Category Archives: Challenges

Halfway there!

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Let’s not think of today as simply Wednesday, let us think of it as we are halfway to the weekend! I am not sure how, but we managed to survive the first half of the week, which at least for me was not easy because it was crazy busy! All I can say is I hope the last part of the week is a little easier and the pain and stress will ease up at least a little!! Why is it some weeks feel so much longer? I understand it comes with the territory, but it would help if people could be just a little less demanding and a lot more understanding.

During our lives, we are going to experience good times and bad times, but the bad times should never define or destroy who we are. It is so easy to get discouraged when negative things occur in our lives, but why let the negative times win when we have choices we can make? No matter what we go through in life, there is always a way out or a choice to make that may have a positive outcome. I hope the quote I have shared with you will inspire you and help you to understand bad things may happen, but we can decide if we let them destroy us or make us stronger. I am going to always choose the latter because I do not want to allow anything to destroy my life.

It is kind of funny that I have never met any of the people I work with in person, but have been able to get to know so many of them and make friends with them. Many people have said to me that they think it would be challenging working remotely and not meeting people face to face, but I have become used to it and enjoy it. Working with customers in person is complicated, but working with them through email is a lot more challenging because people seem to think it is easier to be rude and disrespectful. I do not understand this and doubt I ever will. I almost doubt some of these customers would behave the same if we were face to face, but I guess they might behave the same. No matter how much people decide to be nasty and rude, I have learned to just shake my head and pour on the kindness and good customer service I always provide!

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you are having a good week and never forgetting how amazing you are. I would love to know what you thought about this post and the quote I have shared with you. I will respond to all comments as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Sunday Thoughts

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It is hard to believe that we have so few hours left of the weekend, but at least we are alive and were able to have a weekend. As y’all already know, I have been battling with a massive headache for far too many days. I can only speculate what the cause is because I have lived with them for many years. I have discussed the headaches with doctors before, which includes my MS specialist, and they were not successful in an adequate or effective treatment option. Even though I have been advised that it is not normal to have a constant headache for 7 days and that I “should” go back to a doctor, I do not see a point and feel like going back to a doctor about these headaches would be a waste of time and money.

I have never claimed to be a genius, but I am smart enough to know that having a constant terrible headache for as of now is 7 days, is not normal. I do know that Multiple Sclerosis has been one part of the headache issues before, but during the present time, I think stress might be a key factor. Yes, I know there are many things in life we have no control over, and therefore we should not stress over them. I also believe that everything in life happens for a reason and things have a way of working out for the best. Of course, knowing this and not allowing myself to be engulfed in worrying about things in life are challenging. 

There are things in our lives that do not discriminate, stress is one of them. It does not matter who you are, where you are from or anything else, stress can invade your life and try to take control. How do you handle stress in your life? I know the things in my life that cause me the most stress and some of them can be eliminated. Unfortunately, most of us must work and pay bills, so those are two that cannot be ignored or removed. During this weekend, I have been thinking about what causes me the most stress and what I can eliminate from my life. To make things easier for myself, I might start with removing one thing at a time and see if the headaches subside! I am willing to try just about anything at this point because I am in desperate need of a break from headaches!

I would like to believe that I am strong, and I refuse to let stress or these headaches dominate or control my life. I might be a little like my cats, we do not like being told what to do and in turn will do the opposite of what we are told😊! I am hoping by eliminating things gradually from my life that I know cause me stress will help to eradicate my headaches or at least reduce the frequency and severity of them!

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you had a lovely, relaxing, and safe weekend😊! I know our weekends are never long enough, but I guess it could be worse and we are not able to have a weekend at all. Monday mornings are always a little daunting, but the new week might hold what we have been needing😊! I am looking forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Headache Day # 6

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We are finally able to enjoy the weekend😊! My goodness was it a long week for me! Unfortunately, today is day # 6 of a headache that I do not think is ever going to go away. I am not sure why this headache has been here so long, but I do know I am ready for a break from it. Honestly, headaches are very common for me but, they do not normally stay around for this long. The issue making it slightly abnormal is, that it is creepy down into my neck and shoulder. I have no intentions of letting my MS specialist know about this because I feel she is on a need-to-know basis, and she does not need to know this!

Another issue that started yesterday is my big toe on both feet is completely numb. The numbness is trying to move up into the rest of my foot. I am sure it will stop and not get any worse. Of course, I am not a medical professional, but I do have a few years of knowledge of living with Multiple Sclerosis and I am assuming the issues I am dealing with have a lot to do with heat and stress. At least I have the weekend to rest and recuperate before another week begins😊!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a great, relaxing, and safe weekend. We all know how short the weekends are, so I hope you make the most of it. This is going to be a short post because of my non-stop headache, but hopefully, it will improve soon, and I can do another tomorrow. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Let It Go Friday

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Happy Friday, y’all! Is it just me or has this been an extremely long week? I am sure I feel this way because my week started with a headache that refuses to go away, but even on the other days when the headache was tolerable the days at work felt LONG! I have given up trying to understand why people behave the way they do because I do not think I will ever understand how people can be so demanding and rude. I think I have been looking forward to today, since Sunday night!

I have always thought that Friday is the perfect day to let go of all the negative and frustrating things that occurred during the week because we deserve an opportunity to enjoy a couple of days. We are forced to work five brutal days each week and we are only given two days to rest and live life, so why carry the negative thoughts into our time? I am hoping you will find the quote I am sharing helpful to let go and live your weekend happily and without stress!

I might be wrong, but I do believe the people that cause us the most stress and pain are battling with themselves internally and their negative emotions seep out to others. This type of behavior does not make their days or lives better and only ruins another person’s day. I know I get upset and moody, but I also know how my temper can ignite to an explosive level, so I try to stay quiet. Anyone that knows me understands why I am quiet, something is very wrong and I need space. I prefer to be silent, so I do not hurt anyone’s feelings and then have to apologize a million times!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared with you today. I hope the quote provides you with the strength to leave last week in the past where it belongs and you can have a stress-free, and enjoyable weekend! I look forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Pick-Me-Up Thursday

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Happy Friday Eve y’all! We have almost made it through this week and the weekend will be here shortly! This week has been a little challenging because of the nasty migraine I had for more than two days. I hated having to call out of work on Tuesday, but the head pain was unbearable and I was miserable. I am not sure why these keep happening. I mean it could be heat, stress, fatigue, or who knows what else? I keep hearing that the daith ear piercing helps migraines, but my husband keeps telling me it will not. Does anyone reading this have this piercing and if so, does it help migraines?

At this point in the week, we have made it through three full days and only have a couple left. Even though the week is nearly over, we could all use some positivity to pick us up, right? I have seen so many times when people are unhappy and miserable, they want to criticize others. Why do people think that misery loves company? That is so awful because why do people think that making others feel bad will make them feel happier? Seems a little sick and twisted to me. That is why I decided the quote I am sharing today would be a good pick-me-up. I think it is better to live our lives in a way that makes us happy and not care what others think. We do not owe anyone an explanation, as long as we are not causing harm to anyone else!

Do you have any plans for the weekend? I know how boring I must sound, but after a long and exhausting week, I enjoy having no plans! Why make any firm plans when your work week is already planned out for you? We are forced to work five days a week, that is 40 hours each week dedicated to working for someone else. There is always someone else telling you what you MUST do and I prefer not being told what to do on the only two days I have away from work. I think it is inhumane to work more days than we get off to enjoy this short life! Would it not be amazing to work three days and have four off? Or even work four and have three off?

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you have had a great week and your weekend is filled with everything that brings you the most joy in life. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. I apologize for any comments I have not responded to yet, but I will play catch up this weekend. The first two day this week, I was battling a mean migraine, so I fell behind. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

~How to deal with manipulative people~

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What does manipulation mean to you? The Webster’s Dictionary shows manipulation to mean a few different things, but for this post, it means, “to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means, especially to one’s advantage”. To your knowledge, has anyone in your life ever tried to manipulate you? If so, how did this make you feel and how did you handle it?

Unfortunately, manipulative people can be found anywhere. These people can be family, friends, co-workers, or even new people in your life. They are not always easy to detect because they can easily lie and deceive you. Although they are skillful in their deceptive and treacherous behaviors, they are careless and selfish with only their benefits in mind. 

Manipulative people know how to find your weaknesses, use them against you, and convince you to do what will benefit their interests. Some may attempt using positive tactics, such as disingenuous compliments and artificial closeness, but they typically use negative means like silent treatment, criticism, and emotional abuse. 

The feelings felt when being manipulated are unpleasant, to say the least. This can easily leave a person feeling sad, disappointed, hurt, and even betrayed. If you have even been on the receiving end of manipulation, please let this be a lesson and never treat another person in this way.

**Please note, I am not a psychologist, mental health professional, or medical professional in any way, but the following tips are what I discovered through research and I hope they will help you end manipulative people before they can hurt and deceive you**

Remember, NO means NO:

Learn how to say “NO” in a firm, calm, and diplomatic way. There is no need to add anything else to the conversation. When we offer any reason, it can just provide ammo for the person to use to get through your defenses and force you to say “yes”. Initially, the manipulative person may become irritated and persistently try to convince you of something other than what you have already stated. Do not allow their determination or pushy behavior to change your mind. Continue to say “NO” and they will eventually give up. 

Do not apologize automatically:

Manipulative people are skillful at turning the tables to make everything be your fault, even when in your heart you know it was not. These types of people are always the victim. Of course, we are all human and it may seem easier to apologize to keep the peace and end the conversation, but this will just provide them with more control. Stand your ground and know manipulative people will never take responsibility for their actions.

Do not react:

Although it is not easy, the more you defend yourself or explain your reasons, the farther you fall into their web of control. Manipulative people know the way you think and will take advantage of it. They will create drama and chaos and the more emotional you become, the calmer they will feel. They want to make you seem like the crazy one and they are sane. No matter how many accusations and criticisms they throw at you, try to walk away and simply say, “I am sorry you feel that way”.

Establish clear boundaries:

Manipulative people are drawn to and prey on people pleasers because their boundaries are often weaker. Boundaries are important in all relationships as lines are clearly drawn. If there is a manipulative person in your life that continues to cross even one of your boundaries, know when it is time to walk away and not engage further. Define ahead of time what the consequences are when the person continues to disrespect you and your boundaries.

Take time to make decisions:

Often a manipulative person will be forceful and demand an answer right away. Try to never cave into their pressure because it only gives them more control. Take as much time as you need to provide them with an answer.

Keep your distance: 

The best and most challenging thing to do is to cut these manipulative people out of your life because they will try to make you feel guilty. Sometimes ignoring the person is easier because they are unaware of what is going on.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope the information in this post will help you deal with a manipulative person in your life or at least prepare you to handle on if you ever are forced to. Life is not easy, and we always need to do what is best for us because it is our life! If you have dealt with this type of person before, I am interested to read about it and how you handled it or knew it was happening. I will respond to all comments as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

How to deal with high gas prices

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In recent times we have all seen massive spikes in gas prices. While gas prices have created stress and frustrations when at the pump, it has left everyone wondering why, which is a reasonable question to ask. The situation with high gas prices did not happen overnight but has been building for decades. The United States depends heavily on other countries, such as Russia, Canada, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia for gas, but sources are becoming scarce due to increased demands in other countries.

During the summer months, the increased demand has always caused higher gas prices. The only thing that is different this year is gas prices were already too high and we may feel we need to adjust summer vacations slightly. Of course, I understand the desperate need for a vacation, especially for those who have children because the kids are on summer break from school. 

To help everyone beat the higher than we are used to gas prices, I am going to share a few tips that may help. I am sure there are many other ways, but these are tips I found through a little research. If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear about them. 

1. Slow Down:

This is hard for me because I cannot help going a little faster than the speed limit. I always joke and say, the speed limit is just a suggestion or that I have a genetic disorder where my right foot is heavier than my left foot. Although I have never had a speeding ticket, I do not think the cops would find this funny or consider it to be a logical reason for going too fast.

Experts suggest that each 5mph you drive over 60mph is the same as paying an additional $0.15 per gallon for gas. Aggressive drivers who speed, have rapid acceleration and braking are wasting gas, which means they are also wasting money. 

2. Keep your vehicle’s maintenance updated:

This means we need to do regular tune-ups. It is also important to have a clean air filter, which is typically done when you get your oil changed. Randomly, check your tire pressure and be sure your tires are properly inflated. The proper tire pressure will be located on your tires. Also be sure you are using the proper grade of oil, which you should be able to locate in your vehicle driver’s manual.

3. Use your engine sensibly:

Avoid allowing your vehicle to idle excessively. This means you should not let your car’s engine run without moving for an extended period. When driving on the interstate, utilize your cruise control as much as possible. We normally maintain a constant speed on the interstate with limited stop-and-go traffic, so cruise control will not only help save on gas but can also help feet fatigue from constantly pressing down on the pedal. 

4. Drive Smarter:

Plan to do all errands at the same time, instead of making multiple trips out. This just requires a little better planning and time management. It might be more challenging because of COVID, but you can also try to carpool when possible. Anytime it is an option, try to telecommute. Zoom has been used much more frequently because of COVID. 

5. Lessen usage of the air conditioner:

According to GasBuddy, about 20% more fuel is used because of A/C usage. During the summer months, it is nearly impossible to not run the A/C, but we can try turning the A/C off when we are 5 minutes from our destination, parking in the shade or garage can be helpful. It is also important to keep the windows and moon, or sunroof closed when traveling at high speeds. 

Of course, I do not have to leave my house often because I work from home and get groceries delivered, but I do have to go to doctor’s appointments and pick up prescriptions for myself and my cat. Can you remember a time when gas prices were affordable? I can remember gas prices being under $1.00 a gallon when I first got my license. It has surely been crazy several decades, hasn’t it? Unfortunately, the chances of gas prices ever getting as low as they were when I first started driving are slim to none.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you found what I have shared useful and please if you have any other suggestions I would love to hear your thoughts. We are finally able to enjoy the much-deserved weekend and I hope you are enjoying yours. Of course, two of my cats thought it was a brilliant idea to wake me up at 06:30 AM, which I definitely did not appreciate. It is a good thing they are adorable, and I love them as much as I do or I might be ready to kick them out of the house. I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Let It Go Friday

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I have always known that weather conditions, extreme temperatures, and stress can create issues with how Multiple Sclerosis behaves. If I am being honest, Multiple Sclerosis tends to misbehave frequently and have crazy toddler-like temper tantrums. I am not sure which issue causes more issues but do know that combination causes massive and miserable pain. I do not enjoy complaining about the pain and know that tears do not fix a thing, but yesterday my pain was at a high that makes me wonder how I managed to make it through my workday.

Of course, it has been rainy a lot lately with some wild storms. The power did go out while I was working yesterday, but only for about fifteen minutes. There was a part of me that hoped it did not come back on so fast because of how awful I was feeling. My poor cats hate when it storms because they seem to think the thunder is going to kill them and they all hide under the bed. I swear I often think where I am living is trying to be like Seattle where it rains most days☹.

What can you do when you are in so much pain and nothing helps? Right, there is nothing that you can do. I have heard so many times that stress is the silent killer, and I could not agree more with this. Stress can cause additional pain, headaches, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, and invade your mind. Unfortunately, I have always worried about those I care about and worry about what they may be going through in life. The world is such a mess right now. We already went through years of COVID fears and now we need to worry about Monkeypox. I mean, when is it ever going to end? Right, no one knows, so all we can do is follow the experts’ advice.

We have finally made it to the end of this week and my goodness has it been a long week! The weekend is going to begin soon, and we need to let go of all the never emotions the week has caused. The weekends are so short, so we do not need to carry the negativity from the long week into the weekend! Friday is the perfect day to just let go and I hope the quote I am sharing with you today will help you do so. I hope your week went well and you did not have to endure any unnecessary stress and hardships.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope the quote I shared helps you to learn to let go of negativity and enjoy your weekend. I know I have asked y’all before to stay safe and do what is necessary with vaccines, but it is looking like Monkeypox can be extremely dangerous. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I promise to respond as quickly as I can. I will be playing catch up this weekend with comments as I do not have anything else planned. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Inspirational Wednesday

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We are halfway through the week and much closer to the weekend than we were yesterday. Sometimes this helps me get through when the week feels like it is never going to end. Yesterday did go by fast because I was really busy dealing with demanding people that thought what they wanted was a difference between life and death when logically it was far from that. I try to help give everyone what they want, but it is not always possible.

At the halfway point in this week, I feel we could all benefit from some inspiration. Life is too short to live with mass levels of stress and feeling helpless. One thing we all need to hold onto is hope because no matter how difficult things may seem, there is always room for hope. I do understand all too well how much of a struggle life can be and we all have to endure different challenges, but if we lose hope, there is nothing left to hold onto.

One thing that I think is important in life is to always try to understand others and be kind to everyone. Of course, it is not easy to be nice and understanding of everyone because some have extremely unique personalities. Even those most challenging and frustrating people deserve compassion because it might help them to realize their behaviors are not the best way to be. I had an uncomfortable conversation with someone earlier this week. This person is not bad , but tends to put me in an awkward position that I have to remind him is unacceptable. Unfortunately, he is elderly and does not understand his actions are not appropriate.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I shared and the quote resonates with you. We have almost made it through this week and I am sure y’all are looking forward to the weekend as much as I am. Of course, I do not have any plans, which is the kind of weekend that I prefer. I look forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Sunday thoughts

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Just like that July is over and August is here. It always surprises me how fast time flies by. Tomorrow we will begin the 8th month of 2022. I guess the positive side is, that summer will end soon, and cooler days are near. Of course, August and September can still be hot in the south, but I am looking forward to days when the temperatures are not in the low 90’s at 10:00 at night. This heat has been awful this year and I do not expect next year to be any different☹. I am hopeful that next year we will have central air in our house, so we will not feel like we are living in a sauna even with window units.

Tomorrow, I have my follow-up doctor’s appointment with my pain doctor. You know the one that forced me to reschedule because I was a few minutes late and two minutes away after driving for an hour and a half a couple of weeks ago! It probably is not a good thing that I am still feeling a little sour about this and I already know they will have me wait for no less than 20 minutes tomorrow. Why is it okay for them to always run late, but when I do one time I have to reschedule, leave work early again, and drive that long drive for a second time within two weeks, especially when gas prices are out of control? This hardly seems fair to me, and it is going to be extremely hard to not let them know how I feel about this!

I think I have mentioned this to you before, but the Gilenya I take for the MS is a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because it seems to be keeping the MS at bay and not letting it progress, which I appreciate. It is a curse because one of the main side effects is sinus issues and I have had an evil sinus headache for three days now. If you remember I did post several years ago about stopping the Gilenya and trying something different because I was sick of the sinus headaches. Honestly, there was no way to know that this medication was helping as much as it is. I knew years ago I would have to decide to either deal with the sinus headaches or risk my health, which logically seems like a no-brainer. I hate the constant headaches but would regret changing medications and end up in a terrible situation. This is a catch-22 situation, but I decided a long time ago that I would just endure the sinus headaches.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope your weekend has been full of relaxation and doing what you enjoy. Tomorrow is the start of a new week and a new month, which will hopefully include many amazing new opportunities. I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa