So how is it going in our world for Elizabeth this week
Well?!?! Today is a good day.
But the three previous days, not so much. You see the topic of a new school year was brought to the forefront of her mind because we had to have a conversation about the meeting for her college program that was scheduled for Tuesday of this week. We just found out about the meeting so it was a small surprise for us all and it sort of brought home the idea that school really was coming.
We had talked about the start date for school and it seemed like her anxiety was fairly in check. But this surprise really tipped her anxiety over the top.
And as a result, her anxiety went really high.
For her currently, the anxiety shows itself in her being absentminded or distracted. She becomes disorganized and seems to forget how to do the smallest of tasks because the anxiety makes her dyspraxia worse for the moment. Her sensory issues show themselves when she is nervous as well and that shows itself in her “not wanting to do anything” and by anything, she means anything that is at all challenging. You know someone is really working hard to keep it together when making cookies is stressful. Her tone of voice is sharp as well.
Even though we are 22 years into this journey with our beautiful Elizabeth, I can still find myself amazed at how great her two disorders readily show their faces..again. Sometimes I think it feels like they lay in wait for their moment back into the spotlight and then BAM! There they are.
I do know that I am so very grateful for knowing all I do about her disorders and how Elizabeth works because we know what to do to help her work her way through any heightened anxiety. I have to say it is not easy work but we know the things we need to do to help her.
We did what we know to do, we talked about her feelings, let her cry, wrote down a schedule for her to see and talked some more. But like I said in a prior blog sometimes the only thing you can do is to get to the day or event. And that was indeed the case for her because she came home from the meeting talking about her friends, her coach/buddies and how excited she was for the new year.
I KNOW! From one extreme to the next, but truly it was everything we said to her during our talks but she had to get there to see it and reinforce it for herself.
Elizabeth woke up today and looked peaceful. She slept well and has made it to the other side of this anxiety.
Our special needs children are so unique and work so hard in life each day. What works for us may not work for you and vice versa but we are all on this journey for our children to grow and have the very best life possible.
I hope things are going well in your world and we will try to make those cookies again tonight, my guess is she will want to this time!
I wish everyone a peaceful week.
Michele Gianetti author of “I Believe In You: A Mother and Daughter’s Special Journey” and “Emily’s Sister”