In episode one, we get topical and give some brief descriptors of ourselves and the issues we deal with on the daily. We both contend with some contrasting invisible illnesses, but our journeys have been parallel in many ways. I have agoraphobia and panic disorder, PTSD, depression, Crohn's Disease, Endometriosis and I broke my back in a super lame way. Mita deals with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Migraines, Occipital Neuralgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and was involved in a car accident to add insult to injury. This is a laundry list of our issues so you can either relate or see where we are coming from. We hit both ends of the spectrum (Mental and Physical Disorders), but we are learning (each day) not to let these lists define us as people.
We get silly and mention Swedish pancakes and the rumor that Mita MAY have been a mail order bride. She was, in fact, not, but I think it would be a lot cooler if she was, so I will labor under than (d)illusion.
We discuss why we decided to start this podcast and what we hope to achieve by sharing our stories and the ways that we Creatively Cope. We incorporate laughter, share research and information, we speak of first hand knowledge vs book smart facts, we will share some of our "survival tools", try to raise awareness about invisible illnesses, what is "looks like" and what it really doesn't, how we need to get the stigma erased and how we just need to keep talking (much to many naysayers chagrin). No one should have to suffer in silence and since we have the opportunity to open up the platform, we figured it would be a great way to reach the masses and maybe help that one person who feels like they are the only person in the world suffering with _________ (insert illness here).
We encourage feedback, questions, ideas for upcoming episodes, and laughter at our lack of experience in the world of podcasting. All we ask is for patience while we figure this out (we are doing this by ourselves with NO prior social media broadcasting experience, web design, IG professional account craziness, etc.), kindness (because this is a big risk, putting our personal lives out there for all to judge and keyboard warriors can be super mean), and to have grace with us and others. These issues are deep and are sometimes hard to hear or speak about. We are trying to navigate the waters with what works for us, what MAY work for you, and learning about all the different methods others use in the process. We wish you love and light on your journey and we hope you enjoy our vision, one shitshow at a time.
-Jennifer
You will find some helpful tools to learn more about invisible illnesses and links to helpful sites:
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