I hope I don’t jinx myself by saying I am doing better and have been out of hospital for almost one month.

I wouldn’t say I am all better. I still have pain but have started a new medication which must be helping.

They also increased my anxiety med which is helping a bit. I think I would say I am stable for now.

As well as the meds to keep calm I try to think positive thoughts like if I want to go to respite and have fun with friends I need to stop worrying about whatever I am thinking about. I find this helps also I try to remember to relax my self.

Drinking peppermint tea also helps to keep me calm. I also vent my feeding tube so the air can come out. I would say I am doing better and hope to keep it that way.

We all know this year is a very unusual year. There is a pandemic that is putting people on edge. Holidays are canceled and we are restricted in where we can go.

One thing I have found is that the more I worry the more likely my tummy will play up. so I am trying to relax more.

We all need to remember we can’t control everything but we can control how we react to certain situations. For me this is hard as I have anxiety and OCD but I do try hard.

One thing I find that helps is the calm app on the phone. It has different meditations that help to relax and calm the mind. Another thing is turning off from what ever might be upsetting and focus on something else.

It is always good to try to be positive but we also have to realise that it isn’t always possible because no one is perfect and we are all human.

My friends and family are good at helping me to be a better person but it is a long slow process and I think I will always work on it.

I am getting ready to end my 3rd NDIS plan and work on my 4th plan. This year will be different for me and many others because of COVID and the precautions needed to be taken to stay safe.

Every year they say we have to use all the money allocated or you will get less next round. This year though this didn’t happen so hopefully they will understand.

My plan expires at the end of October and I still haven’t got a meeting time. I know I didn’t use all my money so I am using it up by having more respite and outings. There are some things though I couldn’t do which i still want to do next year

Another thing that is hard with COVID is I may not be able to attend the next CHARGE syndrome confrence in the US because international borders may be still closed and the conference may be canceled to make sure no one gets sick. So I want a holiday but am unsure where I can go.

For my next plan i also want to continue with everything I am doing now and do the things I couldn’t do this year.

One of those things was an AUSLAN course so I can communicate better with signing people and the other was a behavioural management plan to help people who support me know how to best help when I get anxiety and OCD.

I hope it will all go well and I won’t have to wait to long for my new plan