Prioritizing Rest and Self-Care While Traveling

This last week has been a combination of fatigue from jetlag and reducing my medication again. I’ve had to get more sleep and rest more after appointments and work. I’ve had to work harder to prioritize rest and not over-schedule myself. I’m pretty bad about not over-scheduling myself, but I’m getting better. I’m getting better …

I Worry When I Travel

I love to travel but there are so many moving parts and elements that I cannot control. I worry about forgetting something. This is magnified a thousand-fold when traveling, because if I forgot something I can’t just go back for it later or get it in a few hours. I start to catastrophize—like what will …

Why I Don’t Regret Cutting My Hair Short But I Won’t Do It Again

Deciding to Cut My Hair Short Last summer, I decided to cry getting a bob haircut. I had never cut my hair that short before and I thought it would be great for traveling to India and living in general. Especially as someone with a chronic illness that produces a lot of pain and lack …

Why I Feel Safe in India

One thing I feel in India, which might not jive with my descriptions of illness and monkeys, is a particular sense of safety which I have trouble getting at home in the US. You see, in India, even with an address and GPS and heck, even someone giving you directions, it’s near impossible to find …

India Part III: I Encounter Monkeys

Another test of my sanity came from the local wildlife. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m from Texas so I’ve dealt with my fair share of deadly snakes and poisonous insects. But monkeys? Monkeys are a whole other story. Living in the village at the NGO on my first trip, I stayed in a small …