Pick-Me-Up Friday Eve

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

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

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

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

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

Always, Alyssa

Motivational Monday

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Hello Monday, y’all! I certainly wish it was still the weekend because like always, I am not 100% ready for the week to return! I had planned to work on a few posts and put the finishing touches on my article for the writing competition, but I did not because I had zero energy. I would prefer to be able to be at 100% anytime I write anything, especially for y’all to read, as I do not want to waste your time. I am not good at taking a break from everything and just relaxing without feeling a need to accomplish something. This also includes sleeping in or at least taking a nap, which I did manage to do on Saturday! Who would have thought that these things would help physically and mentally? I never enjoy the rain when I have to work, but it rained all day Saturday and was a little chilly. The nasty weather gave me an excuse to do nothing, and it was amazing!

Even though I would love one more weekend day, it is not an option, and we must start the need week. Many times in our lives because of doing the same old thing, just a different day, we may begin to feel stagnant in life! Some tend to feel like their knowledge is high enough and they do not need to try to increase their knowledge further, but this is not true. Learning can be an amazing thing and even exciting. Too many do just enough to survive and make it through each day, but if we think about it, there is always something else we can do. Maybe we can offer to help someone we know is struggling, which could make a tremendous difference in their life. It is NOT about doing something to help another person to get recognition but to do what is right. Humanity and kindness have taken the back burner with so much, but I think it is past time to bring these important things back to life!

On the weekends, do you ever take a break from reality and get lost in something else? Maybe you get lost in a movie you have always enjoyed or maybe watch reruns of your favorite shows. I think most Lifetime movies are relatively the same and just nonsense dramas. Almost everything Lifetime movie I have ever watched helped put me to sleep, which was great on Saturday! Most Sundays, I will watch reruns of Law & Order Special Victims Unit. I think I have seen every episode of this show at least three times, but I enjoy them because it is the only time we can see what “justice” is supposed to mean!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and the quote offered you a little motivation to begin the week. Of course, Mondays are not the most exciting day of the week, but we can hope to discover some new and amazing opportunities! I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Allergy Season Struggles

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

While the spring weather begins to get warmer making many of us want to go outdoors for fresh air, there are also flowers and trees blooming! Yes, it can be beautiful, but for the millions of people that battle with allergies, it can cause sneezing, congestion, running noses, and itchy and watery eyes. Seasonal allergies may also be referred to as hay fever and allergic rhinitis, whatever you want to call it, this can be miserable! In this post, I am going to share the advice I have found to be useful when dealing with allergies! Please, be advised that I am NOT a medical professional, and I am not providing medical advice, I am just simply sharing some things that I have found to be beneficial.

Ways to reduce exposure to allergy triggers are:

1. Stay inside on dry and windy days.

2. The best time to go outdoors is after a good rain as this helps to clear pollen from the air.

3. Avoid lawn mowing, pulling weeds, and other gardening activities that may stir up additional allergens.

4. Remove clothing that you wore outside and shower to rinse away pollen from your hair and skin.

5. Do not hang laundry outdoors to dry as pollen will stick to anything that is outside.

6. If you must do chores outdoors, wear a face mask. Most of us were used to wearing face masks during COVID.

7. Check the weather for pollen forecast and the current pollen counts.

8. If high pollen counts are in the forecast, be proactive and start taking allergy medicine before you experience symptoms.

9. Keep your windows closed at night or anytime when pollen counts are high.

10.Avoid outdoor activities in the early mornings when pollen counts tend to be at their highest.

Ways to keep your indoor air clean:

There is not a miracle product that is going to remove or eliminate allergens from the air in your home, but a few of the following recommendations may help!

-Use air conditioning in your home and car.

-If you use windows units for air conditioning, use high-efficiency filters and maintain regularly scheduled maintenance.

-Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.

-Clean your floors often using a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter. It is suggested to vacuum floors twice a week, especially if you have pets.

Different Types of Nonprescription Allergy Medications:

Oral antihistamines can help to relieve all those annoying symptoms such as sneezing, itchy, and watery eyes, or stuffy or running nose. Some examples include Zyrtec, Allegra, and Claritin.

Corticosteroid nasal sprays help to improve nasal symptoms. A few examples include Flonase Allergy Relief, Rhinocort Allergy, and Nasacort Allergy 24 hours. It is important to discuss the long-term use of any of these products with your healthcare provider.

Cromolyn Sodium Nasal Sprays may ease allergy symptoms by preventing the release of immune system agents causing the symptoms. This works most efficiently if treatment is started prior to exposure to allergies. This is a safe treatment but typically needs to be used 4-6 times daily.

Oral Decongestants can provide temporary relief from nasal discomforts, an example would be Sudafed. Many allergy medications may combine antihistamines with decongestants. A few examples include Zyrtec-D 12-hour, Allegra-D 12-hour for Allergy and Congestion, and Claritin-D.

As I already mentioned, I am not a medical professional, so I am not giving you medical advice. The information in this post is from research I have done, as I do suffer from not just seasonal allergies, but mine are year around allergies. I do understand how frustrating they can be, so I am hoping the information in this post will be helpful to you or someone you know that battles with allergies.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope the information in this post was helpful and it helps you to get some relief from any allergy issues you might experience. I would love the chance to read 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

Saturday Thoughts

Posted on April 1, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Happy Saturday! Today is the first day of April and the weather is behaving in some strange ways. With the weather changes, I always have issues with headaches, and today is today’s #3 of a mean headache/migraine. This started while I was working on Thursday and has not left. This one seems like it is a mixture of sinus issues and a migraine. I am completely aware of the fact, that the Gilenya that I take for Multiple Sclerosis is known to cause sinus problems, but I would rather deal with that than what “could” happen if I was not on a medication that is meant to prevent this unpredictable disease from progressing. I cannot be the only one that thinks the side effects most medications create are infuriating.

Last week was a crazy week in the United States. It is not common for a former President to be indicted for numerous crimes and many of us have realized that the powerful people in this world do not face consequences for their distasteful behaviors. Of course, just because the former President was indicted does not mean he is going to face jail time, which in my opinion is what he deserves! If a normal citizen did even one of the crimes the former President is facing in the upcoming trial or trials, we would have already been put behind bars.

I know that politicians are not known for their honesty, and it does not matter which party they are in. Republicans and Democrats all just lie in different ways, and some get away with what they have done wrong. Anyone that is close to me and knows the way I think already knows my distaste for the former president, and I am hoping he is going to face consequences as if he were just a normal American citizen and that he does not get preferential treatment. The bottom line is no one is above the law!

I hope y’all are having a great weekend so far and you are doing what makes YOU happiest! I am working on recovering from what seems like a never-ending headache and hope it will go away sooner than later because I have had enough of it. As I know some people reading this may disagree with what I have said about the former president, but I am still looking forward to reading your comments. 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

Ending to the weekend

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

There are many things we never go without in life that we might wish we did not have to encounter, such as pain, struggles, disappointments, loss, and stress. However, many things in this life are amazing and we treasure them, such as love. No matter what struggles we endure in life, it is always important to remember that you can get through it and the bad times will not last forever. I do understand how difficult it can be to go through hard times that seem like they will never change, but during the struggles, it takes determination and resilience before you see the light of the wonderful days again.

The past few weeks have been stressful and extremely challenging, but I have always refused to give up and surrender to them. We must fight through the bad days or weeks and eventually, things will change for the better, or at least that is what I must keep telling myself. Yes, I have been VERY angry with my doctor’s office because the medication that I take for Multiple Sclerosis has been a lifesaver and kept the disease from progressing, but if I allow myself to let the stress control me, no medication in the world can prevent the disease from progressing because stress is the #1 killer in the world.

The weather has cleared up, but it is still dreary and chilly. The best way to spend the last day of the weekend is nice and comfortable on the couch with my sweet cats and under a heating blanket. The heating blanket has been somewhat helpful with the massive leg pain I am dealing with today. I am 99% sure the leg pain is due to the rainy weather and because I have spent days cleaning the house. Some might think that I am insane, but cleaning helps me to relax and recuperate from weeks of stress.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared, and the quote resonates with you. How did you spend your last day of the weekend? I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Rainy Sunday

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Hello Sunday and the last day of the weekend☹, y’all! I knew it was going to be a rainy day, but what I did not know was how much my legs were going to hurt today. Of course, we lost an hour of sleep due to what I believe is the last time we will have to time change, but my cats were unaware of this and started to wake me up SUPER early. The older cat started walking all over my legs at 6:30 AM and it hurt more than normal. I think today is going to have to be a lazy day and I will not be doing anything strenuous. How are you planning to spend your day? What do you think of time change?

This is not something any of us should be thinking about because we do have the rest of the day before the workweek begins. Of course, I am always thinking ahead of time and am already planning my day tomorrow because it will involve dealing with the Gilenya nonsense again! I am hoping that things will go better with the MS medication tomorrow because I cannot deal with any more stress involved with this situation. I do think I am going to start today to try to find out if there are any other good neurologists where I live.

Do you enjoy rainy days? Honestly, I would much prefer to have rainy days when I am not working because it is an excuse to not do anything! Rain always increases my pain level. On the pain scale, my normal pain level hovers around a 4, but when it is raining it pushes up to around a 9. While I write this post, my pain level seems to be well past a 10. Unfortunately, there is nothing that helps the pain, so I just have to deal with it and not let it get me down.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing day. Is there anything that you can do to relieve your pain when it gets out of control? I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

31 Reasons

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Most likely many of you are aware that March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness month. There are only 31 days to raise awareness of a disease that impacts and changes the lives of those living with the disease for the rest of their lives. Although I am sure there are more, I am going to share with you 31 reasons why I detest MS. Of course, I do not mean to sound negative, but this disease is anything but pleasant or easy to deal with. Please know these reasons are not in any specific order.

1. This disease is incurable and a lifelong condition.

2. Multiple Sclerosis is unpredictable and can strike at any time without any notice.

3. Neuropathy is something that can cause issues such as pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and a pins and needles sensation.

4. Random and frequent headaches, which no one could ever get used to.

5. Numerous appointments with different doctors.

6. The expenses of medication are higher than they should be in the United States where free healthcare is not an option.

7. Vision changes can happen to anyone but seem more common with MS.

8. Multiple Sclerosis can be hard to control considering there are no answers to the causes.

9. Never-ending fears of losing mobility.

10. Constant daily changes.

11. Back Pain, which I have lived with for years in my lower to mid back.

12. Leg pain, mostly neuropathy. This can make walking challenging.

13. Heat intolerance, which living in the south can be miserable.

14. Weight gain due to the inability to exercise much because of the pain.

15. Sleeping troubles due to waking up with pain and not being able to fall back to sleep.

16. Frustrations! You can do everything the doctors recommend, but it does not appear to make a difference.

17. Memory issues.

18. Missing the feeling of being normal.

19. Adjusting to weather changes can be challenging. Too hot creates issues, but too cold can cause me to tense and cause even more pain.

20. Dealing with doctors that do not always listen or understand. Doctors may understand the disease as much as they can, but they have no idea what it is like to live with it. Studying and reading can only do so much.

21. Understanding what creates additional issues, such as food, lack of sleep, stress, etc.

22. Worrying about the possibility of progression. This has always been a huge concern for me.

23. No answers regarding the causes of the disease.

24. With the unpredictability, one needs to always have a backup plan. This may be easy, but it is not easy explaining to friends and family.

25. Trying to stay positive without any changes in medical progress.

26. Knowing the best medication for the disease can be different for each person.

27. MS Hug. This is a painful hug that no one would ever want!

28. Dizziness

29. Flareups and steroids can weaken teeth causing them to break easily.

30. Fatigue. It is difficult to always feel tired because you are unable to get enough sleep.

31. Trying to explain to others how one can appear normal but are always in pain.

I have always known that this disease can take away my mobility and it has terrified me since I was diagnosed. Of course, I am always aware that it could be worse because my form of the disease is minor in comparison. I used to believe this disease was a punishment for something I did wrong in life, but logically know that it is not. We all have negative moments in life and trying to push past those thoughts can be challenging, but also necessary. This disease does not discriminate and can happen to anyone.

It is always important to remember that no matter what we are dealing with in life, someone else is dealing with something worse. While I do detest MS, I do know that no of us will have to endure something that we cannot handle. Whether this is true or not, it does help me to keep moving forward. Plus, I did make my late grandfather a promise that I will never all this disease to get and keep me down.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and you are able to recuperate from last week because I know it was a long week. I hope you found what I have shared today interesting and I look forward to reading your comments. 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

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

I am so happy to finally be able to say, HAPPY Friday, y’all! I hope you have had a good week and your weekend is filled with nothing, but joy and relaxation! When our weeks start to feel longer and we look forward to Friday on Monday morning, the weekend should be spent only doing what we want. I have been feeling a little more fatigued lately, which I assume has something to do with the weather being unpredictable and frustrating. It seems like Mother Nature cannot decide if it is going to be spring, summer, or winter like it should be. I did take a short break from the paper I am writing for the competition but need to get back to it and I hope to do that this weekend!

I always think that Friday being the end of the week, is a good time to let go of any negativity caused by the week. There is NO use for us to carry negative emotions into a weekend that is already too short. People often know how to push our buttons and stir up negativity, but sometimes the best thing to do is to walk away to avoid saying anything you might regret. I think the quote I am sharing today is one of the best pieces of advice anyone could get or give. A long time ago, my husband told me his grandfather would tell him, to keep his mouth shut and his eyes open. This has always stayed in my mind because it was the BEST advice, so when I came across this quote, I had to share it!

What does your weekend have in store for you or are you just going to take it easy? Honestly, I think after a long week, taking it easy and having nothing planned sounds perfect. The medication I must take to keep my Multiple Sclerosis at bay is very costly, if it were not for the Gilenya-Go-Program. I have been dealing with them for over a month and think I finally got things handled yesterday. They claimed they did not receive the fax I sent them last month, so I sent the paperwork via UPS mail, which can take a long time. They finally received my paperwork but said they did not have the information from my doctor. Of course, I was frantic and sent my doctor an email and they “claimed” they would get it faxed. We will see!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and the quote resonates with you. I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend! 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

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Guess what y’all, it is finally Friday!! I am sure I am not the only one that feels this way, but this week felt SO LONG! I know it was the same five days that each week is, but it felt much longer. Of course, it does not help that I was ready for Friday on Monday morning😊! The weather where I live was very messy yesterday. It rained all day, which made it appear darker than normal and a little chilly. Thankfully, I think the weekend is going to be a little nicer and hopefully, there will not be any rain! Even though the rain makes me hurt much worse, I would almost prefer it to rain on my days off because it gives me a reason to just stay nice and cozy on the couch with the cats!

After a week that felt super long, I think today will be the perfect day to try letting go of any negative feelings the week created. Our weekends are too short to bring any negativity in and much better left in the past. There are times in our lives when we have been disappointed by another too much and none of us deserve this. Walking away from those who have caused us so much pain from disappointments can be necessary for our own well-being. It is not easy, but often VERY much required because we all deserve happiness. It might be friends or family or just acquittances, it is okay to walk away from them! Please never feel guilty to walk away from someone in your life that caused you any kind of pain!

Now that the weekend is almost here, do you have anything planned for these next two days? Just because it is the weekend, it does not mean we have to have plans, it is completely okay to want to rest and recuperate from the week. I would like to work on what I am doing for the writing competition, catch up on some reading, and most of all catch up on sleep!! Of course, my cats do not understand this and will more than likely want me to get up at the same time so they can have their Fancy Feast treats. We will see though, I am just happy to not have to work and be forced to listen to people complain and make unreasonable demands!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and you found the quote helpful in letting go and walking away from the unnecessary upset. Hopefully, you will do something that makes you happy this weekend and whatever you do, you do so safely! I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I possibly can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Inspirational Wednesday

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

Happy Midweek day! I prefer to not use the actual name of the days because it makes it seem like the week is never going to end! Just saying midweek makes me think the week will be ending soon! I think it is mostly due to the weather, but this has felt like an extremely LONG week, and I am looking forward to the weekend more than normal! I do hope your week has been great and you are feeling well!

How do you feel about rainy and chilly days? The past few days have been much chillier than it has been and yesterday was rainy and chilly! I think the rain and cooler temperatures have something to do with the miserable headache I had on Sunday night, into Monday morning. The cooler temperatures are much better than the alternative of insanely HOT weather I dealt with for too many months, but it does cause my muscles to tense, which does increase pain. Do you notice any differences in how you feel when it is rainy and/or chilly? This is the kind of weather that makes my cats want to cuddle much more!

One thing I will say is, I do prefer the temperatures to be cooler instead of too hot. When the temperatures are in the upper 90’s, I feel miserable because that level of heat causes more exhaustion and irritation. It is awful when you are unable to walk from your front door to your car without being drenched, almost like you just got out of the shower, again! When it is cooler, you can add more clothing to warm up. Of course, when it is extremely hot, you cannot take enough off clothing to cool down.

What would your perfect temperature be? In a perfect place, I would view things as not getting warmer than the upper 80’s and then not colder than the 40’s. Maybe people who live with Multiple Sclerosis experience temperatures differently because no two cases are exactly the same. It seems so strange to me that I cannot handle the extreme heat, but a heating pad in the winter helps my leg and back pain tremendously.

Now that we have almost made it through this week and there are fewer days before the weekend returns, I think we could all use a little inspiration! I hope you will find the quote I am sharing with y’all today inspiring, and that it helps you survive the last part of this week! The good news is that the weekend will be here soon, and we do not have much longer. I think the rest of this week is supposed to be cooler, but there should not be any more rain😊!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you are having a good week and you are keeping your stress levels as low as possible. I am very interested to read your comments and I promise to respond as quickly as possible. Thankfully, we are always through this week, so we are much closer to the weekend than we were yesterday😊! This is the only way I can get through these weeks as they feel so LONG! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!