#doingallthethings

Written on October 22nd, 2021

Last week was a super busy week filled with many things. Some of them were stereotypical “adulting” things but others were my version of adulting. For me, yes, “adulting” means stuff like going grocery shopping, paying bills, making food, but it also is other things that make me feel responsible and like I am caring for myself. 

Here are some of the things I did last week :

1.Went grocery shopping (this activity sometimes makes me feel anxious and overstimulated so proud of myself for going and having it be a positive experience).

2. Made myself food. Nothing fancy but I tried to add veggies when I could and felt like it.

3. Took care of myself when I got sick. I got sick after my flu shot last week and woke up in the middle of the night at 2 AM, then again at 5 AM with chills, a fever, a bit of a stomach ache and a really bad headache. I called my mom at 5AM and talked to her for a few minutes. She told me to take some medicine and get some sleep. I was able to calm myself even though I felt pretty scared. I’ll talk more about caring for myself when I’m sick in another post, it has been a big fear of mine, especially before I moved out.

4. Made important grown-up phone calls

5. Got a flu shot with an awesome pink band-aid!

6. Worked two jobs. I teach and tutor kids in French 4 days a week and I teach French 101 to undergraduate students at my old university two days a week. I love both of my jobs. I’ll do a post about that as well.

7. I had to teach my college class from home on Zoom on the day that I was sick.

7. Had to get myself out of my apartment when the fire alarm was going off. I was awakened out of a deep sleep by the horribly loud noise of the alarm. I put my shoes on and grabbed Blankie (my blankie I’ve had since I was a baby) and got outside as fast as I could. I used the elevator because it was working. A few minutes later, some firefighters came and turned off the alarm. They checked and found that there was no fire. They think someone pulled the alarm. It really made me think about how I will get outside in a real emergency, especially if the elevator isn’t working. I will have to go down the stairs, and take my canes because I can’t carry my walker on my own. And when I have a kitty in the future, how will I get the kitty out safely? Right now I’m trying to turn my bit of worry into problem solving for the future.

8. I made a budget with the help of my mentor. I haven’t been as good about saving since I moved out, so now I’d like to get back into the habit. Now that I am having to pay my own rent and bills that are higher than what I paid my mom, and I have two jobs and still some SSI, I decided it’s time to start thinking more clearly about where my money is going. I’m not irresponsible with money but I have definitely not been keeping track of it as I’d like to.

 After years of not being able to have more than $2000 in savings, I can finally save more because I have an ABLE account. This is a special account for people with disabilities that allows them to save without losing their SSI. It’s amazing being able to save my own money and not having to worry about it. I’d suggest checking it out if you are interested!

9. I went on a couple of walks. It’s not easy for me to motivate myself to excercise, so I try to go on walks some days because I like them. I live one block from a lovely park which is so nice.

10. I handled feelings of anxiety and fear on my own. I’m really proud of all that I did last week. Being an adult doesn’t mean you don’t need or want your mom sometimes, or that you don’t feel scared. You can have these needs and feelings and still be an adult. I didn’t used to think that. I used to think that being an adult meant that you basically don’t need your parents or need emotional support in the same way, or that you aren’t very scared about things. I’ll try to write about this more as well I am taking care of myself and it feels amazing. 

What have you done recently that made you feel accomplished and “adult”? Adulting, like independence, looks different for every single person, whether they are disabled or not.