The past few months I have been busier and taken on more responsibility than I have since college. Creating Criptonite, the duet and the vision, has taken hundreds of hours from Sabatino and myself. I have also acquired a job with the help of supported employment, which has been a big adjustment. Completing my Partners In Policymaking certification and being appointed to the Missouri Developmental Disability Council have been great additions to my year as well.
Because of my disability, I get tired and overwhelmed easier than most people. My earliest memories as a child, I recall thinking things out before doing them to be the most efficient I could be. When I walk to another room I think ahead if anything needs to go in that direction, or I make my shopping lists in order of the store, or I put my daily to-do list in the most efficient way I can. I’ve never been able to tell if efficiency is part of my personality or a coping mechanism from my disability.
A couple of months ago I was feeling super stressed, so I began a journey on how to make it better. Sabatino and I often talk about “making it better” or “leaving it better” as we work in rehearsals and other projects. So, I began reading self improvement books, trying new organizational apps, learning to meditate, creating new habits, being more mindful when I’m exercising with my strap.
In my studies, I learned that habits take significantly less mental, emotional and physical energy than non-habits. Therefore, I have been concentrating on creating new habits for my daily life…some “fun/reward” and others are the mundane tasks that have to get done.
For now, it’s all a work in progress, but it is making my life better. My favorite set of habits I call Mornings With Ivee. (Ivee is my current senior Poodle rescue). We love getting up early, getting coffee for me and peanut butter medicine spoon for Ivee and cuddling up together in our recliner. I text a couple friends because I love them, but also for safety of connection, skim the news, check email, do a 5-10 minute meditation with an app, write my gratitude list and then time to walk Miss Ivee. In the beginning I would wear a headset to listen to books or music or talk to friends, but then I discovered it’s much more satisfying to unplug and enjoy just being outside. I think about my day ahead, about great memories from the past, all the good things ahead. It centers me for the day, so I can “make it better!”
Allie Friedrich