Social media as therapy
The “curse” of social media on society (particularly vulnerable millennials) has been a narrative that has been discussed endlessly over the past decade – but what if instead of letting it make us feel inadequate and alone, we used it as a tool for building a positive self-image and raising awareness of chronic/invisible illness? Activist…
7 activities for staying awake while relaxing
In my last post I discussed a difficulty that many people with narcolepsy face, being unable to relax without falling asleep. Time spent relaxing while staying awake is really important in order to prevent burn out, and finding ways to do that can help us minimize feelings of anxiety and depression. While some people’s idea…
Anxiety and narcolepsy: never relaxed, always asleep
The eternal paradox of being able to sleep at any moment… without ever truly relaxing. This is the reality of living with anxiety and narcolepsy. As a person with narcolepsy, you have probably had people tell you that they are jealous of the fact you get to take naps all the time. Whether a joke…
Narcolepsy in the workplace: info sheet
So I’ve already put this up on the Advocacy Tools page and on the Facebook page, but I just wanted to talk a little bit more about the Narcolepsy in the Workplace info sheet I’ve created and the reasoning behind it. The idea for this document came from a commenter on this blog, Lisa, who…
Diary of a teenage narcoleptic
As part of the annual narcolepsy conference in the US, N-Art holds an exhibition of works by narcoleptic artists. Last year I submitted a portrait of narcoleptic hero Julie Flygare, but this year I wanted to explore a subject much more personal to me: narcolepsy and mental health. In this post I’m going to talk…
Tips for napping success
When you have narcolepsy, naps are likely to be a part of your life whether you like it or not. However, when we take our naps on our own terms, they can be used as a great tool for managing our condition. Narcolepsy is a condition that causes our brains to work differently to those…
Unwanted Advice
Unsolicited comments are unfortunately a fact of life for most people with a chronic health condition. Today I want to discuss a couple of different viewpoints to keep in mind when dealing with these remarks. One issue that comes up time and time again when speaking to other people with narcolepsy (and people with chronic…