married, moving, or buying a new home.

Personal Beliefs can cause arguments regarding religion or political beliefs. Unfortunately, this is a massive issue in society today because you cannot turn on the news without hearing something political, and we all have our beliefs.

Environmental issues can include loud noise, weather, crowds, temperature, pollution, or crime.

Everyone will experience different symptoms during stressful times, and none are pleasant. I will outline common symptoms people might experience, but there are many more that might not be as common. I am going to list the symptoms in order of physical, mental, behavioral, and other symptoms that do not fall under anything specific.

Physical Symptoms: headaches, muscle tension, upset stomach, chest pain, high blood pressure, digestive issues, or heartburn.

Mental Reactions: concentration difficulties, changes in mood, irritability or anger, feelings of guilt, helplessness, or hopelessness.

Behavioral Responses: avoidance of family and friends, using alcohol or other substances as a coping mechanism.

Other signs and symptoms include difficulty breathing, panic attacks, blurred eyesight or sore eyes, sleep disturbances, fatigue, sudden weight gain or loss, sweating, or changes in a woman’s menstrual cycle.

That is probably enough information in one post, and too much information can be overwhelming. I will try to work on another post for tomorrow about ways to overcome stress, as there are many ways, and not all of them will work for everyone the same way. I think the ways to overcome stress are crucial, so I will be working on this so that it is ready to share tomorrow. With the amount of stress I have felt this year, I need to find ways to get past it because stress does cause more issues with multiple sclerosis, and I have tried so hard to keep things under some kind of control and do not want it to get any worse than it already is.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope the information I shared was helpful for you and it helped you to identify stress before it gets out of control. Accepting stress for what it is does not make you weak but makes you stronger because you can acknowledge it and understand the problems it can cause. If you already have ways, you overcame stress, I would love to know what worked for you. I hope you will stop by tomorrow for my post about overcoming stress and that what I share will help someone. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa                                  

Stress Awareness Month Part 1

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Happy Monday and April Fool’s Day! I could wish “some” people a happy birthday today, even though it is not his birthday, but the person I am thinking about is one of the biggest fools that has ever lived😊! I will not do that because I have more self-respect and am more mature than this person is😉! I hope you had a lovely weekend and are ready to tackle the week with strength and courage but remember that you can handle anything the week might throw your way! No matter what happens during the week, nothing can stop you from accomplishing any goals you set, but for anything that was not accomplished, never give up and keep trying because one day, you will achieve your goals! Never stand in your way of accomplishing what you want out of life because you are the only person who can get in your way.

April is Stress Awareness Month, so what better way to begin the week than to mention this? Stress can blind us from things we want to accomplish in life and causes us to not try for something more out of life. We can become incredibly focused on things in life that are not as important as we thought and become too distracted. Stress can make people feel negative in many ways, which can cause our health to deteriorate when it is not necessary. Of course, we can feel negative about aspects of our lives, and makes us feel as if we are not worthy of the good things in life, but we can change this and train our minds to think differently and more positively. The experts have indeed stated that stress is a silent killer and one we can avoid.

Honestly, I have always been someone who has stressed about everything, but I have tried making changes. I tried training my brain to accept the fact I cannot fix or change everything and that everything happens for a reason. It is not easy to accept because all you want is for those you care about to be happy and live a fulfilled life. It is not easy to accept and believe that everything happens for a reason either because some things we experience are heartbreaking, and you cannot understand why they happened. Losing a loved ♥one is painful, and it can take years to overcome, but the memories of the loss never leave the heart and mind, and you learn how to survive. Witnessing a sad and lonely person begging for money on the streets can make you feel upset, and you want to help, but even with that, there is only so much you can do.

Thank you for visiting my site today. It is only my first post about Stress Awareness Month, and I plan to do more because this is an important topic and something we all encounter. I hope you found this post helpful, and please know you are never alone in dealing with this issue because many people around the world do. I look forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as possible. Please know that I will be sharing more information about stress, how to handle it, and other fascinating information. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Friday Eve

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Happy Friday Eve! I hope y’all have had a good week and things are going how you want them to😊! Everything is the same for me, and I am trying to figure life out. Trying to understand and figure life out seems like an endless road with no ending. Each day, I spend time on the classes I am taking and continue to search for a job. One of the classes is ending soon, and the class has been easy, so I have not had to spend too much time studying. The class that will be remaining is not difficult, and there is a lot of interesting information involved, so it is rather time-consuming. If I could, I would try to take more classes because I have enjoyed how much I have learned, but I am not sure it is something I can afford.

Considering it is still March, which is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, let’s talk a little about this unpredictable and frustrating illness. There are many challenges involved with this illness, and even though I would rather not endure it, many of the difficulties are tolerable. One of many things I wish would disappear is the never-ending pain. From the moment I get up in the morning, my entire body has unrelenting pain. It does not happen daily, but there have been days when it took more effort to move. Is this aggravating and frustrating? Absolutely! Do I get up in time and carry on with my day? Absolutely!! Do I want to surrender to this illness and stop fighting a battle I may never win? Absolutely, but I refuse to let this illness dictate my life and control me in any way!

Fatigue and an inability to sleep long and well enough can be extremely obnoxious! I know how critical it is for everyone to get enough sleep, especially when you have an illness that takes up all your energy, but I am never able to sleep enough! I could go to bed at a reasonable time, but I still wake up between 7:00 and 7:30 AM! This time was instilled in me when I was working because my schedule was normal, and I could not get it out of my system. My husband was teasing me the other day and said I could go to bed at 6:45 AM and still get up at the same time. I might not tell him this, but he might be correct! I am assuming one reason I have a hard time sleeping is due to the neuropathy that seems to become more intense at night.

Worrying about the results of tests the neurologist orders and understanding the risks involved with the medication I must take can become overly stressful. I realize stress is one of the worst things to do because stress can induce a relapse. Thankfully, even though I have experienced several stressful times recently, I have not had a relapse. Yes, my pain has been nearly unbearable, but that is expected for my life. Accepting an illness without a cure to be part of my reality is not easy because I need things to make sense, and nothing about this illness makes sense!

With any illness a person must endure, you often need to be good at planning because there are many times the first plan will not work out, and you need a backup plan and even a backup plan for your backup plan. Of course, I have always been a planner, so it is nothing new for me to plan. In my mind, I always have several plans for the same event, just in case something goes wrong. Some people might think this is insanity, but it has been in my nature long before the MS was.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you found what I shared helpful. Life is short and there is no use dwelling on the things that are wrong with our lives, and we should try to find ways to survive life. Nothing is impossible, so we can accomplish anything we want to, but it might take a little extra effort. I look forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

My Tuesday Plans

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I am a little behind because today is the fifth day of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. It is crazy how there is one month dedicated to raising awareness about this unpredictable disease when millions of people this illness is their reality and an unrelenting issue that never takes a vacation. Logically, I know things could be much worse than they are, but this illness can take so much energy you do not have any more of and determination you are losing away from a person. Considering there is no cure available or seen in sight, any person with this illness understands that the only thing they can do is keep trying and holding onto lost hope. I cannot speak for everyone who lives with this illness, but one of many things I battle with is fatigue and hardly any energy. It does not matter what time I go to sleep at night or how much sleep I manage to get, I always feel tired and on the verge of exhaustion.

I have a follow-up appointment with my neurologist this afternoon, and I will never understand why I must see this doctor every three months. It would make sense if something had changed the way I feel, but nothing ever changes, and things remain the same. I am thankful things have not progressed, but it would be great if things would improve, and I would not always feel the nagging and frustrating pain and numbness. I cannot stand the pain I feel throughout my entire body or the numbness that overcomes my legs and feet, but I cannot say which one is worse. Both have become expected, but that does not make tolerating it easier. It makes me sad when I walk about 20 feet to the mailbox, and that short distance causes so many extra issues, but I am too stubborn to stop doing this daily.

During my follow-up appointment today, I will ask around the office about medical coding. My neurologist is the owner of the practice, so maybe she will have a position open and be willing to take a chance on me😊! Anything is possible, and the worst thing that could happen is that she says they do not have any needs, but she will keep me in mind. It is not like she can get mad at me or yell about the question, so it cannot hurt to ask, right? I have been keeping my eyes open for a medical coding job or anything in the industry and getting my foot in the door without any luck, YET♥. If there is one good thing, I can say I never give up and will not stop looking until I find a job! One might say this ties in with my stubbornness, but some might say I am annoyingly determined, but either way I will find a job!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed this post and your week started great! We are in a new week and month, and we must hope for new opportunities. Of course, opportunities will never just fall into our laps, and we often must go after what we want, and NEVER give up! I would love to read your comments and will respond as quickly as I can. My appointment is at 3:30 this afternoon, so I plan to do schoolwork until I must leave, I spent all weekend working on my A&P class because I find it very interesting, so I enjoyed it! Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

MS & Fatigue

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Even after living through the highs and lows of Multiple Sclerosis, one of the most frustrating and challenging issues I deal with is fatigue. I think it is twice as hard because anyone who does not have Multiple Sclerosis does not understand and thinks it is exaggerated, which it is NOT. I became used to a typical schedule when I was working because I did not have a choice, and earlier in the day, I felt more awake. Unfortunately, as the day progresses, I quickly become more fatigued, so when my husband, who works the night shift, has days off, we eat dinner late, and I start to fall asleep almost immediately after dinner. He is understanding for the most part, but he gets a little frustrated with me. Mostly, it is later at night when this happens, but it has happened not long after I get out of bed and he is getting out of work and wants to watch something on Netflix or YouTube, and because he always watches to see if I am asleep, he notices when my eyes start to close. It is not like I always want to be tired, and even though I have explained MS Fatigue several times, he does not truly understand.

For those of you reading this who have Multiple Sclerosis or know someone who does or has another condition that causes fatigue, you understand my struggles. However, many people do not understand, and why would they? Until someone must battle through something like this, they can never fully understand how challenging and frustrating it is. My goal when I started this blog was to spread awareness about Multiple Sclerosis, so I wanted to share some helpful information about fatigue and Multiple Sclerosis with you today.

80% of people living with Multiple Sclerosis battle with fatigue problems. MS fatigue is more severe than traditional types of fatigue. This issue can impact one’s abilities at work and home. Fatigue struggles typically manifest between the ages of 20 and 40 and affect women two to three times as often as it does men. The reasons may include but are not limited to muscle spasms interring with sleep, bladder troubles causing one to get out of bed multiple times a time, and is often aggravated by heat and humidity. This issue occurs daily and may happen early in the morning, even after a full and restful night of sleep. Fatigue tends to worsen as the day progresses and can come on quickly and suddenly, so it is hard to plan for. A few symptoms of MS Fatigue include limbs feeling heavy that cause difficulties in grasping things or writing, and balance, vision, and concentration issues may get worse temporarily.

That is going to be all I have for today but thank you for stopping by my site today. I hope you found what I shared helpful and can help others to understand the battles with fatigue and MS. It is not any fun and I wish there was more that could be done, but we can only do what we can do, and nothing more. I hope your week is going well and you are not dealing with too many stressful situations. On another lighter note, our cat is continuing to get better, and we are remaining very hopeful♥. I look forward to any comments you may have and will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

My Years With Multiple Sclerosis

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Even though I have lived with Multiple Sclerosis for more than half of my life and have a solid foundation of understanding it, there are still many unknowns. After all these years of fighting against the unpredictable nature and uncertainties of this disease, I still try to hold onto the hope that one day there will be a cure. Unfortunately, the Internet has too much misinformation and can cause people newly diagnosed or those who have had Multiple Sclerosis for years to become discouraged and feel hopeless. As someone living with this disease, I understand all the negative emotions that can be felt, but I also know how a positive mind can help to combat these emotions. Of course, one reason I have this mindset is because of a promise I made to my late grandfather to never let this disease defeat me. Some days keeping this promise seems nearly impossible, but I can hear his voice in my mind, and it gives me the strength I need to carry on. Plus, this man never let me down, and even though he has been gone since 2013, I believe he is watching over me and I refuse to disappoint him.

It has been 23 years since I received the call with the news regarding my first MRI. My previous eye doctor was the man who pieced the puzzle together when I went to see him because I had lost vision in my left eye. I can still remember being alone in the exam room, terrified I was going blind in one of my eyes. The doctor ran numerous tests and consulted with several of his colleagues before explaining his suspicions that I had Multiple Sclerosis. Once he finished his explanation and I stopped crying long enough, he told me he scheduled me to have an MRI that night. I kept myself composed until I was in my car before bursting into tears again. I went for the MRI only a few hours later, and the call I received was from my eye doctor at 9:30 PM to let me know the MRI revealed his suspicions to be true. Thankfully, my very kind and understanding eye doctor had a friend who was a neurologist, and he fast-tracked an appointment with him, so I avoided all the red tape.

Over the 23 years I have lived with Multiple Sclerosis, there have been good and bad days. Learning to understand and accept this disease are two very different challenges. Even though I could understand the simple terms about Multiple Sclerosis and treatment options, it was not as easy to understand there was no cure. I am thankful for how patient, understanding, and understanding my first neurologist was because he talked me through everything calmly and never once got frustrated with my questions. This fabulous neurologist made understanding the disease easy, but he did not have the magical power to help me accept it any faster because that was something I had to do on my terms and my time. Even though he wanted me to get a disease-modifying medication quickly, he did not push or force me. I think he knew if he tried pushing me too hard, I would shut down and be noncompliant.

When I began my blogging adventure, my goal was to share information and spread awareness about Multiple Sclerosis. I have not done as much as I would have liked, but that is because it can be a touchy and sensitive topic. It is hard enough living with this daily, so when doing something such as writing that provides me comfort and an escape, writing about something that can be upsetting is not easy. No one asks to have any condition or conditions they must endure, and they sure as heck do not deserve it. As a 19-year-old girl, I used to think Multiple Sclerosis was a punishment for something I must have done wrong, but the older I have gotten, I know that is not the case. For some people, they have conditions like Multiple Sclerosis and worse because they are strong enough to handle them and view their disability as a badge of courage. Anyone who battles a condition that can cause extreme pain and still push forward in life should be considered a warrior!

In hindsight, things could have been much worse than they are. Considering there are four different types of Multiple Sclerosis, I am lucky the one I deal with is on the mild side. Even though I understand this, that does not mean my struggles are not miserable at times. It has not been the entire time I have had this disease, but for the past 12-15 years, I go to bed in pain and wake up with the same pain. There is not one minute in the day that I do not have pain, but I now view the pain as an alert I am still alive. I am not sure what I would do if I woke up one morning and did not have pain. If this ever happened, I would think I was dreaming or something worse. It is funny how humans can adapt to awful things and consider them normal.

Thank you for stopping by my site today. If you are someone who lives with Multiple Sclerosis, how long have you had this unpredictable disease? Do you think the medication you are on has helped keep it as under control as possible? I have tried several different treatments, but the only one that seems to help me is Gilenya. The reason this medication helps me keep Multiple Sclerosis at bay is taking a pill once a day is far easier for me than the injection types because I was terrible with them. Everyone is different, and a medication that works for one person might not work as well for another, and there is nothing wrong with that because we are all unique. I think it is often a trial-and-error kind of situation. I would love the opportunity to read your comments, and I will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Homelessness In the United States

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Unfortunately, homelessness has been an enormous issue in the United States for many years. This issue is only progressively getting worse, and nothing is being done about it. It is ludicrous for this to be happening, considering the United States is the wealthiest developed country in the world. Why do the wealthy continuously get wealthier, and the middle and lower classes continue to try staying afloat? Well-known names such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos have more money than they could spend in ten lifetimes and could afford to help those less fortunate and still be able to live their upscale and luxurious lifestyle.

Currently, 582,462 homeless individuals are trying to survive in the United States. The number of homeless Americans has increased by 2,000 since the last census conducted in 2020. Homelessness has remained a consistent and prevalent issue that affects every state in the United States. The states with the highest number of homeless individuals are California at 161,548, New York at 91,271, Florida at 27,487, and Texas with 27,229 homeless. The two states with the lowest number of homeless are North Dakota with 610, and Wyoming with 648 homeless.

As human beings, we are all imperfect, and we make many mistakes during our journey through life. Unfortunately, many people tend to pass judgment on others and situations they do not understand. Unless we are around someone whom we communicate with regularly and have a close relationship with, we do not know what random struggles they may be enduring. When someone is going through a challenging and painful time, the last thing they need is to be mistreated or chastised. Poor treatment may cause more harm than good, and no one wants to be responsible for another person’s distress.

Homelessness is a devastating circumstance, and those inflicted by this tragic hardship are heartbreaking. We may not understand why or whom someone became homeless or why they cannot make changes to overcome their struggles and get off the streets, but we can be sympathetic. We must understand anyone can fall victim to the homelessness trap as this negative situation does not discriminate and can invade anyone’s life.

Some people will see a homeless person and immediately assume the person is nothing more than an alcoholic or a drug addict and dismiss them. Everyone needs to look past immediate and ignorant assumptions and be kind, compassionate, empathetic, and understanding because even though addiction is a common cause of homelessness, there are other reasons. In the rest of this post, I am going to explain some reasons for homelessness, and even though we cannot fix the issues, there are some simple ways we can help those in need.

1. Although this is not the only reason people are homeless, it is the #1 reason, which is addiction. It has been reported 68% of United States cities say addiction is the single largest cause of their homeless population. Sadly, addiction can overpower logic for housing to be their priority in life.

2. Mental health illnesses are another massive issue creating problems in our society. The disgusting lack of treatment services for people suffering from mental health illness and or struggling with addiction are far too few and offer only hopelessness and despair.

3. We are more than halfway through 2023, and I find it to be appalling to know inequality continues to be an issue flooding the country. Sadly, racial minorities experience homelessness at a much higher rate than the white population. Another related issue is, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Black Americans are three times more like than other races to lose their home.

4. This next fact will tug at your heartstrings, or at least it did mine. Domestic violence can lead to women and children becoming homeless, which is at NO fault of their own. Nationwide 50% of homeless women and children are due to an emergency need to flee from an abusive environment. Many times, women will feel it is an urgent matter to escape and leave without a solid plan. The women understand it is risky to leave but can admit staying can be even more risky and possibly the difference between life and death. Considering she may have left with tremendous urgency and no plan, she and her children may not have a place to stay, so they will end up trying to survive living in a car, shelter, or worst-case scenario, on the streets.

5. Family disagreements, which in a sense can be closely related to domestic violence. These disagreements occur often in the LGBTQ+ community. Sadly, coming out and being honest about oneself can be perilous. Some families will throw an individual out of their home or create a hazardous, and hostile environment. According to the True Colors Fund, 1.6 million youth from the LGBTQ+ community end up homeless annually.

6. A systematic breakdown can transpire due to an individual or family’s circumstances, which should never be dismissed. Homelessness can occur when our society neglects to recognize and support those at the highest risk of becoming without a home. The most common areas of failure are correctional services, healthcare services, and child welfare. Our society commonly neglects to address racial inequalities, increase wages, and provide affordable housing, which are contributing factors to the homelessness rate.

How can anyone expect changes in the homeless community when there is NOT adequate help? Why would we expect another person’s circumstances to improve or be the same as ours when we are all different? The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, but we are leaving these human beings alone. The unfortunate situation the homeless are in leaves them to be a victim of being condemned and without hope for their future.

We might not be able to fix everything for those who are homeless, but there are always simple things we can do to offer some assistance. The following are just a few ways we can all help the homeless community.

Donate Basic Items:

Many shelters and organizations will appreciate money, groceries, and clothing, but we can reach out to them first, and ask what they need the most. If you are planning to donate clothing, consider the time of year. During the summer and warmer months, customize what you donate to warm weather clothing. The same would apply to the winter and colder months, and you would want to donate clothing to help people stay warm. While I know we all want to help as much as we can, we should refrain from donating items that may not be as useful. You can also consider donating toiletries and personal items such as underwear, bras, and socks.

Help prepare and serve a meal:

At most shelters and organizations, you can volunteer to cook a meal for homeless guests, but you may want to speak with the organizer at the facility you want to help. Offering your time to help prepare and serve meals will mean a lot to anyone staying at the shelter. This provides the guest at the shelter with your compassion and shows that you care, which may offer them the home the need during their challenging time. A little kindness, love, and compassion can go a long way, especially when people are struggling.

Contribute your skills:

We all have talents and skills we can share with those struggling in life. Service providers, including plumbing, carpentry, accounting, childcare, tutoring, and mentoring skills are beneficial. The sky is the limit of how we can help others.

Offer a sincere smile:

Maintaining eye contact and speaking with kind words when speaking with the guests. Offering a smile shows respect for the guest’s humanity during a time when the person is struggling with the feeling of hopelessness and has lost hope for their future. This moment of your life will only take a short time but will have a HUGE, positive, and lasting impact on another person’s life.

Engage in conversations:

You can talk to the guests, as you are assisting in serving their meals about hobbies. Speak with the person living at the shelter with respect and friendliness. You can talk to them the same as you would anyone else, and this may encourage the guest and help them feel life is worth living, and there is hope for them.

I know this post was longer than normal, but I thought this information was important, and more people need to be aware of the struggles some endure. I appreciate you taking the time to visit my site and to read what I have shared. I hope this provided you with some insight into what some people are facing in the United States. Our lives may be challenging with what we may face, but homeless people are struggling and might be in danger. There are not nearly enough homeless shelters to manage to care for all the homeless, and many will go without food and shelter.

Always, Alyssa

June is Pride Awareness Month

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June is Pride Awareness month, but my question is, why do we only recognize this community during June and at no other time? The men and women part of the LGBTQ community did not wake up one morning and say I want to be different and be discriminated against. I do believe these people were born this way and did not want to hide who they were any longer, and why should they? Why in 2023 are so many still against people who are different? These individuals are not harming anyone, but only loving who they love!

Pride month is celebrated annually in the month of June. This month is to honor the 1969 Stonewall Riots and work in conjunction to accomplish equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBTQ Americans. In June of 1969, supporters and clientele of the Stonewall Inn in New York City organized the rebellion to resist the police harassment and victimization this community was being inflicted with. This revolution sparked the beginning of a movement against discriminatory laws and practices.

There are now celebrations, which include pride parades, picnics, parties, and concerts. Pride month events are attracting millions around the world. During the month there will also be memorials honoring members of the community that lost their lives due to hate crimes or HIA/AIDS. One purpose of pride month is for people around the world to recognize and understand the impact those within the LGBTQ community have made on history locally and internationally.

It has been 54 years since the riots took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, where many people were fighting against the discrimination and mistreatment of those within the community. I cannot understand why after all these years there many thinking negativities in this community are. No one within the LGBTQ community is harming anyone else. Since when was it a crime to love another human being? Who cares who these people love, at least they are not hating people they do not understand.

People that are part of the LGBTQ community are human beings that are honest about who they are, and there is nothing wrong with that. It is obvious that many people in the United States feel it is their right to discriminate against anyone that does not look and think the way they do, but I strongly disagree with that way of thinking. No matter what we look like or who we love, we are all human beings with beating hearts, even if that heart does not accept and love everyone! I have several friends that are part of this community, and these friends are caring, hardworking, and loving people!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you are having a lovely weekend, and that you enjoyed what I have shared with you today. I would love to read your comments on what I have shared, but I also ask you to please be respectful of the LGBTQ community. You do not have to agree with how others live, but we do need to try to understand the way another person loves. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

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