Finding Life's Silver Sun

Living my best life possible with multiple chronic illnesses!

[findinglifessilversun]

doTERRA Balance Grounding Blend creates a sense of calm and well-being, while promoting tranquility and relaxation, with its beautiful aroma. Aroma: airy, fresh, sweet, woody . ✴ Spruce (one of the oils in Balance) was, and still is, used by Native Americans for health and spiritual reasons with the intention of bringing harmony to the mind and body. ✴ Ho Wood, Blue Tansy, and Blue Chamomile can help to ease anxious feelings ✴Frankincense provides an emotional grounding/balancing effect . Some Useage Suggestions: ▶Put Balance on the bottom of your feet to promote a calm start to your day and to promote feelings of tranquility throughout the day ▶Use for a wonderful AromaTouch® Hand Massage ▶Help ease anxious feelings,by applying to your wrists and the back of your neck ▶Use in a car diffuser to create a calm and soothing environment during your road trip (or during your commute) . How-to: ▶Aromatically: add a few drops to your diffuser (3-4 is usually all it takes) ▶Topically: apply one or two drops where you'd like it. Since it's already in a coconut oil base, dilution is not absolutely required. However, using lotion or a carrier oil (like coconut) will help it better absorb and prevent evaoporation ▶DO NOT INGEST! . Ingredients: Spruce Leaf, Ho Wood Leaf, Frankincense Resin, Blue Tansy Flower, Blue Chamomile Flower, and Osmanthus Flower essential oils in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil .. 🚨 Be sure to check out my giveaway (the image says "giveaway time" on it and I'm holding a bottle of Balance) for a chance to win your very own bottle of Balance and this beautiful tassel diffuser from The Curated Carrot! (@thecuratedcarrot) .. (Info for this post comes directly from doTERRA's product page.) ... ... #doTERRAbalance #doTERRA #GroundingBlend #Grounding #EssentialOils #EssentialOil #OilBlend #EOblend #OilGiveaway

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🎃 Halloween is tomorrow!!! 🎃 Here are some more of my Halloween socks from this month! . Clockwise from top left: Dracula monkeys saying trick-or-treat Orange socks with black, purple, and yellow polka dots Orange and black checkerboard, but the black squares are black cats! Purple and black stripes Witch Snoopy mixing a potion with the caption "stir things up." And purple bats on a black background. Purple socks with a yellow moon and witch silhouette . I can't believe it's the end of October already! This year has flown by! . ✴ How will you celebrate Halloween this year?! Dan and I are staying home and handing out candy to trick-o-treaters. We'll probably watch a Halloween themed movie too. ... ... #LizzsSocks #socktober #socktoberFLSS #HalloweenSocks #HalloweenCountdown #MonkeySocks #SnoopySocks #Bats #PolkaDots #StripedSocks #BlackCat #CheckerboardSocks #TrickOrTreat

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💙 Dysautonomia Awareness Lighting in Downtown Denver! 💙 . Saturday night, the Denver City and County building lit the top turquoise in honor of #DysautonomiaAwarenessMonth 💙 . It was so cool to see it, and so fun to see how huge our group was that came out for it! It was cold (46°F = 8°C, and windy), but still a fun time. . The wonderful lady who organized it (I have no idea how to spell her name) said it took 3 years of hard work to get it to happen because this building doesn't do lightings for awareness usually! I'm so glad she got to see it happen and that so many of us showed up! .. I tagged myself in the group photo so you could see where I'm standing 😂 It's crowded in there! (Dan is the orange hat right behind me.) Swipe to see more pictures (just the two of us in front of the building, and just the building)! ... ... #MakeNoiseForTurquoise #MakeSomeNoiseForTurquoise #dysautonomia #AwarenessLighting #ChronicIllness #ChronicConditions #InvisibleIllness (at Denver City and County Building)

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👻 Halloween sock countdown! 🎃 We only have 9 more days until Halloween! Is everyone ready?! . Here in the USA, Halloween is a big deal! A huge amount of the population dresses up, we decorate our houses, there are parties, and trick-o-treating (going door to door in costume to get candy). ▶ Do you do anything for Halloween? If so, what do you do? .. Be sure to catch up on my Dysautonomia Awareness Month blog posts! There's a link to them in my bio! ... ... #LizzsSocks #socktober #socktoberFLSS #KneeHighs #StripedSocks #Spiders #WitchHat #ArgyleSocks #HauntedHouse #Bats #HalloweenSocks #PolkaDots

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💙 Dysautonomia and physical therapy 💙 . I have done more physical therapy over the years than I care to think about, due to my generalized hypermobility spectrum disorder. Something is always injured. But after I had to see the same physical therapist for the same problem (hip getting stuck) several times, he sent me to a physical therapy and Pilates combination studio. . That move has seriously changed my life for the better! . I was diagnosed with dysautonomia very shortly after I started there. Because of the dizziness I get when I move from sitting/lying down to standing, we had to alter a lot of exercises I was doing (and she was always watching just in case I needed catching). My physical therapist and Pilates instructor now knows quite a bit about dysautonomia (she's awesome that way) and has been instrumental in keeping me functional! . I have been doing Pilates based physical therapy every week for almost 3 years (it's out of pocket, but worth every penny) now, and I try to get one or two Pilates group classes in every week. Sometimes, I can only do the PT, but that's okay! . I truly believe this routine is what allows me to walk as often as I do, and is why I'm still as functional as I am. However, I do know I'm extremely lucky and privileged to have started so quickly, and know that if is had to wait for a year or more I wouldn't be where I am now. That's why we need awareness: so more people can start treatments earlier!!!! . Pictures: seated mermaid (I keep my hands loose due to nerve problems in my arms) & leg circles with a resistance band Videos: bridging (arms up to keep them out of video) & leg circles with a resistance band . Be sure to check out all my blog posts for #DysautonomiaAwarenessMonth by following the link in my bio! ... ... #DAM2017 #dysautonomia #MakeSomeNoiseForTurquoise #ChronicIllness #ChronicConditions #InvisibleIllness #MakeNoiseForTurquoise #PhysicalTherapy #Pilates #SeatedMermaid #LegCircles #ResistanceBand

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Friday was purple box day! 💜 (Monthly doTERRA order.) This one was even more AWESOME! I got the convention kit and some throat drops, and 4 free oils! . The convention kit: OnGuard hand sanitizing spray, rose touch, jasmine touch, neroli touch, Siberian fir, copaiba, blue tansy, and the yoga collection (3 oil blends). Free oils: full sizes of Balance, Serenity, and Citrus Bliss, and a 5mL bottle of OnGuard . Copaiba is one of the most versatile and effective oils available! It's a powerhouse for maintaining overall health and wellness, with a huge range of uses! . This whole kit is full of amazingly useful oils, and they're available at a huge discount (more than $100 off). . You can still get everything but the 5mL OnGuard! If you get the convention kit in October, you get the three full size bottles FREE! All of October you can also get ginger for 10% off, just in time to make all those ginger-y treats for the holiday season!!! . To get started, send me a DM or leave a comment below 😊 I can't wait to help you discover all these AMAZING oils! ... ... #doTERRA #EssentialOils #NewOils #ConventionKit #FreeOils #PurpleBoxDay #NaturalHealth #NaturalWellness #NaturalSolutions

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With dysautonomia, exercise is tricky. If you don't exercise, you can quickly decondition which will make you feel worse. If you overdo it, you can seriously set yourself back. . Yesterday's corn maze was WAYYYY overdoing it for me (see the Halloween sock post). I didn't realize the full extent of how badly I messed up until I woke up this morning... I think I got sick 😢 . I woke up very sore and dizzy (mostly sore). Even after 9 and a half hours of sleep, I was still dead tired. As the day has progressed, I've just gotten dizzier and dizzier, more fatigued, harder time breathing, and more phlegmy. It's only 6:30pm (8 hours awake) and I'm struggling to walk across the downstairs so Dan is having to get everything for me. I don't even want the TV on. . (Thankfully, I got my flu shot Wednesday... So it shouldn't be the flu.) .. I am writing a bit more about this in my blog post that I'll hopefully have it tomorrow. Be sure to catch up on all my #DysautonomiaAwarenessMonth blog posts using the link in my bio! ... ... #dysautonomia #MakeNoiseForTurquoise #MakeSomeNoiseForTurquoise #ChronicIllness #ChronicConditions #InvisibleIllness #Overexertion #sick #NormalPersonSick #GotACold

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Dysautonomia comes with a lot of doctor's appointments. Everyone with dysautonomia has different specialists due to having different symptoms, but the two most common are cardiologists and neurologists - this is because there are frequently cardiovascular impacts that need addressing (blood pressure, heart rate, etc) and dysautonomia is a malfunction of the nervous system. . Many people with dysautonomia also have immune systems that aren't as robust as "normal." Sometimes, immune system impacts are due to other conditions (some of which can be the underlying cause of the dysautonomia), and sometimes it's due to the dysautonomia itself. My personal theory is that the body gets so overtaxed by all the disregulation throughout the body, it just can't keep up immunologically. There is also a theory that dysautonomia is autoimmune related, which comes with immune system problems. . I get sick easily due to a large variety of reasons, so I have started wearing a mask (either the pictured Vogmask or a Breathe Healthy mask) when I know I'll be around germs. I wear it to most doctor appointments, especially my cardiologist because he's in a hospital that specializes in respirarory illness. . Today, I saw my cardio, and we're adjusting my medications to further help my blood pressure (and possibly my heart rate). It's a long and slow process of finding the right medications to treat dysautonomia. . Do you see other specialists for your dysautonomia? What docs do you see? ... Also, check out my blog for my #DysautonomiaAwarenessMonth posts! There's a link in my bio that will take you straight there! ... ... #DAM2017 #dysautonomia #POTSsucks #stopPOTS #MakeSomeNoiseForTurquoise #ChronicIllness #ChronicConditions #InvisibleIllness #MakeNoiseForTurquoise #Vogmask

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OnGuard Sanitizing Mist is available today! This is super exciting! . Not only does this sanitizing mist have the amazing benefits and smell of OnGuard essential oul, but it also kills 99.9% of germs WITHOUT drying your hands out! . It's 27mL and fits perfectly into a bag, putse, or pocket to make it easy to use on the go! . The best part?! Each bottle is only $6.50 wholesale price! 😱 I'm going to be stocking up for sure! This is great for those of us with compromised immune systems 😊 . Send me a DM or leave a comment to find out how to get yours and to learn more 😊 Can't wait to here from you! ... ... #OnGuard #doTERRA #OnGuardSanitizingMist #HandSanitizer #NaturalHealth #NaturalWellness #EssentialOils #StayHealthy #CutTheCrud #KillTheGerms #ChronicConditions #ChronicIllness

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Beautiful fall plant in my backyard! 🍁 This is my hibiscus 😍 . Dan and I spent the day winterizing our garden because we're supposed to get a decent amount of snow overnight and tomorrow. We're forecasted to get between 4 and 7 inches (10 to 18 cm) of snow by tomorrow night. Then it'll be warm Tuesday 😂 Yay, Colorado! . We went through all our potted plants and removed any dead material and cleaned up the dirt so it wouldn't rot. Then we put down a liberal sprinkling of cayenne pepper because we have a squirrel that loves digging in and destroying my plants! Then we put down a layer of mulch to help insulate my perennials. We also swept so we wouldn't have rotting leaves on the porch or patio. And we tarped the furniture so it'd stay dry and reduce the amount of bugs (hopefully) that'll get to it. (We've been keeping it all in the garage, and having space down there would be nice...) . I'm exhausted and in pain. So now I'm gonna go rest! But it's great to have the majority of the work done so it'll only take a few minutes to finish when everything dies off. ... ... #FallLeaves #FallColor #ColoradoFall #Autumn #AutumnLeaves #PottedPlant #Colorado #WinterIsComing #ChronicIllness #ChronicConditions #InvisibleIllness

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I had an AMAZING time learning about all these new oils last night! . For a very limited time, you can get all of these oils together, for more than $150 off! . Plus, if you get them in October, you get three full size oil bottles (Balance, Serenity, and Citrus Bliss) FREE! That's another $80 (ish) in oils. Meaning you'll be saving $230 on these 13 oils!!!! . AND if you order before October 15, you get a FREE 5mL bottle of OnGuard! . Seriously, this is ridiculous! Ordering these new oils, gets you FOUR free oils and over $200 off! . If you aren't already a doTERRA member, I can set you up! Just leave a comment below saying you want to get started, or shoot me a DM! I can't wait to work with you 😊 . (You get even more free stuff if you get started this month because I've gotten some really AWESOME welcome kits setup!) ... ... #doTERRA #NewOils #EssentialOils #ConventionKit #NewEOs #EOs #FreeOils #NaturalHealth #NaturalWellness #HolisticHealth

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Dysautonomia is an invisible and chronic condition, meaning people affected by dysautonomia look just fine on the outside. . Having an invisible illness is extremely frustrating in that we often get judged as being undeserving of accommodations we need. Because dysautonomia often impacts young people - preteens, teens, and young adults - people around us see a young, lazy person instead of a disabled and struggling person. . Sometimes, I'm fine. Sometimes, I need to plop myself down on the ground in public because I misjudged my ability to walk. Sometimes, I need to use the riding cart in a store because I can't walk that long and Dan can't push me and a cart. Or he's not with me. Sometimes, I need to use my own wheelchair - a transport chair - because standing still interspersed by walking makes me feel like I'm dying (no exaggeration). Sometimes, those cute knee highs I'm wearing are compression socks and are the only reason I'm still able to smile and carry a conversation. Sometimes, I've overheated when it's only 70°F (21°C) and am at risk of passing out. Sometimes, I'm freezing cold when it's 70°F (21°C) and need all the blankets and all the heaters. Sometimes, I'm just fine. ... Check out my latest blog post to learn more about dysautonomia! 💻 findinglifessilversun.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/what-is-dysautonomia (Or click the link in my bio and click on the post title: What is Dysautonomia) . You can get this sweatshirt on my Zazzle shop! It's super comfortable! 💻 zazzle.com/FindingTheSilverSun (Then click on "chronic illness" and you'll see all my designs! I do have dysautonomia specific designs too.) ... ... #DysautonomiaAwarenessMonth #DAM2017 #dysautonomia #POTSsucks #stopPOTS #MakeSomeNoiseForTurquoise #ChronicIllness #ChronicConditions #InvisibleIllness #MakeNoiseForTurquoise

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Turquoise knee highs for #DysautonomiaAwarenessMonth 💙 . One of the many ways in which dysautonomia can affect the body, is by compromising circulation. Circulation of blood through the body is regulated by the autonomic nervous system. (I am talking strictly about circulation, separate from blood pressure and heart rate.) . Due to circulation problems, our extremities (legs, arms, etc) may get either too much blood or too little blood. Both can occur at different times in the same individual. . About 90% of the time, my feet do not receive enough blood. This means I have to keep my feet covered at all times or they get ice cold. In the winter, they're ice cold 24/7 unless I put heating pads on them. In the summer, I have to wear socks (unless I'm outside and walking around a lot) even if it's extremely hot. . The other 10% of the time, they're roasting. They will get red hot (literally) and swell. The only way to help alleviate the burning is by elevating my feet. This usually comes about by spending too much time on my feet. . We suspect I may have one or two other conditions that either exacerbate this, or are exacerbated by the dysautonomia. . I experience similar problems with my hands, but not as severely. It's most obvious in the winter, when I have ice cube fingers almost constantly. So much blood will leave my hands at times that they'll get pruny. . At least I get to put my collection of socks to good use now! (And I have several adorable gloves/glovelets now.) ... ... #dysautonomia #CirculationProblems #PoorCirculation #ChronicConditions #ChronicIllness #LizzsSocks #socktober #socktoberFLSS #KneeHighs #TurquoiseSocks #TieDyeSocks

[findinglifessilversun]

October is dysautonomia awareness month! 💙 Dysautonomia is an umbrella term meaning a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls all the automatic functions of the body, such as: blood pressure, heart rate, temperature control, digestion, and more. Literally everything your body does without you needing to conciously think about it is controlled by the ANS. . When the ANS malfunctions, it can impact any and all of these automaric systems. . Dysautonomia is more common than MS (multiple sclerosis) and Parkinson's combined, yet almost no one has heard of it - including medical professionals. Getting diagnosed is a challenge in and of itself, let alone getting proper treatment! . Please join me this month in spreading awareness for dysautonomia: #MakeNoiseForTurquoise 💙💙💙 ... ... #DysautonomiaAwarenessMonth #DAM2017 #dysautonomia #POTSsucks #stopPOTS #ChronicIllness #ChronicConditions #InvisibleIllness @dysautonomiaintl

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After waking up on Saturday feeling like I had gotten a massive cold - no voice, severe congestion, and a cough - I broke out this oil combo! . 💧I put Purify in all the easily-accessible vents in my house (all but about 3 of them) and switched my nightly blend to lavender and OnGuard. 💧My "normal" nightly blend is lavender and cedarwood, but I switched to lavender and orange because I was struggling with nausea. Lavender and orange not only helps the nausea, but it smells AMAZING! Lavender is 3 drops, and orange or cedarwood is 1-2 drops. 💧Lavender is 3-5 drops, OnGuard is 1-2 drops. It's still helping a lot with sleep, and I've been feeling SO MUCH better! 💧Put 2-3 drops of Purify in each vent. I have floor vents that I put foam filters in, so I put it on the filter. You can put the drops onto a small cotton ball and put it into a wall vent, or place it in the floor vent (careful not to lose it). You can also just dripbit straight into the metal vent, but the scent won't last as long because it'll evaporate quickly. . ❔❓ What is your favorite way to beat the "cruds" when they show up ❓❔ ... ... #NaturalHealth #NaturalWellness #NaturalCrudBuster #CrudBuster #ImmuneSupport #SeasonalSupport #FeelBetter #BreatheBetter #WinterIsComing #Succulents #HousePlants #doTERRA #OnGuard #Purify #dTOnGuard #dTPurify #EssentialOils #EOtips

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All natural produce wash! . No matter what you buy, you should ALWAYS wash your produce before eating it! I always cringe if I see someone steal a grape (pop one in their mouth and keep shopping) because produce is pretty gross. If it's not pesticides, it's actual dirt and bug droppings. So gross! . These are Sunbursts (miniature yellow tomatoes). They seem to contain a little less histamine (no science behind that statement), so they don't make me as itchy. .. Produce wash: ▪ GLASS container (ceramic & metal are okay too) because citrus oils can break down plastics ▪ lemon essential oil that you trust (doTERRA is pure theraputic grade, so their citrus oils are safe to consume) ▪ water ▪ your produce . ↪Place a few drops of lemon essential oil in your container (for this 1 qt container, use 2-4 drops). ↪Add about an inch or two of water to get the oil mixed in. ↪Add your produce. ↪Fill the bowl with water until your produce is completely submerged ↪Let soak for a few minutes (I did about 10 for these) ↪Rinse thoroughly! While the oil is edible, you need to rinse everything off that the oil helped remove! All those nasties are now floating in the water... ↪Eat your produce. Or properly refrigerate any produce not being consumed. Once produce is washed, it should be refrigerated to prevent spoilage. .. Need essential oils? Shoot me an email or DM! ... ... #SunburstTomatoes #YellowTomatoes #CleanYourProduce #ProduceWash #ProduceSoak #LemonEO #LemonEssentialOil #NaturalWash #NaturalProduceWash #KitchenTips #LifeTips #Eat5 #FiveADay #EssentialOil #EssentialOilsDaily #EOAroundTheHouse #NaturalLiving #doTERRA #ChronicIllness #ChronicConditions

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Hello! I dyed and cut my hair 💇 The bright purples and blues make me so happy! . Since the hairstylist decided to actually style my hair (suddenly, she was curling it and I was just like "oh, so this is happening" lol), Dan and I went on a mini-date yesterday! We went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. Not the best decision for my gut and head, but it was fun to get out! I was also celebrating record views on my blog yesterday! I got 355 blog views yesterday & 112 on the 9th, while my previous record high was 72! Super exciting stuff!!! . Dan also took these photos right before dinner! I absolutely LOVE my hair 😍 .. Lately, I've actually been feeling on top of the world! Sure, things aren't "normal" or "perfect," but I feel better than I have in several years! Go to my blog (link in bio) to read more about why! There's also "on top of the world" photos! Or, go here: findinglifessilversun.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/sometimes-there-are-high-points ... ... #NewHair #MermaidHair #CurlyHair #DyedHair #PurpleAndBlue #PurpleHair #BlueHair #BrightHair #ChronicConditions #ChronicIllness #InvisibleIllness