How to Get Inspired in 7 Steps

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9 Days Out. My leg hurts so much; I wish I could cut it off because that would feel better than this. What happened to my life?! This pain and discouragement make it hard to believe that God still cares. Maybe He forgot about me.

I started keeping a journal during my recovery and this is one of the first entries I have shared from it. Looking back, I can’t tell you exactly why I decided to keep a journal. I’ve always been a writer, though not a consistent journaler per se. As I’m flipping through the pages now, it appears to be a disordered collection of thoughts, feelings, get-well cards, appointment reminder cards, daily activities, and song lyrics. The pages are torn, and wrinkled, and things are stuffed in and falling out; taped, folded, and stapled to the pages in every which way.  It’s spiral-bound and thick with a frilly design etched from Easter grass green, lacy white, and sky blue. This passage graces the cover-

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things and at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. – 2 Corinthians 9:8

Totally not like me – the disorganization, the lack of forethought, the frilly things, and the Bible passage. I don’t recognize some of the writing because it doesn’t sound like me either.

Yet, for three and a half months in the summer of 2012 after my pulmonary embolism, it was me. And I wouldn’t change what is in it for anything.

Recovery is hard. Very hard. And there were – and still are – days I thought I may not make it through. Sometimes, it’s the small – or even big – things that remind us why we are here, why we keep pushing, and why we shouldn’t settle for less than what we deserve. Upon reading through my journal, I found out how to get inspired in 7 steps.*

  1. You are better than you think!
  2. Hope sets success in motion.
  3. Times don’t stay tough. Easier days are ahead.
  4. You’re more important than your to-do list.
  5. Things can turn out even better than you’ve dreamed.
  6. You shine brighter than the sun, moon, and stars!
  7.  Believe in the power of today!

Write them down, read them, save them to your desktop, or snapshot them on your phone for inspiration when you’re feeling blue. You can also pin, share, tweet, or post how to get inspired in 7 steps with the graphic below-

Seven Steps to Inspiration listed out

Share your story. Have you kept a journal during your recovery? Are there any motivational steps you would like to share? Which of the above seven steps is most inspiring to you?

There is hope for healing and you are not alone,

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Please note, these seven steps originally appeared in the June 2012 issue of Women’s World Magazine as seven days. I adapted them to fit my own recovery. 

Did I take my medication?

Did I take my medication

I have never been good at taking – or more like remembering to take – my medications. As you know, it is imperative for individuals receiving anticoagulation therapy to take their blood thinning medication on a daily basis. An anticoagulant helps your body control how fast your blood clots; therefore, it prevents clots from forming inside your arteries, veins, or heart during certain medical conditions. If you have a blood clot, an anticoagulant may prevent the clot from getting larger. It also may prevent a piece of the clot from breaking off and traveling to your lungs, brain, or heart. It is important to note, the anticoagulant medication does not dissolve the blood clot. With time, however, this clot may dissolve on its own. Dosages for warfarin (or Coumadin), a common anticoagulant drug, ordinarily range from 1 mg to 10 mg once daily (Source). The doctor will prescribe one strength and change the dose as needed (your dose may be adjusted with each INR result). Not only is it hard to remember to take medications, especially if you are not used to it, but it can be even more complicated if dosages vary day to day or change periodically. It is no surprise that people taking anticoagulants may often wonder, did I take my medication? Read on to discover my top tips for keeping track of yours.

OatBook
OATBook reminder

Did I take my medication? Not yet!

The OATBook is a mobile phone app that helps you track, monitor, and store your complete INR history in one place; keep your dosage times consistent and never miss a dose, and store your appointments and reminders. It makes managing your warfarin easy! I literally could not manage my INR/medication without it and it has become a crucial part of my Oral Anticoagulation Therapy, as the name OATBook suggests. The OATBook took a little time for me to get used to, but once I did, I quickly found it was essential to managing my warfarin dosages, INR levels and blood draws. Plus, it lets me know via an alarm when to take my medication daily (11:32 p.m.) and will continue to go off until I check that I have done it. It also reminds me of when I need to get a prescription refill. It costs between $1.99 and $2.99 and is only available for iPhone presently. You can find it HERE. Also, be sure to read my full OATBook review and see more screenshots of the app.

Pillbox
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Easy to refill, easy to remember.

I use a pillbox in conjunction with OATbook. My phone tells me when to go take my medication via the app and the pillbox ensures that I actually did it if there is ever a question later (i.e. right after I go to bed and I get back up thinking did I take my medication? The pillbox is very inexpensive (I’ve seen them for a $1 at the dollar store!) and can be found at any drugstore, pharmacy, or grocery store. It’s also great if you are going to be away for a few days, you can just take the box with you and not have to worry about carting around your pill bottles. I fill up my pillbox at the beginning of each week (depending on my dosages from the doctor) and am good to go until the next blood draw.

Smartphone Calendar/Alarm/Reminder
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Essential? Maybe so!

According to forbes.com, more than half of us have a smartphone nowadays. Why not use yours to keep track of your medication? Use your calendar, notepad, reminders, or alarm clock to note when and how much medication to take. You could also set an alarm on your watch. Whatever works for you – works!

Traditional Calendar/Notebook
pen and paper

There’s nothing quite like it…

Write it down – the old-fashioned way. Check it off in your calendar, include it in your daily reflections, add it to your To-Do list, or put a post-it on your bathroom mirror.

Share your story. How do you remember to take your medication? Do you have any great tips to share? Do you struggle to remember to take your blood thinners?

There is hope for healing and you are not alone,

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