Miscellaneous

Our final back-to-school activity is one that you and your family can practice every day. Positive affirmations.

Positive affirmations are short, declarative sentences with a decidedly optimistic tone. Affirmations are stated in the present tense. That’s the case even if you don’t believe what you are saying or if you think it sounds silly. Studies have found that regularly using positive affirmations rewires the brain to fundamentally change the structure of the pathways in your mind, and change the way you think for the better. And it all happens within a matter of weeks.

In our last blog post, we challenged you and your family to create a vision board for the new school year. A vision board can serve as a way for you to identify your long-term goals, and inspire you to achieve them. Now that you’ve taken the time to acknowledge those big dreams, we want to challenge you to take some time to set daily, weekly, or monthly goals!

Getting back into the swing of things for a new school year can be a jarring transition after a sun-soaked summer. Each school year comes with more challenges AND more opportunities, so the beginning of a new school year is the perfect time for students to check in with themselves to see what they are excited about for the upcoming year! 

Listening to podcasts can be a great way to explore new hobbies, content areas, and expand your knowledge on a plethora of topics. With so many podcasts out there, it can feel overwhelming trying to find the right one for YOU. To help you along your podcast journey, we’ve compiled a list of 5 great disability-focused podcasts that you can add to your playlists.

Do you sometimes feel like you’re being bombarded with bad news? With 24/7 access to social media and the strifes and struggles of not only our local communities, but the world at large, it can feel like the bad in the world is overwhelming, sometimes unbearable.

Well the GOOD news is that there is still good news out there! We’ve taken the time to collect some recent feel-good news stories to share with you – and hopefully brighten your day!

Are you interested in learning more about what it’s like to live with a disability? These 6 content creators are a great place to start! Visit their social media pages (linked below) and listen as they share their lived experiences.

96% of people living with a disability have one you are not able to see. Invisible disabilities are usually synonymous with invisible illnesses which are chronic and lifelong. While the everyday person may not be able to see these disabilities, they still affect everyday life for those who have them.  A lot of these illnesses have similar symptoms, such as fatigue, low grade fevers, severe pain, cognitive dysfunction, learning differences, mental disorders, dizziness, weakness, and malaise. In more extreme cases, these illnesses can cause systemic damage and organ failure. Some examples of invisible illnesses are diabetes, lupus, fibromyalgia, chronic lyme disease, MS, and arthritis. 

There is a great deal of beauty and power in words that are well said. There is a reason we all seem to know to take “the road less traveled,” the romantic urge to “compare thee to a summer’s day,” or that the raven says “Nevermore”.