Author: defeatingdisability

All About Spoonie Survival Kits

disability

This post is going to be a bit different compared to my pervious blog posts . I want to tell you all about Spoonie Survival Kits and about the person behind it all!

The Founder

Pippa Stacey is a chronically ill writer from Yorkshire. Whilst at university she acquired a debilitating chronic illness which completely changed her life. When things started to get better she began to engage with media opportunities and speaking up about life as a student with a long term condition. In 2015 Pippa founded her very own social enterprise Spoonie Survival Kits which is now growing from strength to strength . You can checkout Pippa’s blog at https://www.lifeofpippa.co.uk/about/

The Survival Kits

When living with a chronic illness sometimes you realise just how the small things others take for granted can mean the whole world and make your day. Through this concept the ideas for these kits were made. “Spoonie” being the slang term for anyone living with a chronic illness and the kits are “little bags of happiness “. The aim is to make sure no one feels alone. The kits officially began in 2015. Kits are made to tailor for specific conditions and symptoms. 50% of all sales is donated to charity the remaining 50% is used to cover the costs of running the project. The contents of these kits are secret as they want it to be a surprise! Checkout this link to find out more about the survival kits: https://www.spooniesurvivalkits.com

Let’s Talk Kits

The Insomnia Spoonie Kit
£12.99

This kit is fantastic for anyone who needs a bit of support and comfort at night. Maybe you are feeling low? This kit also contains some gorgeous handmade items made by some of their incredible volunteers.

If you would like to buy this item please click on this link below

https://www.etsy.com/listing/659498940/insomnia-spoonie-survival-kit?utm_source=ssketsyshop&utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=api

Sustainable Self Care Kit
£17.99

A big thing about this kit is with sustainability so if you know anyone who feels strongly about sustainability this would also make a great gift. This jute zip toiletry bag contains five fabulous surprises! All items are cruelty free and ethical, cosmetic items are suitable for sensitive skin

If you would like to buy this item please click on this link below

https://www.etsy.com/listing/765161418/sustainable-self-care-kit?utm_source=ssketsyshop&utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=api

Chronic Pain Spoonie Survival Kit
£17.99

Those with chronic illness can often face unrelating pain on a daily basis otherwise known as chronic pain. These kits DO NOT cure this however these products are done to hopefully fill you with comfort and maybe a bit of distraction too!

If you would like to buy this item please click on this link below

https://www.etsy.com/listing/551523212/chronic-pain-spoonie-survival-kit?utm_source=ssketsyshop&utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=api

Chronic Fatigue Spoonie Survival Kit
£14.99

Sometimes self care can feel extremely hard, exhausting and challenging . So this kit is filled with items which aim to help you get through those heavy days as comfortable as possible!

If you would like to buy this item please click on this link below

https://www.etsy.com/listing/565321545/chronic-fatigue-spoonie-survival-kit?utm_source=ssketsyshop&utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=api

Accessories

Sterling Silver Spoonie Necklace
£14.99

With Spoonie being the slang word for someone who has a chronic illness these necklaces make a great gift for a loved one. Or maybe it’s a lovely little treat for yourself, to give you or a loved one a an extra bit of strength on a low day.

This necklace is handmade using quality sterling silver. The spoon is on a silver chain with a ring clasp. The necklace is on a chain that measures approximately 16 inches/ 20cm, with the spoon chain measuring 0.6 inches (15mm) .

If you would like to buy this item please click on this link below

https://www.etsy.com/listing/611870335/sterling-silver-spoonie-necklace?utm_source=ssketsyshop&utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=api

The Book

Dear Chronic Illness features a collection of short letters collaboratively written by 16 young people addressed to their conditions. Their conditions range from POTS, Endometriosis from Tumours to Serve M.E to name a few. The letters provided a light-hearted and humours commentary on each writers experiences. Whilst at the same time aiming to give insight into the challenges of navigating life whilst living with chronic illnesses. This book compiled by founder Pippa Stacey and published by Wallace Publishing.

To find out more about this amazing book and where to buy it please visit: https://www.spooniesurvivalkits.com/2018/04/26/dear-chronic-illness-our-very-own-book-release/

Lastly if you would like to get involved with Spoonie Survival Kits please visit their get involved page at https://www.spooniesurvivalkits.com/get-involved/

How I’m Planning My Day During LockDown

life

So with everything that’s going on at the moment I have been feeling more anxious. My routine for the week has changed and I’ve been finding that a bit challenging at times.

Recently I spoke on the phone to my care coordinator and we were discussing how I could create a new routine that I felt I could understand and build myself some structure as things are so unknown. Which can lead to me feeling like I don’t know where I’m coming or going.

I have also been working on creating a new routine I feel happy and comfortable with the help from my support worker. My support worker often reminds me that it doesn’t matter how big or small the things you are achieving are. As well as this she regularly reminds me that it’s all about the sense of achievement I get from doing something and not what others think. I am also trying not to be too judgemental on myself and be kinder to myself as I know I can be a bit to hard on myself at times.

Let’s get started

So to get started on setting out your day visually all you need is a notebook and a pen. I love to make mine colourful so you could use felt tips or gel pens. Or you could do this on a whiteboard and use a whiteboard marker and have this placed somewhere in your room so you can see it everyday when you wake up. Your day could look like this.

How to plan the day

1. First write the date at the top of the page or whiteboard.

2. Now list out the music, TV programme and exercised our want to do for the day.

MUSIC: My happy playlist on Spotify

EXERCISE: Walking the dog

TV PPROGRAMME: Sex Education

3. Next write down 3 things your grateful for, it can be anything!

4. Next you need to write down your MUST do list. This is different from your to do list as these are tasks you must do that day. For example clean the fish tank or send your friend a Happy Birthday message.

5. Now it’s time to think about how you want to feel for the day. For example I wanted to be calm, relaxed and happy on Sunday.

6. Now let’s write down 5 people your sending positivity thoughts and energy to for the day. It can be anyone!

7,. Lastly it’s time to write your to-do list. I like write down 5 things I need to do in the order of importance. Any tasks left to do that day I will add it to my To Do List for tomorrow.

I hope this helps you or gives you some ideas. I would love to know how your adjusting with everything right now. So please comment in the below!

Coping with anxiety during lockdown

mental health

Right now life is very strange for everyone across the world. From our daily routines changing to coping with the uncertainty and unknown. As someone who suffers from high levels of anxiety I thought I would share with you some of the things I am doing right now to help me manage my anxiety.

Social Media

Social media plays a big role in modern day society . And now more than ever you might find your using your social media platforms even more because of social distancing. As you can’t go out and socialise with your group of friends. Social media can be a great tool to use in times like these. But remember if your chat starts to turn onto talking about topics you feel uncomfortable about for example Covid- 19 tell your friends that you feel uncomfortable this is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact the conversation will problem turn into story times and they won’t even realise you’ve changed topic so don’t feel guilty saying . Remember your family and friends care about you and the last thing they won’t is to make you feel uncomfortable or anxious!

Another tip I have is make sure you are following accounts on platforms such as Instagram that you find positive, inspirational and put a big smile on your face. If you are finding any accounts you follow hard to look at remember it is ok to unfollow. The last thing anyone wants is for you to have a negative impact from their account!

The News

It’s great that we want to know more about the current situation and what’s going on around the world. However looking at the news all day can really start us to make us feel more tense and make your anxiety a lot higher . To help keep you less anxious but still know what’s going on you could restrict yourself to just turning on the news at a certain times everyday. For example 9am and 8pm . To help you do this you could turn off your news app notifications on all of your devices.

Sleep

This one might seem a bit obvious but the better night sleep I have the better I feel the next day. An alarm in the morning could really help especially when we get that temptation to have a quick lie in. This could become much greater as we don’t have to get ready for the school run or work run.

Exercise

Even though we are stuck at home their are lots of exercise classes you can do online for free and best thing is all the family can do it together!Checkout this blog post of mine for ideas of classes you could do. https://defeatingdisability.com/2020/04/14/things-to-do-in-isolation-part-1-classes-workshops/

Fresh Air

Now guidelines are saying we can now go for short walk or do other type of exercise like running for about 30 minutes. I recommend just spending so time outdoors in the fresh air. This can really help to clear your mind and make sense of all of your thoughts. As well as this the fresh air can help you feel grounded in the here and now.

Healthy Eating

Right now you maybe finding it hard to go to the shops or struggling to afford ingredients. However making sure you eat everyday is very important especially breakfast it gives you energy for the day ahead. A great place I like to look for easy, affordable and health recipes is on Pinterest. Soon I will be showing you how to make some of my favourite recipes that I have found through Pinterest.

I hope some of these ideas helped you if you are experiencing anxiety at the moment. I would love to know any tips you have too. Please pop them in the comments below!

STAY HOME & STAY SAFE💜

Things to do in Isolation Part 3: Tips For Studying At Home

life

With everything that is going on at the moment our routine schedules have all changed. As I am a college student I have now had to get a new routine for my college working days. I have found this hard but it seems to be getting better day by day.

I thought I would share with you some of my favourite tips to help you get into a new studying routine from home.

The first tip I have is quite a simple one, with changes to my everyday routine I try and look at my day and see if their are anything I can do to set myself up for the day like before. I always have breakfast this might seem obvious but breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And can really help you to get energy for the day head and help you have a positive and a can do attitude!

Before my lessons start for the day I like to make sure I’ve got everything I need and set up ready for my days classes. From making sure I have my pens and pencils to my notebook and calculator to name a few. I also like to refill a water bottle so I can have it with me at all times whilst I’m working as it is really important that you stay hydrated throughout the day.

When I was at college I had different books for doing different topics and portfolio work in. I have really found using notebooks with dividers in helpful now that I am working from home. This is because now I can use one notebook to write everything down in one place but put notes down in the right sections together . For example one section of my notebook is my maths work and another section is about jobs in the industry.

Sometimes in the classroom you can get distracted but when your working from home it can become a little bit harder as you may start thinking about things you need to do around your house or things you want to do. Like watch something on TV or maybe call your friends.

To help me to stay on task I like to do two things:

The first thing like to do is to listen to music as I work as I find this very calming and it helps me to reduce my stress levels.

The second thing I like to do is have a pad of paper near me as I sometimes find it easier to listen in class if I can do some doodling at the same time.

My last tip is remember to take regular breaks and do something else you enjoy for a bit. That could be watching TV, reading a book or magazine, talking to friends or eating yummy treats to name a few.

Things to do in Isolation Part 2: YouTubers to Watch

life

Whilst in isolation I have had more time to watch my favourite YouTubers as well as finding new YouTubers to watch. From animals to fashion and channels all about motivation to name a few. I thought I would share with you some of my favourite YouTubers I am watching right now.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyvB6v89RVGuU1-9fvB73zQ

At the moment I am unable to have my horse riding lessons at my local Riding for the Disabled stables. I am finding it hard but to help me with not missing out on my weekly horse fix. I have been enjoying watching This Esme. This Esme makes YouTube videos all about her horses and donkeys. From equine care to hauls to challenges. If you are an equine or animal love I would definitely recommend watching her videos.

https://www.youtube.com/user/NBakerParaRider

I also enjoy watching paralympic athlete Natasha Baker’s YouTube Channel. I have watched all her videos many times!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE37328iVnqSj1OCrgrYd8w

My last Animal YouTuber I enjoy watching is Emzotic. Emma does a range of videos from pet care to D.I.Ys . If you are a fan of unusual animals or want to learn how to care for a variety of animals checkout her channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4X_adKmAQoBItCF0JWj_Hg

One of my favourite beauty YouTubers is sophdoeslife. She is very well known in the beauty YouTube community . All her videos are about everything beauty and fashion related. From testing products, makeup hacks and decluttering makeup and clothes.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq9PmMr98XK_3T_OCpCMjgg

Jordan Bone is a YouTuber who I have watched now for many years now. Through videos she shares her story, to makeup videos and now onto more motivational content too! I have watched many of her videos over and over again! She is helping me a lot at the moment with still trying to stay positive despite life’s obstacles.

https://www.youtube.com/user/UglyFaceOfBeauty/featured

Grace Victory a very well known YouTube is another YouTuber I love and have watched for a long time over the years . One of the big reasons why I loved watching her videos for so long was because she is comfortable talking about those taboo subjects! I now really enjoy watching her vlogs too.

https://www.youtube.com/mandevillesisters

I enjoy watching sisters Grace and Amelia aka The Mandeville Sisters on YouTube they talk about everything from disability to mental health to everyday life .

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR1aI5qGaK7l4y0gqDGGLg

I have recently just started watching Hannah’s YouTube Channel. I really enjoy watching her videos. She makes videos all about lifestyle, arts and culture to work and career.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ13184csM1Ykq82O_RRMLA

I am enjoying watching Anomalous Chloe YouTube videos. Chloe is a mental health nurse and I find her videos really interesting as I get to see what’s it like from a mental health nurses perspective as I have been in a mental health hospital as a patient. She makes videos all about mental health, nurse life, vlogs and hauls to name a few.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-8yLb1K-DEC6dCYlLOJfiQ

Last on my list is a new YouTuber I have been watching recently called Sadie Aldi’s. Sadie creates videos all about lifestyle,wellbeing , fashion and organisation.

I hope this gave you some new YouTubers to checkout. I would love to know what YouTubers you like to watch! I’m always on the lookout to add new YouTubers to my watch list!

Things to do in Isolation Part 1: Classes & Workshops

life

So right now things may feel rather odd and you might be feeling stuck on things you could do. Here are some ideas of things you can do whilst being indoors. Remember to stay home and stay safe!

How To Come Up With Ideas

I like to organise my ideas as it can be hard to focus on activities you want to do with all these thoughts and emotions running wild in your head. To organise my ideas I like to get them down on paper and create myself a mind map using felt tips and gel pens. I like to organise my ideas into categories such as fitness and creativity. I like to make my mid maps as colourful as possible so that I can refer back to it when I’m unsure on things I would like to do. Once I’ve made my mind map I like to pin it up on my pinboard in my room so I can see it regularly and refer back to it.

Here is an example of a mind map you could do.

Ideas Of Things To Do

  • I have been enjoying doing some dance classes on YouTube and Insta Live. They are a great way to keep fit whilst not being able to go outside or to the gym.
  • I have been enjoying doing musical theatre dance classes with Strictly Star and judge on The Greatest Dancer Oti Mabuse. Checkout her YouTube Channel to join in and learn some fun musical theatre dance routines.

I recently found workout and dance routine classes on YouTube run by POPSUGAR . Each class is taught by an expert in that field. These classes are great for begginers! https://www.youtube.com/user/

I have just found a 5 day workshop in dance run by Dance Umbrella. These classes are taught on InstaLive. For more information checkout https://www.danceumbrella.co.uk/event/du-dancing-from-home/?fbclid=IwAR0qN4MPHmzizyGr5QOmGinrQCtGQw3A06HwYZpT4SP9DxYXT_tvmRtOJE8

If you want to do a fun workout with your family of all ages. Checkout The Body Coach on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1

The Theatre Shed run weekly workshops in performing arts for all ages and all abilities! During the holiday they run holiday workshops I recently took part in their music video Easter holiday workshop. You can contact them via email for more information.

The Theatre Shed.

If you ever wanted to learn a new skill or find a creative hobby now is a great time.

Future Learn runs online courses for you to do at anytime that suits you. The courses are not to long and you learn through a variety of methods such as videos and discussions. You can take classes in a variety of subjects such as Fashion , Health Care and Business.

Checkout the courses available at https://www.futurelearn.com

Another good place to try yourself at something new which is creative is on Skill Share. Each workshop is taught by tutors in a variety of different subjects for example drawing, painting, printing, collage, digital art and blogging.

Visit https://www.skillshare.com

I hope this gave you some ideas of the kind of fun workshops and classes you can do in the comfort of your home whilst staying safe!

Looking Back On 2019

life

What a year I have had with lots of ups and downs. I wanted to share with you some of my greatest achievements and some of my fantastic memories!

This year Riding for the Disabled celebrated their 50th Anniversary with the campaign called 50 Faces. I am so proud to say that I was one of the faces for this campaign. Riding for the Disabled don’t only help lives they save them!

To find out more about The RDA visit: https://www.rda.org.uk

Some of you may already know this but this year I was accepted onto Performing Arts Level 2 course at College. I have wanted to do this course for a long time but had lots of ups and downs trying to get accepted onto a course I really wanted to do due to my disability but I’ve finally done it and I’m enjoying every minute of it!

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

This year I went on tour with The Theatre Shed with our production of CapeAbility I got to perform at Brighton Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was an amazing experience full of lots of memories I will cherish forever. I can’t wait to go on tour again in 2021.

This year I started doing Dressage competitions online with Dressage Anywhere. I competed with Billy and he has been amazing I had such a good time competing with him. I have also enjoyed helping to train him so that more riders have the joy of riding with him. He is such a star!

Earlier this year I went on a Vlogging workshop with National RDA in London and learnt all about the Art of Vlogging run by The Media Trust. I then entered a short YouTube Video I made about the RDA into the vlogging competition. I made it to the semi finals and got to go to London for the day to learn more about YouTube and vlogging as well as meeting more young creatives and having talks with well known YouTubers. You can find out more about the VlogStar competition 2019 at https://www.vlogstarchallenge.com/single-post/2019/07/15/Semi-Final-Recap

This year I became the blogger for The Theatre Shed’s Blog. Find out more about The Theatre Shed visit https://thetheatreshed.co.uk

I had the amazing opportunity to be a guest blogger for Scope I wrote about transitioning from CAMHS to Adult Mental Heath. Checkout my guest blog post at https://community.scope.org.uk/discussion/60592/transitioning-from-camhs-to-adult-mental-health#latest

I am on the front cover of RDA’s Handbook 2019 with Billy and my helper Hazel going on a hack in the woods.

This year I started doing hair and makeup modelling for students at Iver Makeup Academy at Pinewood Studios.

I have recently joined talent agency Industry Haus as an actor and model. I can’t wait to see what the future holds… maybe your see me on your screens. My profile should be up soon please check it out at http://www.industryhaus.com

Thank You for all of your love and support this year. Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Can’t wait to see what adventures 2020 brings us!

Love Bryony 💜

Just A Little Life Update…

life

So you might have noticed that I haven’t been blogging as much as I used to or as much as I would like to. This is just a short post telling you what I’m up to and where I have been.

This September I started back at college but instead of doing an adult learning course like I did last year. I am now a full time student doing Performing Arts Level 2. I am loving it! We recently did our first production called First Draft were we performed different short plays, dances and songs. We are now rehearsing for our Immersive Theatre Christmas Production Bah Humbug! I have been on quite a journey to be accepted onto a course I really wanted and love to do and now I’m finally there and doing what I love!

Checkout my resume at https://www.mandy.com/actor/profile/bryony-moss

I am also currently doing workshops with Resource Productions to write, create, shoot and edit our own shot films. The project I am working on with fellow cast and crew members will be shown at Pinewood Studios.

I am now the volunteer blogger for the inclusive theatre company The Theatre Shed. Check out The Theatre Shed Blog here: https://thetheatreshedcompany.wordpress.com

I am still doing hair and makeup modelling but would love to try new things to develop my portfolio. In the future I would love to be an actor and a model with an agent.

I am still going to one of my most favourite places in the world the stables. I have now moved class were I am learning all about the detail. I am so excited to see what the future holds!

I am thinking about writing more content on my blog for example reviews as well as beauty and fashion. I am also thinking about having more themes for my Instagram story for example Mental Health Monday’s.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds and have you all come on this journey with me. I’ve got some exciting things happening soon and can’t wait to share it all with you my Defeating Disability Family

All my love

Bryony 💜

My Top 5 Tips For Practising Self Care On A Bad Day

mental health

We all have those days when we can feel so down, that doing things for our own self care can be at it’s hardest time ever and feel impossible . This is when it is the most important time we focus on ourselves. It’s ok to put yourself first!

Sometimes when I’m having a bad day and I know I need to spend some time just focusing on me, this is when I can find it the hardest and extremely overwhelming to think of things I enjoy doing for myself. My head goes like crazy, my thoughts and emotions are rushing around me so fast I find it hard to know what to do so I just freeze.

So I thought I would share with you some of my favourite things to do when I need to put myself first. As I know when your in the thick of it, it can be very hard to come up with things you could do that just focus on you. Without you feeling guilty because you’re put yourself first!

1. I like to listen to music to help me as I find that lyrics from a song can help me not to feel alone.The lyrics can really help me to describe and express how I am feeling. This helps me to understand my emotions . I like to make playlists so that when I feel down I can quickly get to my music on the go.

2. I like to go onto Pinterest and look at my quotes board to help me feel better. I also enjoy looking for new things to add to my boards. I like using Pinterest as it is very visual and this can help me a lot when I feel down as I don’t have to read through lots of text.

3. When I feel down it can be very hard to think of all the good things that have happened. To help me through the difficult time I like to look at my photos to remind me of some of the amazing memories I have with my family and friends. To make it easier I recommend putting your photos into albums on your phone so that you can access them on the go too.

4. Journaling can be a great way to release your thoughts and emotions onto paper. This helps me to feel less scared about any worries or concerns I may have that I didn’t even know I had before I started to write.

5. Treat yourself to a warm hot drink like a nice warm mug of hot chocolate!

My Top 5 Back To School Tips For Beating That New School Year Anxiety

mental health

It’s that time again after the summer break we’re we are buying new equipment and stationery ready for our new year of school, Sixth Form, College or maybe even University. I don’t know about you but living with anxiety can be hard to cope with when new chapters are starting. So I thought I would share with you some of my tips with coping with the new academic year when you’re feeling anxious.

Pre Nerves

If you are doing higher education at college or university chances are you probably had to go and have an interview with a tutor who teaches on the course you want to do to see if you have got a place on your wanted course. When you get an offer this can be very exciting however the day before you start you might have those ever so helpful doubting thoughts wizzing around your head like crazy. To help me to deal with these unhelpful thoughts I like to write down statements of what I am looking forward to doing or learning on the course for example going on trips or having guest speakers come in. By doing this it helps me to focus on the positives, you might want to write them on your phone or write them down in a notebook that you keep beside your bed or maybe on post it notes and put them around your house.

I would also go into your school, college or university before you start to talk about your concerns for example about your anxiety. I have found that if they know before hand they can support you in making sure you are alright and feel comfortable. I also found this useful as I was told about different departments that I could go to if I felt I wanted to go somewhere more quite or to get additional support for example I could talk to a student development officer.

When you start to pack your school bag make sure you’ve got all that you need. But to help with my anxiety I also like to add to my bag things like a stress ball or maybe even an emergency paper bag that I can use if I feel a panic attack coming on. I do this because it helps me to feel more prepared if something was to happened.

On The Day

When you arrive at your school, college or university for the first day it can sometimes hit you when you reach the entrance. This can make me feel very uncomfortable and worried. I think everyone is looking at me and talking about me. To help me with this I like to pick a letter at random and then try and find as many things as I can beginning with that letter.

My last tip would be don’t put pressure on yourself to talk to everyone or to get to know other students. What I like to do because I find it hard to talk to lots of people is give myself a target of talking to one of the other students and if I talk to more that’s great . I feel that if I put too much pressure on myself then my anxiety gets worse. So go at your own pace theirs no right or wrong answer.

I hope some of these will help you too, I would love to know some of your top tips!