I made it…so far, so good…

I am about to take my final quiz for unit 1, wrapping up my first week of school. And I will say I am extraordinarily proud of myself. Yes, sometimes when you have worked hard to get yourself to the place you need to be, you can be proud of yourself. Proud and vocal about it. One has to be confident and have pride in themselves to be able to find the strength to move forward. In order to continue on in my journey toward my goals of graduation, I have to find strength. Simply because this week…kicked my ass! LOL!

Summer school is a compacted schedule. Although I have picked subjects I find easier than most, to help ease me back into the pace of & demands of school, this pace is relentless. Then adding on my child being home all day for summer break, his auditions and meetings, his tutoring and the need to be with his mother…I’m a bit worn thin. I haven’t even added on my duties to my advocacy work and writing deadlines. I suppose that’s motherhood. And even more so, motherhood with a chronic condition. The game of catch up has so many layers. It’s all been… interesting.

What it has done is forced me to do a few things.

Organize My Time

I thought I had a pretty good handle on organizing my time for work and the schedule I had in place. But I found that I was not using my time wisely. Saving the night time for reading and writing or catching up on work. This limited my sleeping time and didn’t help my mood or control of my symptoms.

Taking Frequent Short Breaks

Taking shorter breaks throughout my school/study session, helped to energize me better than taking longer breaks. During these breaks, I may walk with Hippo, play a mindless game or take a quick nap.

Hydration

Hydrating has helped me considerably. It’s helped with my energy and my swelling.

Change My School/Study Surroundings

Because all of my classes will be online for the Summer and Fall semesters, my scenery is enclosed between my own four walls. Getting to the library, a coffee shop or just sitting next to my pool has helped flex my brain and creativity. It’s also a motivator to keep going. Especially with all the reading, I have to do in a short amount of time for both classes.

Although the situation has become a bit stressful, it’s also become a bit freeing. I’m not sure if that makes any sense, but I just feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I’m looking forward to the rest of this journey and closing this chapter of my life, with grace and perseverance.