Hi, its been a while, but I'm glad to be back. Today's episode I discuss the challenges I face going on vacation. Do you find it difficult to maintain your energy restrictions when you are out of your environment and schedule? You know, not borrowing energy from the future. It's a constant struggle for me. Finding balance between staying at home and feeling good versus going out to enjoy life without the dire consequences the next day. Can you relate?? It's the story of my life I continue to repeat. Let's chat shall we?

Today I interview Alisha, known on IG as @msalisha. Do you ever think no one understands you or you should have this whole #chronicillness thing down? Do you still feel guilty or struggle to spend a day resting? If your answer is yes, then this chat with Alisha is for you.

One of the things I miss most about having a chronic illness is the lack of social contact, especially with people who understand having less energy EVERY DAY! Well no judgement here. Just lots of acceptance from like minded people. Your going to love Alisha's warm heart, sunshine spirit, and down to earth personality as much as me. 

When Life’s Challenges become too much and you feel like there is no help, there is:

* Call a friend, family member, school friend, teacher, pastor, or Sunday school teacher. Remember with FB messenger there are many people you can reach out to for help.

* This difficult time is a season. It feels like its forever, but it’s a season. Don’t make a permanent choice for a season in your life.

* No one makes good decisions when they are in a crisis.

* National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255.

* Suicide Resources

* Pray, God is waiting for you to ask for help. He wants to help you.

Please remember, God has a purpose for you. It may not seem like it now, but He does. Read the Bible, place written verses around the house, and surround yourself with God’s promises. A favorite phrase of mine is from the late Billy Graham, “I’ve read the last page of the Bible it’s all going to turn out all right.”

Today’s episode I discuss attitudes we experience from friends, family, coworkers, and even ourselves, and how they impact our lives. How we perceive things and how others perceive us can have a positive or negative affect upon us. Many people do not see the internal struggles we face daily trying to have a “normal” life. It’s exhausting physically and emotionally. But its all apart of having an invisible illness. #spoonielife 

In today’s podcast I discuss the three phases I have experienced living with less energy, and a few tips I am using to balance my life with limited energy.

Tips:

* Be realistic.

* Accept what you cannot do.

* Plan ahead

* Have Gratitude.

* Be Flexible.

* Love yourself

In today’s episode I discuss having a bad day and the longing for the return of good health and more energy. We know wanting to return to how things were is painful and futile, but it is the reality of living with chronic illness. Listen in as I talk about my personal experience, and how I turned my thoughts around. Here are four ideas that can help you turn a bad day into a good one:

* Give yourself grace. It's okay to mourn your lost health. 

* Tell someone. Call up an understanding friend or share with family. Don't do bad days alone.

* Look back at how far you have come and all the challenges you have come through. 

* Do one thing that makes you smile: call a friend, read an inspiring book, or go on a favorite outing.

While we may miss being on the mountaintop, it is in the valleys where streams flow and wildlife flourish. It is in the valleys that we grow the deepest. 

In today’s episode, I talk about my first experience using a wheelchair while traveling. While I can walk short distances, longer journeys are just too much. Yet I generally put off planning to use tools that would be better for my health, like using a wheelchair in airports.  I’ve had to learn a few lessons the hard way, so I compiled a list of helpful tips about leaving the house.

1. Leave the house a couple of times a week. Be sure to regularly plan something you enjoy.  Make two sets of plans: an easy one for a low energy day and a more adventurous one for a high energy day.          

2. Make a game plan. Will you need to walk long distances?  Will you need to take rest breaks?  Do you need to reserve a wheelchair or bring your own?

3. Have an honest discussion with family members. Be sure to have a discussion about what you can and cannot do when you go out together as a family. You need their help, so ask!

4. Pack light. Are you packing too much stuff?  Lighten the load, and minimize what you carry around.

5. Don’t be embarrassed to take advantage of disability services! Since "you don’t look sick,” have a simple script ready that you can tell the staff assisting you: “Thank you so much for helping me today. I couldn’t do this without you. Wheelchair services like this help me so much, thanks.” 

Be sure to check out my website Tank Half Full.

In today's episode, I discuss my experiences in getting a doctor's note. Three different times I had to ask for a doctor's note with work restrictions for my hospital job. While each doctor's note became more crucial than the last, it also increased my fear and anxiety concerning losing my job 

If you've had your own experience in getting a doctor's note to help you keep your job, please share your story with me at [email protected]. I would love to hear your story! Also, let me can know if I can read excerpts from your email on the podcast.You can also check out my website at Tank Half Full.

Today, I talk about COVID-19 and staying at home.  Even though staying at home is nothing new for those of us with compromised immune systems, we are having to make changes because of this pandemic’s extra risk.

On a lighter note (kind of), I also discuss ways to explain your energy limitations.  As you know, the amount of energy we have varies from day today.  No day's amount of energy is a guarantee.  So it’s a good idea to plan your day when you wake up after you take stalk of your “energy units” for the day.  I’ll talk about this and my struggle with borrowing energy from the future and the consequences I face when doing too much.  I also discuss using Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory to explain how having less energy works to friends and family.

Welcome to the Tank Half Full Podcast. So why a podcast about living with less energy?  In one word, community. In September of 2016, I found myself struggling to recover from a heart valve surgery and a severe mediation reaction. I had no idea I would also struggle to find my place in the world again. My life was turned upside down, and now I'm searching for how I fit in this world with my new health reality. Sound familiar? In this first episode I talk about the the loss of friendships and the need for a new community.

If you would like to share your story you can email me at [email protected], and be sure to indicate if I can share excerpts of your story on the podcast. You can catch all the episodes on Google, Spotify, and Apple Podcast. Are you liking this podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcast so others can find it too!