Navigating Life with POTS and Pans

6 months ago I decided that instead of a New Years’ Resolution for 2023 I would instead track all of the moments that I felt true joy. I did this by using an app called Freeform which allowed me to add notes and pictures from my camera roll. This practice has helped me to learn a lot about myself, who I am, and who I want to be; none of which is defined by a health condition.

This practice helped me to learn what brought me joy which helped me figure out what to prioritize in my life.

I noted any time spent with friends who were good for my soul, activities that my body and soul loved, activities that my mind loved, clothes that felt like a reflection of myself, and food that fueled my body or soul in a way that felt good.

Here’s one example:

Okay so the story behind it. I was lucky enough to be able to go on vacation with my mom, however, the weather was horrible. On the first day we were there my mom and I had decided to go to the gym. All of a sudden it started absolutely pouring rain. I was not feeling myself inside the gym, I felt like I should be in the gym but that it was not what I wanted. In that instance I knew what my soul craved. I needed to run outside in the pouring rain, so that’s exactly what I did! However, I gave myself permission to run however I felt and that there was no pressure to keep running continuously. Because of this my run was definitely more of a run walk haha but this allowed me to slow down and really look around me, which is how I noticed that beautiful green piece of sea glass (or a beer bottle, but I want to believe it was sea glass 🙂 I was able to appreciate where I was and to not just get rained on but to really feel the rain, and let me tell you it was a really awesome experience! Now, I say all that because sometimes you just have to do it. If you wait for the right moment, it will never come. I am a big believer in creating memories, moments, and adventures, not simply waiting for them to happen to us.

Now, before I talk about prioritizing joy I want to make a distinction between joy and happiness. In my mind, happiness is closest to pleasure, while joy gets at something deeper. Joy does not require perfect conditions to thrive, but rather it can thrive in the barest of deserts and the harshest of climates. Happiness is a feeling, while joy is a choice.

Okay so how do you even prioritize joy??? The first step is making the decision that you want to, and next you have to find time in your day to fit it in, and this is where my 5 minute dance party theory comes in! Numerous studies have shown dance to help with depression and anxiety because movement releases endorphins and we love endorphins. Now, naturally I have to include Elle Woods in here due to her *iconic scene* and exceptional scientific knowledge of endorphins 😉

Having a five minute dance party is so cathartic and is so fun to just let loose and be yourself, jump around, and get some stress out! I promise I have never had a single dance party that I regret. Also, let’s be real, it’s only five minutes which is .5% of your day (presuming you are getting 8 hours of sleep, which I hope is the case!), so give yourself that amount of time as a gift, that I’m sure will pay you back. After my dance parties, I always feel better, calmer, and ready to tackle whatever I have to do next. Wether that’s going to sleep, doing laundry, or cranking out a couple assignments, five minutes chaotically dancing is a five minutes well spent.

So, what exactly is my theory…? That putting five minutes of your day aside to dance will boost your mood, make you feel more alive, more hopeful, more confident, and more like yourself, all of which will help you gain perspective on what is really important in life.

At school it got to the point where sometimes I would just automatically recognize that that is what I needed in a specific moment. One such moment I even asked if my roommate would leave and come back in a couple minutes so that I could have my little dance party with me myself and I.

With POTS having a full five minute dance party can be a possible trigger for symptoms and sometimes I would dance for a hot minute and then just flop on my bed, but that one minute was worth it! One time I even just sat in my skinny chair and spun around while listening to some of my favorite songs. However, setting .5% of your data aside to choose to find some joy is what matters. POTS can be not only a demobilizing illness, but also a demoralizing one as well and it is so important to choose to bring joy into each day.

If dancing isn’t your thing, then find something that is. The only way to do that is through trial and error, so don’t be afraid to try new things!

Some people struggle with the idea of finding themselves and figuring out who they are, but in my experience people are not just one thing. They are a collection of who and what they love, and of what fills them with joy. Be confident in those things and you will go on to persevere through any struggle (including POTS) and I promise you will come out on the other end stronger and more resilient because of it.

Now I wanted to start doing something at the end of each post that is a concrete step that you can take in your own life, if you would like. Soooo here’s this week’s:

Stepping Stone of the Week: Jot down times when you feel happy or joyous, or add pictures to a note page (I find Freeform really helpful if you have an Apple phone). Then, reincorporate these into your life as you see fit. If at the end of some time, if some things (or some people) in your life never make it onto that list, then maybe it’s time to let it go.

Remember to treat yourselves and others with grace and love and figure out what you can do to find a little joy this week!

❤ Ashley