Changes

     Well, it's 2017, another year. From working out the changes I have had to for my future, such as:  Who is helping you feel supported?, What am I to do when today's supports is dying on me, and I need to make plans for a new support system? I notice a good amount of isolation goes on. This is related to the legend "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff." Isolation can cause fear, anger, frustration, etc., which is what happens to everybody, special  needs or not. But, people with special needs often take longer to get over isolation.

     What causes isolation? The easiest way to put it is:  everyday small things that are out of our control , that are in our way, and need to be done. Example:  eating, paying bills, feeding ourselves and family, schooling, etc. After doing it for a while, we get so caught up in doing the small stuff that we take it for granted and we often don't want to deal with change. Yet there is always going to be change. We need to train ourselves when we can set aside, or draw a line on the small stuff that we can't control. This is where the legend "Patience is a Virtue" comes in. Because society has become too much like, "well, we can fix it on the computer or, check on the phone or, I can fix it quickly. Now everybody has an attitude of wanting to finish things quickly and go off to the next thing. We're losing people who want to reinforce, motivate, encourage, guide, and are to people who are more dependent on the computer or cell phones. I found my personal isolation comes from taking everything too literally.

     American English is the only language where 75% of the words have more than one meaning. You see, people, especially people who have special needs, all have a best perspective and a worst perspective on life. We consider the best perspective is a gift from God. God wants us to keep the best perspective all of our life. By best perspective and worst perspective, I really mean their best strengths, abilities, talents, understanding level, etc. The best perspective is often considered their passion for life. My brother, through a documentary, has convinced me that my passion is to advocate.

     Today's society has proven that we need to train ourselves that the computer and cell phones are not the answer to everything. It is great that somebody has offered a quicker way to handle pressure, but it can't take over other responsibilities that take more work. It is 2017 now; in the year 1970, the case of people with special needs was a big question on how to handle it, and over time until 2017, we have learned a lot of technology that's new and can be a better help for people with special needs. This is why I say it's time to turn the page and move forward. We need to start focusing on taking more time on reinforcing, motivating, encouraging, guiding, etc., to help people, especially those with special needs, to see the positive side to things in their lives. The positive side of things helps people from getting caught in isolation. Seeing more good, more truth, more positive, helps people, especially people with special needs, to gain confidence and to move forward in life.

Until next time...

Alyssa

 

Moving On

I have been working on catching up on my sleep lately, and that is why it's been awhile since my last post. I had the experience of talking to many students who are studying to become teachers at Loyola Marymount University in L.A. in November. My brother told me there might be other schools that would like me to speak also.

For the past few months I have been learning about family changes that will affect my future, and that can get very stressful for me. Coping with change and stress is hard if you do not keep up with it. I have to realize that my support system may be changing, and it is hard for me to talk about it.

I feel it's important for people who have challenges to start making plans for their future ahead of time so you can keep up with how you are doing regularly. That is why it is important to stay focused on the positive sides our your life. Then you will see less negativity.

Being positive keeps us stronger. I believe in encouraging people with challenges to learn about their talents, strengths, abilities, and qualities that will help them in life. But, it is also about teamwork, where we responsibly share the positive sides of life. Then we pray that people can learn to see who they are for themselves and to enjoy life.

Hello from California

Hi from California.

I had fun with my brother and he invited me and everything. I enjoyed being here for vacation and for speaking. I will be back here in time and hope that this has been helpful for you too.

 

 Here I am at California State University Dominguez Hills with my hosts the Special Education Department.

Until next time,

Alyssa

 

Los Angeles here I come...again!

Hi again.

I will be traveling to Los Angeles in November to visit my brother Greg. While I am there we will screen my movie three times for educators and students at Loyola Marymount University and at California State University Dominguez Hills. I am very excited. It has been a while since I have done this.

Here is a flyer about one of the movie nights.

I will write more from California.

Until next time. Alyssa.

Less Stress and More Confidence in Handling Reality

After I started therapy sessions, I had been doing better. It helped me learn how to handle my struggles and notice the differences in my parents and in my future plans. The therapist helps me speak about stressful issues. After I settled down about my parents and future another struggle came along. My boyfriend was having personal problems and it started getting worse. He was diagnosed with a medical issue. He is working forward on his issue.

I was told to try Psychodrama Therapy. I found a flyer about psychodrama therapy and decided to be brave and try it. It is offered in Evanston at the Unitarian church. There are different people and there is a different number of people every time. There is a $20.00 charge every time. I started to take it, and it helped me a lot.

 Every time at the beginning of the class, people introduce themselves and talk about their problems. Then they vote on what problems to role play. The session is to role play out frustrations you get from the problem chosen. Everyone participates in the role play and it gives you a different way to express all your feelings. It helped me to learn how to handle my boyfriends problems. Then my boyfriends problem became easier to handle. I am amazed at how role playing is such a helpful tool. So I joined the group. It is a different way to open yourself up, gain confidence and to reinforce yourself to work harder toward reality.

Changes Got in the Way of My Daily Life Routine

I know I have not been adding to the blog lately. However, I have been going through some changes lately. The changes can be hard to describe.

I had to learn how to handle my mothers new routines as she is getting older. Also I had a similar process with my dad. Yet when I figured it out, I was not myself. Someway I had to communicate that I wanted to know what was planned for my future. When I asked; I got the response “do not worry about it, because it is far down the road.” or “only you can pick yourself up and handle it.”

Yet these answers kept me lost at what I am to do. I now am meeting with a therapist who helps me be aware of where I am at, and what to do about it.

 When I explained to my parents what was happening, they thought I was making excuses or not wanting to try. That makes me scared to speak to them about my problems. I am trapped because they answer questions from how they we're raised. So now I am asking my brothers more, because they are more where I am at. Basically, all I am asking for is honest answers about planning for my future.

Speak your Truth even when your voice is shaking.

Speak your Truth even when your voice is shaking.

 My parents are getting older and it is hard to train myself to accept that their energy is not the same as it use to be. I wish my parents could accept what I say and realize it is my reality, and that it is hard to express when I need extra help. I admit that I do not put my foot down enough because I am afraid of how people will react towards me. I do not want to hurt others. That is especially hard for people with S N (Special Needs) to admit what they are going through. Also it is hard for them to express it. A lot of times people with S N express their anger in a dangerous way because they do not know any better. I am grateful that I know how to express my frustrations, but I am scared about when to express them as well as to whom. This is why I believe it is time to turn the page on helping people with S N. It is time to get past thinking about what they can not do, and think about what they can do. For example; yes your friend can ride her bike around, that is great. I know you want to do that. But you can not walk, so what do you have to move around? You have your wheelchair. It may take longer, but you eventually get there. This is the positive kind of reinforcement people with S N need. They need to be reminded of their strengths and abilities and what they can use from what they have. Also the more they get the reinforcement and help, eventually they are going to see more of what they can do for themselves and others. We are aiming for them to do things for themselves, I would have benefited from that kind of reinforcement when I was a child. I could have expressed my needs better and felt I was being heard. Everyone just wants to be heard. Lastly, that would have made it easier for me to handle what I am going through.