narcolepsy Archives — Kayla M Douglas

14Oct 2020 by Kayla No Comments

What Causes Narcolepsy – A Natural Theory

Mindset

I picked up Louise Hay's book, Heal Your Body: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Metaphysical Way to Overcome Them. I wasn't thinking about what causes narcolepsy, just about healing in general. For the most part, I have a good handle on my health. I don't feel like narcolepsy has much impact on my day to day life anymore, and the migraines get better each time I face them and look at the underlying cause. But I figured looking at one more approach won't hurt me. This book lists a variety of ailments, suggests an emotional cause, and then gives an affirmation to help you heal the emotions that might be manifesting at the symptom. Screenshot of Author's Kindle Notes Louise Hay's Message "For us to become whole…

07Oct 2020 by Kayla No Comments

Taylor Schilling Claims to have Quarantine Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy

Less than two weeks after World Narcolepsy Day, I see the term "quarantine narcolepsy" on my newsfeed. When I learned that it was a reference to narcolepsy on Late Night with Seth Meyers, I was vaguely curious. Image by Christo Anestev from Pixabay Seth Meyers asked Taylor Schilling, known for her role as Piper in Orange is the New Black, if she has developed any new coping mechanisms during quarantine. She responded, "I think I've become a bit of a narcoleptic person like I hear like oh 'plague and pestilence' and then I go [ugly face] and I pass out again. [laughing] Like I just leap or I'll fall asleep in different areas and new places, it's uncomfortable." Seth responds, "That's interesting. So you just think you have like an…

17Sep 2020 by Kayla 3 Comments

Paula’s Story of Living with Narcolepsy

Mindset

Keeping Illness Invisible "In 1979, fresh out of high school living in Atlanta, I was ready to start my life," says Paula. "Going to school full time, working part-time, and enjoying a full social life, I never felt there was anything wrong with sleeping every moment I could. It was even okay when my friends started teasing me for always falling asleep." As far back as college, Paula remembers sleeping a lot. "Back then I blew it off as being young, clubbing, and drinking too many Pink Champales." Paula worked part-time, did her school work, and didn't think anything of spending her Tuesday nights enjoying Ladies night at Cisco's on Campbellton Road, in Atlanta. As they piled into the car, her friend Veronica would say, "Paula is going to…

28May 2020 by Kayla 3 Comments

Learn How to Live with Narcolepsy

Mindset

On Sunday, I was on a Facebook live chat with Project Sleep to share how I live with narcolepsy. First I read an article I wrote as part of the Rising Voices of Narcolepsy program. Then, Julie Flygare asked me some questions about how I manage narcolepsy and what my experience has been like. You can watch that here. Our conversation helped me realize that I have done a whole lot more than I ever realized to live with narcolepsy. Things that I just see as part of my habits and daily life now are actual strategies for treating Narcolepsy. I know there are plenty of things that I didn’t think of mentioning in the hour we had Live. So I’ve tried to list them out simply below. This has…

08May 2020 by Kayla No Comments

Can you really reduce migraine with hypnosis?

Mindset

A journey of self-understanding I was at a point where I would do anything to reduce migraine symptoms. I had tried everything from continuous birth control to the ketogenic diet and they had come back yet again. That's why I turned to some alternative methods that I had never considered for physical symptoms. It turns out, even my physical symptoms often have emotional roots. Before you read further, I will clarify I am not a medical doctor. I'm not trying to claim that it is anyone's fault that they have a medical disorder. Usually, I talk about narcolepsy, but today I'm going to share a bit about migraine. I had been trying to answer the question, "Why me?" when it came to my physical pain and suffering. But after years…

23Dec 2019 by Kayla No Comments

Are you authentic?

Mindset

And what does it mean? “Who are you?” I was asked that question in an interview on Monday. I fumbled a lot because I have this definition of WHO I am, but I didn’t feel like it was the answer my interviewer was looking for. What did I say? I answered that I was a life coach, an American living in Myanmar, a former ESL teacher, and a person with narcolepsy and chronic migraine. Why? The interview was for a volunteer position with the Migraine World Summit, so that’s what seemed relevant. We’ve been trained to show the sides of us that make us most qualified for a position in life, to get the job. Even though I know better, my training kicked in, and I said what I had…

19Nov 2019 by Kayla 2 Comments

Mindful Coloring

Mindset

This week I met with some wonderful people to talk about mindfulness and how we can be more mindful throughout the day. The first technique we talked about was to remove the words "no" and "not" from what we tell our brain to do. For example, instead of saying, "Don't forget your sunglasses, you can say, Remember your sunglasses." The brain receives the message better that way and you are more likely to actually remember them. We also discussed observing the barrage of thoughts in our heads like a train. You can either be aware and watch the train go by or you can get on the train and visit all the emotional states the train takes off to. Everyone was encouraged to choose a trigger point, something you do…

15Sep 2019 by Kayla 4 Comments

Connecting with Positivity on Instagram

Uncategorized

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a tough battle.” This is one of many quotes that Jill Hetrick, a 41-year-old woman from Erie, Pennsylvania lives by. Jill has a mission to help others who are living with narcolepsy better their lives by improving their outlook. Jill Hetrick, 2019 Jill was diagnosed with narcolepsy in 1996 after years of symptoms dragging her down. During college, she found ways to cope with her sleepiness, not realizing it was beyond the realm of what a normal student would experience. She was determined to be a good student. “If I had a group meeting, I took a five-minute nap before the meeting and showed up. I didn’t want to let other people down.” Jill had supportive roommates that were in many of…

04Sep 2019 by Kayla No Comments

What’s a Life Coach?

Life Coaching

And will they make my dreams come true? Life coaches are not fairies that can grant wishes. Sorry, if that’s all you wanted to know you can stop reading here. We have all heard about people who win the lottery and end up broke and depressed. If a life coach could hand you your dream, you may end up like those winners. Would you like to know why? For most of us, success is determined by having a role or responsibility in reaching our goal. There is no joy without progress. If the results are handed to you, you are at the top, and you played no part in getting there. Then the only way to go is down! You can’t replicate the process that got you to the top.…

21Jun 2019 by Kayla No Comments

Relationships with Narcolepsy or Without

Narcolepsy, Personal Story

Building relationships with narcolepsy or other chronic illnesses can be a challenge due to a limited social life. I'm standing outside a huge fancy house with a glass of red wine in my hand staring at a sea of people I don't know. I feel completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of people at the party, but at least half of them work with my partner. My partner has not even made it to the drink table due to so many people wanting to stop and chat. I escaped, knowing the formal handshakes and cheek kisses that are obligatory in these social situations tire me out quickly. How I Handle It I gravitate toward the one woman I know, a friend. We chat for a while until she also finds…

17Jun 2019 by Kayla No Comments

How to Read Faster and Accomplish More Today

life hacks, Lifestyle

If I knew how to read faster, I could get so much more done every day. A finger traces the lines across the page as the small child carefully pronounces each word out loud in front of the class. Learning to read has been an exciting adventure, and they are finally mastering it. The teacher comes by and firmly removes the finger from the page, forcing eyes to follow the lines without guidance. The message sent: this is how grownups read. [caption id="attachment_1146" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photo by Ben White on Unsplash[/caption] But what if using that finger is useful to increase your reading speed? Does it sound far fetched? Humor me for a moment and test it. The test Set a timer for one minute and start reading your favorite…

24May 2019 by Kayla 1 Comment

What is a life coach?

Lifestyle, Mindset

First I will tell you what a life coach is not; it is not a therapist. Most do not have a degree in counseling or psychology. If they do, they have left the profession to be a life coach for a reason. Life coaches should have some kind of training. I am a Certified Life Coach. In addition, I am a practitioner of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Life Coaches Help you Shift Your Perspective A life coach will challenge you to look at things from different perspectives. They will question your actions, and the goals you claim to have. They will help you narrow down what is helping you move forward in life and what is holding you back. The goal is to…

10May 2019 by Kayla No Comments

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Mindset

You may THINK you know more than you actually know. It may sound like common sense. But once you start thinking about it, it's actually a little bit more complicated than it seems. What do I mean by that? There are lots of things that we believe are facts. We probably learned them when we were small children, and we stored them in our mind as fact when they are actually beliefs. We don’t think about why we believe these things are true. We are not made to question what we have already accepted. Think about it. When was the last time you tried to prove yourself wrong? Here are some examples. [caption id="attachment_1042" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Image by White77 from Pixabay[/caption] Beliefs About Sleep Sleep is for the weak. That is…

16Apr 2019 by Kayla No Comments

Choosing Life

Personal Story

Choosing life didn't even feel like an option when I was depressed... One morning I heard my alarm ringing. I buried my head under the pillow, like covering my head in cotton would make the day dissipate. My roommate threw a book at my legs to get my attention. I regretted that the sound was also disturbing her rest, so I sat up and turned it off. As I hunkered there below the ceiling taking shallow breaths, exasperated before even leaving my lofted bed, I vowed to myself this wouldn’t go on much longer. I was 18 years old, and for the previous months, I had been applying to colleges. But I didn’t see myself [caption id="attachment_976" align="alignright" width="225"] This was me in April 2010[/caption] there. I didn’t see myself…

29Mar 2019 by Kayla No Comments

Narcolepsy Coaching

Mindset

Narcolepsy Coaching is a new concept. Interested in finding out what it's all about? Are you tired of feeling tired? Do you dream of waking up and feeling like you slept? Is your goal to get out of bed with purpose and not snooze your alarm? Do you wonder how much of your fatigue is normal, and how much is because you are living with narcolepsy? If any of these apply to you, then you are in the right place. [caption id="attachment_317" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Me in awe of a beach in Tanzania, 2017[/caption] What do I want to offer? I want to help you get from just coping with your symptoms, to living your best life. Sure, I recognize there is no narcolepsy cure (although I try to keep up…