Blog – Amanda Gene

A follower Asked….

A Facebook friend and follower who has Nystagmus, asked me to offer some tips on how to manage Nystagmus while you are sick.

As always, I advise this friend and all my followers that If you are having any kind of medical or mental problems, please seek proper medical care.

Even though I am not a medical professional, and I am not offering any medical advice, I want to offer five tips that has helped me feel better when I have been sick. I hope that these tips answer this follower’s question.

Admit that you are sick and that you need to rest.

We all lead busy lives and sometimes we just carry on with what we are doing. When you have a sever sickness, you need to admit that you are sick stay home. I had to convince myself of this during my high school days. I used to go into school just to take one test then go to the office to go and get checked out. This did not help me or school community.

Drink plenty of fluids.

When I was a young child, I loved chicken broth and Sprite. This helped me with any sore throat that I may of had.

Get some sleep! Sleep is so important with your health. Not only is it important when you’re sick, but also when you are well. When I am sick, I can feel my Nystagmus go even faster. My eyes hurt a lot more than normal. Therefore, when we take an extra nap, it really reduces our eye movements and sooth our achy eyes.
Go to the doctor when needed.

This was an important lesson I had to learn as a teenager. When I was seventeen, I had a kidney infection. For one month before my diagnosis, I kept saying to myself, “You’re not sick, you just threw your back out during P.E.” That was a big lie. The pain made me cry and sent me to the Emergency Room. As a result, I received two bags of fluids to decrease my heartrate and blood pressure. I had to stay overnight. If I had gone to my general practitioner earlier I would not have had to go through all that.

Don’t let stress make your immune system weak after you have made a full recovery.

People with Nystagmus know stress can increase their eye movements. I missed three days school due to my kidney infection. As a result, I fell behind with my school work. This stressed me out! My stress increased even further when I learned that school policy only allowed me three days to get back on track with my work. I should have paced myself. I felt rushed because of this deadline, and increased my anxiety and stress levels which made me feel weaker after my recovery.

I am sure that there are many more tips that I could have offered. If you can think of something, that you would like to add tell me in the comments below.

Disclaimer: If you are experiencing any problems with your physical or mental health please seek proper medical care.

If you have a question you would like to ask me feel free to email me at: amanda@amandagene.com

Season Of Waiting

After last week’s post about my themes for this year, I found out that I am in a season of waiting. When I look at the long list of things that I am waiting for, it feels like the list is endless. For example, I am waiting for an important delivery, waiting on my state Vocational Rehabilitation Services to get me what I need, and waiting for answers to my prayers.

Because I wasn’t sure what to do while I am in this season of waiting, I begin to get worried and anxious. As a result, God lead me to YouTube, where I found a sermon by Sadie Robertson called “Don’t waste the waiting.” I usually do not watch Robertson; but this time, however, I watching her and connecting with it. In the video, Robertson talked about praising God while waiting for God to answer prayers. I connected with her sermon because I was praising God while waiting for an outcome of a meeting that I really needed. I’m excited to say that God answered my prayer that day.

Meanwhile, as I am praying and praising God in this season of waiting, I am also listening for his voice. The Lord has continued to tell me that I need to let go of all the hurtful past that I have held onto for so long. For me letting go is one of the hardest things to do. I often find myself crying at night before bedtime because of anxiety. I know that letting go of this hurtful past can help me find more joy and peace and lessen my anxiety.

I have often felt lost with what I am supposed to do with my life. To help give myself some direction, I have created a box of goals. My goals are simple: Mail out a few things, get my passport, and continue to work on my business plan. If I continue developing my business plan, I will soon be able to graduate from my state’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program, which I have been affiliated with since 2006.

Have you ever been in a season of waiting? What did you do during this time? Tell me in the comments below.

2020: More Courage, Self-control, and Joy

In 2019, I worked on movement, patience, and positivity. While I was growing in those lessons God pointed out some other very important characteristics that I need to work on. Now in 2020 I’ve decided to bring these issues to light, examine them, and grow in them. My three pillars this year are: Courage, Self-Control, and Joy.

My first pillar is courage. For those of you who don’t know I often lack confidence which is a byproduct of being controlled by anxiety. I often worry about doing or saying the wrong thing and what other’s think of me. As a result, I have missed out on a lot of great opportunities. This year I have decided to build up my self-confidence which I believe starts with showing action by having courage to do things. For example, I have a phobia of going to the doctor because of previous bad experiences. When I was seventeen, for instance, I went to the Emergency Room with severe stomach and back pain. Initially, even thought I was a virgin, the doctor still believed that I was pregnant. After the pregnancy test came back negative, the doctor discovered the cause of my pain was from a kidney infection. Nevertheless, the doctor said, “I still think you’re a slut!” As a result, I have not trusted doctor very much since then. Therefore, it’s time for me to muster some courage and make a doctor’s appointment. In fact, the Bible commands us, “…Be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:9).

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Bring on 2020…

A post shared by Amanda Gene (@amandagenen) on Dec 31, 2019 at 9:42am PST

My second pillar is self-control. Self-control is one of the fruit of the spirit. (Galatians 5:23). For those of you who don’t know I have quite a temper. Last year, for example, my temper got the better of me when I threw my Iphone 8 on the floor and smashed the screen. This mistake will cost me $400 plus dollars to fix. Therefore, God showed me that I need to improve my self-control. He relived to me, in his word, “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28). I am eager to learn to grow in this very important fruit of the spirit.

My last pillar is Joy. But my joy often gets robed because I tend to focus on my problems rather than their solutions. For example, last year I fell into a depression when my hard drive crashed, and I thought that all my work was lost. Then I found a spark of Joy! God gave me a potential solution when a friend offered to try and recover my data. It is in the process of trying to be recovered as of this writing. God has shown me the recipe for Joyful living, in his word: “Always be Joyful. Keep on praying. No matter, what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). I feel that if I find both earthly and spiritual joy, I will feel happier and more relaxed.

I pray that you guys will see me grow in these things, and that you will be able to benefit from me sharing my journey with you. What are some of your goals this year? Tell me down in the comments below.

2019: More Movement, Patience and Positivity-December Edition

As I sit here reflecting on December and 2019 as a whole, I come to realize that it hasn’t been that bad of a year.

My first pillar in my life’s theme this year was movement, and in the month of December, I learned that movement played a big part of my future. I have learned that I have a great group of friends, family and others that want to see me have success. A lot of prayers have been answered. I had two big needs on my heart and God answered them. The Bible says in Philippians 4:16, “Don’t worry about anything: Instead, pray about everything; Tell God what you need, and thank him for all that he has done.”*

Another thing that I have learned is to let go of a private matter from my hurtful past. With the help of a friend, I was able to work through one of the biggest issues that had caused me grief for many years. Now because I have been able to work through this issue, I can work on having a healthier and more positive outlook on life. The Bible also says in Philippians 3:13, “…But I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”

My second pillar in my life’s theme this year was patience. I have asked God to help me with this problem. I often want answers to my prayers quickly, and God has shown me that I must be patient and wait when it comes to getting answers to my requests. The funny thing is God used a Facebook post to get my attention when I asked, “Why am I so inpatient?” The Facebook post said that Patience has to be learned. In the past month God has given me a crash course in patience. I am okay with the fact that I am still growing this fruit of the spirit. I am starting to see that I am getting patient.

My third pillar in my life’s theme this year was positivity. I have learned two important aspects of positivity this year. The first is enjoy your journey. My grandpa reminded me of this one day while I was impatiently waiting on outcome from a meeting. He said, “No matter what other people say, remember it’s your own unique journey and you should enjoy it.” The second lesson is I have to do my part to help God do his part. This includes staying positive and not procrastinating. I had to learn that no matter what I am facing in life it is better to stay positive and enjoy the outcome then to be negative and enjoy nothing at all. It gives me hope knowing that God already has a plan for my future. It says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For the plans I have for you.” Says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

I hope that you all have met all of your goals in 2019. I felt like I’ve achieved a lot this year. Tell me what your best achievement was in the comments below. See you in 2020 with an exciting new life theme. 😊

*All Bible verses have been taken from the Holy Bible TruthQuest New Living Translation-Inductive Student Bible

Thanksgiving celebration 2019

I hope each of you had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving holiday. I enjoyed my holiday. I woke up early to help grandpa with a few house chores before he made his famous coconut cake. After I helped him with the chores, I finished a quick load of laundry.

I then cleaned up my room before I sat down for a rest. I wasn’t feeling my best since this week was a rough one. After a few hours of binge listening to music on YouTube a friend of mine came and picked me up. We went and met with a group of friends at Denny’s. They had all different kinds of foods to feast on. I didn’t want the Thanksgiving meal that they offered, so I ordered an Oreo cookie milkshake and a cheeseburger and fries. The milkshake was so thick and it tasted amazing. It really hit my sweet tooth. My hamburger was so big that I had a hard time picking it up. I had to slowly pick it up and eat from the sides. I have to say that the cheeseburger was very juicy and the bun was bursting with flavor. While we all ate and enjoyed our meals, we let the conversations bounce from one topic to another. From clothes to health…

To be honest, even though I was enjoying the day my mind was preoccupied with all the problems that I have been facing lately. I had to work hard to try to push them aside. Soon it was time to get back home. My friend took a longer way to get me home. It was so nice to look out the window and see all the pretty fall colors the countryside had to offer.

When I got home, I let Duke outside to play. Then I went and watched a movie on Netflix. It was nice to sit and just not worry about anything for a while.

When my grandpa came home, from the party he went to, he told me about his afternoon and he told me about the dinner plate that he had brought me. Even though I was still full from my lunch I took a small taste of everything on my plate. I had green bean casserole, mac and cheese, and turkey. It all tasted fresh!

I am really thankful for my family and friends. What are you thankful for? What did you do for Thanksgiving? Tell me in the comments below.

2019: More Movement, Patience and Positivity October Edition

Another month has come and gone. I am so shocked with how fast the year has been coming and going. Soon I will be telling you about the next theme for 2020.

Movement I have been making some positive movement with life. I continue to exercise. This has helped me with my weight management and with my mental health. I had a meeting with my new Vocational Rehabilitation caseworker and business coach. We are going through step four of my business plan. I was nervous about the outcome of the meeting. I am happy to report that I was able to get a lot of questions answered about my business plan. I am waiting to hear about my technology needs. I have plans to share a special YouTube video on an update on how my meeting went.

Patience has really been tested this month. I have been having some anxiety about the changes with my caseworker. Two of my past caseworkers were not very helpful. Now that I have talked to my new caseworker, I have learned that she wants to help me when it comes to reaching my career goals. I have to remind myself that it takes time to reach your career goals.

Positivity has been pretty good for me this month. My editor and I have made even more progress on my book. I know that I keep saying I want to have it published by a certain date that has already come and gone. I just need to get this book right before everyone sees it. I have to keep reminding myself that the more positive thoughts and feelings that I feel the more positive things will happen to me.

What has been going on with your lives? Has anything positive been going on? Tell me in the comments below.

Disability Blogger Award

disability-award-pic

I was nominated by Rare Mama on Facebook for the disability blogger award.

Here are the rules for the award:

Thank your nominator
Recognize Georgina from Chronillicles as the creator of the award
Use logo somewhere in the post
Answer your nominator’s questions
Write 5-15 of your own questions – they don’t have to be illness related!
Nominate 5-15 other disability, chronic illness, mental illness or special needs bloggers Comment on each of your nominees’ latest posts to tell them they have been nominated

Thank you, Rare Mama for this nomination. Thank you, Georgina for creating this award.

Here are Rare mama’s questions:

What is the main purpose/message of your blog? To educate others on Nystagmus. That we, despite having, Nystagmus, can live a full life.

What is a memorable moment in your journey and why? When I graduated from college. The doctors thought I would never have that kind of education.

What is your preferred method of engagement in regards to your blog? I love Facebook. You can actually have a conversation with people.

What is your favorite activity to help you unwind? I love to read.

When you leave the house name five items you can never leave without.

House Key
Wallet
Iphone
Iphone charger
Purse

Here are my five questions for my nominee’s

What is the current brand of phone you are using?
What is your favorite color?
Who was the last person you called?
Do you have any pets?
If you could go forward or backward in time which direction would you choose and why?

My five nominee’s are:

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