I went all week without coughing. Well, maybe I coughed a little. But not much.
Right now I’m coughing, but it’s because I am having anxiety.
I’ve determined a few things about my cough: 1) It’s not because of food (even dairy). 2) Coming off of the Gabapentin was life changing- it was a huge source of constant anxiety. 3) Anxiety is the main source of my cough. 4) I also have constant drainage which doesn’t help.
Knowing all of this has been life-changing. I don’t panic when I have a cough now. I focus on self care and ways to reduce anxiety. I remind myself that I am able to overcome, and I overcome. It takes work, but it’s so worth it. It’s also pretty amazing that I can have dairy. I’m not sure why I had a reaction before, but I’m wondering if it was mostly in my head. It could just be that my body was inflamed so things affected it. Who knows.
I am beyond grateful for my counselor. She is the one who helped me problem solve to determine that Gabapentin was a huge source of my issues. I have been to so many doctors, and not only did they not think to take me off, they tried to increase it so many times. It made life so much harder. While life isn’t perfect, I have a spring in my step. I feel lighter in every area.
My counselor is so very intentional. She wants to go to the source every time. She gives me so many resources. She has taught me so much. She is my cheerleader. She tells me that I can do the thing. She empowers me to be the best me. God led me to her 100%. She’s hands-down the best counselor I have ever had.
This past week wasn’t easy. Robert was out of state and I couldn’t even talk with him. I had a training on Tuesday which felt pretty miserable. I had tutoring and dealt with being back after spring break. By yesterday I was completely worn out. But I made it, and I even did many hard things.
Today I’m going to put my raised beds together. I have done most of the wood cutting, so the main plan today is to put them together! I will get the soil in them as well, but I’m going to wait till maybe next week to plant the seeds.
Robert leaves again tomorrow for 6 days. Then he’ll be home for a while!
Our next project is going to be a fenced in area for our chickens and a new coop! We now have 15 chickens and I really want them to be able to free range in a yard instead of keeping them in a cage all day until we get home. Currently they are having to share a yard with the dogs. Yep, I’m a crazy chicken lady. And pup mama. And gardener. Full on homesteader. It’s exciting! This brings energy to my life.
I’m going to be starting a workout program today called Everyday Strong. It’s through the Balance 365 program. It includes strength training, active recovery days, journaling, etc. I set up a workout room to make this happen. Currently it’s being shared by animals, but that’s okay. My chicks bring me joy so their little happy chirping is fine with me.
Simply Courtney 