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Retraining your Brain to do the Unthinkable

 


The human body is such a fascinating and mysterious place. There are so many components to it that allows us to do everyday tasks on the conscious level like talking, thinking, interacting with others, expressing our feelings or moving our limbs to pick up objects and to get from place to place in our daily life. Then, there is the subconscious level that takes on the role of creating thoughts we are not aware of on a conscious level, sending signals to different parts of the body to activate those parts at any given moment for full body operation,and a number of other tasks that we don't really think about as we go through our daily routine. The human body is like the Milky Way Galaxy in which we call home, there is such a huge variety of topics to explore; which makes it fun topics to learn. Did you know though; that we actually have the power to retrain our brain to do the unthinkable?

In this blog, we are going to discuss a number of different things which includes;

  • What causes disabilities within the body?
  • The purpose for why I think God created our bodies in the way that he did 
  • Some techniques for retraining our brain
  • Different case studies about people healing themselves with their mind 
  • What I am working towards healing within me and how I plan on accomplishing this goal if it is for my best and highest good.
Without further ado, are you guys ready to get started?

What Causes Disabilities within the Body?


Believe it or not, there are tons of people who are currently disabled around the world at this very moment. According to the World Bank Group that is roughly one billion people or 15% of the world's population that are living with some form of a disability. That is a lot of people when you really think about it. Disabilities aren't always visible from the outside with some people having a disability where they walk with a walker or cane, others may have a disability that cause them to be wheelchair bound, and for many people like me; our disabilities are harder to recognize than other people with disabilities because they are more internal or are more settle that we in a way blend in with the crowd. On a few different occasions my family and I would be talking to someone whether it is someone we know or just met and some how end up on the topic of my disabilities in which they react with a shocked expression and say" wow, I would never have guessed that you have disabilities" because of how well I walk even with my left side being smaller than the right, talk, do everyday activities, and interact with other people. The thing is though, what causes these disabilities within our body?

What are the Most Common Situations that can Cause Disabilities within our body?

While using my good freind, the google, for assistance with answering this question I realized that there are actual many different categories that make up the disabled community. With way too many to name off and some in which I  honestly have no clue how to even pronounce, I did some more in depth research on the different disability categories, what type of disabilities are under each catagory, and what causes each of those disabilities in which the one main cause for why disabilities develop in our body is due to an injury that can happen at any point whether it be before we are born; like with me as a result of me having a stroke in utero along with some other issues, after birth, or even later on in life. For the most part from what I could tell from doing my research is that a large percentage of disabilities can be temporary or permanent depending on the type of injury and the severity of it. The thing I always wondered was what God's purpose for created our bodies in the way that he did?

 What I think God's Purpose for Creating our Bodies the Way He Did.



Our bodies are one big organism that has the capability to heal itself at any given moment without needing any assistance from outside sources, unless we get an injury or illness that our bodies can't seem to heal fully on their own like when I dislocated my knee and later had surgery because it didn't stay in place for example. I find it both neat and creative that God created our bodies in this way and I believe he did that for two reasons;
  1. He created us in his image
  2. He wanted us to be our authentic self 
Every aspect of our lives is broken up into little parts that make up the bigger picture of what God has planned for each of us. When he sent us into this life it was for all of us to get to the same end goal of reaching the level of authenticity and enlightenment with helping make the world a better place in our own ways. Some people are already born into the physical body at this level in which they take on the goal of helping other people in different ways, others advance to this level early on as an adults; but for a majority of people it takes them a lot longer to get to this end goal. That is why I think God created us all in his image, so we can unlock the  peices to the internal powers that we also have within us that God and Jesus have within them to allow us to heal ourselves or others, speak things into existence, and create our best life possible through different situations. Along side this, I believe that God wanted us to be our Authentic self to be able to speak our truth that is right for us, to feel or observe our emotions in a healthy way, and to feel good within our body which is another reason why God gave us these internal powers to heal ourselves so we don't have to rely on outside sources like doctors, therapist, and surgeons who don't really do a whole lot to help us besides to practice medicine on what we are experiencing which only makes us feel not our selves; which is what God doesn't want for us and is why things like nature, meditation,reiki, and EFT tapping is so good for healing ourselves because it is natural and makes us feel good. The thing I really like about these natural healing methods is that we can use them to retrain our brain to do the unthinkable with overcoming different illnesses like cancer and healing a disability if it is for the best and highest good for that person.


Case Studies about People Healing Themselves with Their Mind



For years, many doctors and scientist have been studying different cases where people get some short of injury or illness like cancer and are told that they only have so long to live or won't beable to do an something again. Later to find that each of these people somehow recovered from that injury or illness when their was no treatment that could help them with what they had and were doing activities that the doctors said they would not be able to do again. How did they do it? In a lot of the case studies I read about, each of the patients turned to things like energy work, meditations, and other natural healing methods after traditional medicine or treatment did not work. By them resulting to this type of treatment allowed them to heal themselves and get back to living life their way. Some sites that I recomend checking out include;

My Story to the Unthinkable

I have done some pretty incredible things so far in my life. I have traveled many places, tried many different activities, proved the doctors wrong a few times by doing stuff that they said I shouldn't be able to do, and living past eight years after the doctors told me that I wouldn't; but I am taking my story to the next level. More resently, an idea popped into my mind and I started wondering if we could use the power within us to overcome our disabilities if it is what God has planned for us. With this thought I have been working on retraining the left side of my brain to be able to also operate my left hand as well as the rest of my body. So far I am off to a great start with achieving the goal of using my left hand if it is for my highest good. The things I have started doing is working on building the muscles in my wrist by doing Reiki on it at least once a day, holding my toothbrush in my left hand while putting on the toothpaste with my right hand instead of putting the toothbrush on the counter, holding lighter objects with my left hand and holding heavier ones closer to my body, holding a Chuck It and throwing the ball with my left hand, doing different exercises to get my brain use to using that hand, and reminding myself to use my left hand when doing different activities. With practice, I know for a fact that if it is for my highest good that I will use my left hand just as well as my right.

To Conclude

The human body is an amazing place. Isn't it? By learning how to access the inner power within us, we can do so much in creating the life that we want and the type of person you want to become. As we go about this week, I challenge you to think of something that you want to overcome in your life, whether it be overcoming your disability and doing activities that you thought you may never be able to do, overcoming one of your biggest fears, or building up the courage to handle a situation that you have been putting off for some time. Then, I want you to create an action plan for how you are going to overcome that thing. By having the right mindset you can do things in your life that are truly unthinkable.

Merry Christmas from Alyssa-bilities

 



Christmas is Such a Magical Time of the Year

It's almost that time of year, everyone. CHRISTMAS🎄🎁!!!  Sorry, I lost myself for a moment there. It is such a magical time of year where we gather with friends and family, set out into the world to do our Christmas traditions, and it is the time of year when we spread joy around our community as we prepare for the celebrations on Christmas day which touches my heart in a big way.  I know times around the holidays can be stressful, it happen to a certain degree to everyone with trying to find the perfect gifts for everyone on our list, getting our houses ready for family/ freind gatherings on Christmas day, and digging up the family recipes for a wonderful Christmas dinner. Let me tell you something though, there is no need to stress any further; whatever you got for that certain someone on your list will be perfect because it came from you as well as the decorating of the house and what you prepare for the special dinner. With this being said, I think it is about time that we get into the holiday spirit while spreading some Christmas cheer and I believe I have just the thing to accomplish this goal.

What Will I Share in this Blog?

As we spend this time together, I will share a story that I intend will make you laugh, some of my family christmas traditions, and provide everyone with a challenge as we get ready to celebrate Christmas.

YANK!!! Sorry Santa😀



Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, these are my two favorite holidays for different reasons. With Thanksgiving we give Thanks for everything God has given us throughout the year and with Christmas it is a magical time of year with doing a variety of Christmas activities, looking at light displays, and of course seeing little kids faces lighting up with excitment as they go visit Santa. I remember one story that my parents told me a while back that will stick with me for the rest of my life in which I think you guys will really enjoy.

It was a few weeks before  my 1st Christmas, the houses, buildings, and streets were decorated inside and out with lights like a gourous Christmas painting with feelings of joy snowing down on us as we went about our preChristmas routine. Then on one beautiful December day my parents decided to take me to the mall to get a picture with santa. Everything started off fine as we waited in the long curvy line that stretched for miles of parents and children eagerly awaiting the chance to visit with Santa. After what felt like a century it was finally my turn in which my parents placed me on Santa's lap and stepped off to the side, so they could get ready to take the picture. A second later, everything  came crashing down as my parents turned their backs for a moment to look at picture frames that were on sale. Before they new it, they heard a " HO!HO!Ho! Coming from behind them and turned around to find Santa trying to hold on to me as he is secretly trying to stay calm through the pain as I pull on his real beard trying to get my hand free. Once Santa calmed down and the elf's helped to get my hand free; they got a picture of me with Santa as he held both of my hands in his hand. Sorry Santa. I guess I must have been cute enough because he still came to our house on Christmas eve. 

This story always brings a big smile to my face around Christmas time because it was a funny situation that you don't normally hear about and especially it is not something you would except coming from a gentle soul like mine. This is just a small reason why Christmas is special to me, but the biggest thing I love about Christmas is the traditions we create as families.

A Few Dickens Family Traditions

    



For my family, we have always had the rule that we have to at least wait until after Thanksgiving to start decorating for Christmas. So on Black Friday while everyone else is braving the madness of the stores to get great deals on different items, we are having a Christmas decorating party. This is a fun time for my family because it helps us to get into the Christmas spirit while allowing us to have our decorations up for a longer period of time. Another one of our family traditions that I really enjoy is planning a route and going to look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. Yes, it may be packed with cars of people who had the same idea, but to me by getting to see the lights that other people put up helps spread that joy to the community around us.


A Challenge to You

Are you guys in the Christmas Spirit yet? I hope so, especially since Christmas is on Friday😉. As we get ready to celebrate this beautiful holiday, I encourage everyone to celebrate in the way we normally would; but keep in mind that the true meaning of Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus and spreading that love around the world. With everything that is going on around the world, I ask that everyone who reads this post assist me in my mission to spread Christmas cheer to as many people as possible by sharing this post with your friends and family near or far. Merry Christmas from the Dickens Family.

 



Oh! Before You Go

I am glad I caught you before you continued on with your day. I want to share a message that Santa sent just for me.





Overcoming Fears the Alyssa-bilities Way






Did you know that fear is by far the strongest emotion anyone can ever feel?  It is even more powerful than the high vibration emotion of happiness that runs through the veins in my body on a daily basis. Why? You may be asking yourself. The explination is actually quite fascinating. The reason why fear is so powerful is because it can easily take over any other emotion in a blink of an eye without even realizing it. We aren't born with all of these different fears; instead we are born with love; but as we grow up and experience the wonders that the world has to offer we can easily develope the emotion of fear. With this being said, how does one overcome their fears and get back to the place of love?

In this blog, I am going to explain what fear means to me,  my experience with fear, why fears reappear in our life, and different ways we can overcome our fears.

Fear is No More Powerful than the Other Emotions; It all depends on How Much Energy You Give that Emotion.





Personally, I believe that fear is just another emotion. It really doesn't have any more power than the rest of the emotions like people were originally thinking. Yes, it may seem like it is more powerful; but it truly depends on how much energy we put on a certain emotion to determine just how much power that emotion really has over our life at any given moment. Everyone experiences these emotion changes on a daily basis; think about the emotion of feeling tired, we all experience this emotion whether it be in the morning when we get up due to not sleeping the best the night before, during the middle of the day as we do our daily routine, or even a few hours before it is an acceptable time to go to bed as we relax from the things we did that day; but then we do something to change that tired emotion by drinking a cup of coffee, going out in nature, or do a self Reiki session and that emotion of feeling tired no longer has that power over our life because we took that power away from it and gave it to the emotion of feeling refreshed. I for one know for a fact have experience moments like this one; but I have also experienced times when I let fear control a certain part of my life which ultimately caused me to miss out on some fun opportunities.

My Experience with Fear

 Going upside down on a rollercoaster


For as long as I can remember, I have always loved riding rollercoasters, it has been one of those activities that brings joy into my life when my family talks about going someplace that has rollercoasters because there is such a rush of excitement, is a place where the whole family can have fun together, and allows us to escape reality for a while; but there is just one tiny problem. I am terrified to go up side down on a rollercoaster. I don't know where I got that fear from; but every time my family decides to go on a rollercoaster that goes upside down I stand in front of the entrance to that rollercoaster trembling, shaking, and even get to the point of tearing up at the thought of going upsidedown as I stand there staring at rollercoaster carts speeding their way up through the track and up into a loop before disappearing out of sight to finnish the ride. I would say I stood there for at least a solid minute or so arguing with myself on whether I wanted to go on the ride or not before we walked to get in line. Once I got in line I continued my inward battle with myself as thoughts of everything that could go wrong popped in my head all the way through the line in which I chickened out at the last minute and stood at the exit while my family went on the rollercoaster. Multiple times they tried to talk me into it and told me that  they don't even notice when the rollercoaster goes upside down, but that didn't convince me. I did however go on an upside down rollercoaster once when I was younger when my family took a trip to Disney land and it was one of the only big rollercoaster in that particular park with it having one small loop around a sun that was used as a decoration for that rollercoaster. At least for this rollercoaster I talked myself into getting on the ride which I did; but by the time I started changing my mind, it was already too late as the rollercoaster speeded it's way up the beginning part of the rollercoaster in which everyone started screaming their heads off as the cart took us up high in the sky to where we could see the whole park before speeding our way down the hill into the loop and continued speeding our way through the rest of the ride while viewing the beautiful surroundings in and around the park. I was actually glad that I changed my mind too late because it was fun and I didn't even mind the one little loop because it was at the beginning of the ride with the rest of the ride being the type of rollercoaster I really enjoy. For people who haven't been on a rollercoaster that goes upside down, I felt when we went upside down which gives your stomach butterflies for a second, but are up right again really fast.The hard thing is though, is that not all rollercoaster that go upside down are going to be like this one with it having only one small loop through the whole ride.







 As of right now, I am still trying to get over my fear of going on upside down rollercoaster that has multiple parts where we go upside down within one ride of being on the rollercoaster.

Why do Fears Reappear in Our Life.





To me, fear is the ego's way of trying to keep us safe. With our mind being the the key to setting us free. When going on a spiritual journey we learn a lot of different things like how to heal ourselves, what happens after death, and different ways to improving our way of life, but I believe one of the biggest things we learn in spirituality is just how powerful our mind truly is and how what we say or think attracts situations into our life based on what we say, think, and choose to focus our energy on a daily basis. Going back to my fear of going upside down on a rollercoaster is a really good example for how powerful our mind can be at any given point in time. For so long I allowed my ego to take control of the experience by doing what ever it could to make that feeling of fear stronger within me of riding rollercoasters  that went upside down which caused me to miss out on so many opportunities that could have been fun if I had calmed my ego down. With this, I put more energy on being fearful of riding that type of rollercoaster which brought more of those rollercoaster in my experience rather than the type of rollercoasters I enjoy the most when going to different amusement parks. The thing is though, how do we overcome our fears?

Overcoming Fears the Alyssa-bilities Way




More recently, my family and I talked about planning a trip to Six Flags Over Georgia when the weather gets warmer, so we can spend as much time at the park as we want without getting too cold. This will be a fun outing for my family with it being 240 acres of rides, attractions, and of coarse rollercoasters to make up a total of 40 rides and attrations along with 12 rollercoasters that is spread across the park. The other day after we drove past Six Flags on the way home; I went to their website to see what all they havse to offer( as far as rides go) and discovered that almost all of the rollercoasters go upside down. This will be the ultimate challenge of overcoming my fear of going upside down multiple times; but I set the intention for myself that I will go on all the big rollercoaster, even the ones that go upside down. 

How I will Overcome this Fear?

Overcoming a fear is more challenging than people think. It is like one of those things that is easier said than done. Looking back at the times I didn't go on the upside down rollercoasters with my family I realized that I in a way judged the rollercoaster like someone would judge a book by it's covers. I would stand in front of the entrance to the rollercoaster watching as the people in the rollercoaster carts zip their way through the track and if any part of it seemed like it would be scary then I would decide right then if I was going to ride that rollercoaster or not. Now I have a plan for how I am going to keep my ego calm when we go to get in line for the rollercoasters at Six Flags. My idea of how to keep my ego calm includes;
  • Taking a deep breath before and on the rollercoaster
  • Looking at the rollercoaster from a different point of view where it will be fun instead of scary
  • Trying it at least once before determining that I say I don't like it
  • Reassuring my ego that I won't be in danger and it is a fun experience.
  •  Reminding myself that thousands of people ride these type of rollercoasters each day and love them
  • Having a mantra like this will be fun that I can say to myself to help keep my ego from trying to scare me out of going on the ride
  • Make a list of everything that can go right by doing the thing your fearful of
This is my plan for how I am going to have the most fun with my family while at Six Flags Over Georgia. 

Conclusion

Fear is just another emotion that our ego uses to try to keep us safe in Life. Our time on earth is way too short to be left out of things because we are fearful of the activity or that something may or may not happen. Chances are that if we try something that we are fearful of that it won't be as bad as we made it out to be and will actually have fun. Once we go to Six Flags I will let you guys know how my plan worked and if I liked riding the upside down rollercoasters. As we go through this week though, I challenge everyone to think of one of their biggest fears and create a plan with things you will do to overcome your fear.

Growing Up Alongside a Sibling with Disabilities; A Sibling's Perspective

 








"You and I are sisters. If you fall remember I will always pick you up... As soon as I finishing laughing!" I have no clue who originally wrote this quote, but each time I read it, I get a big smile on my face because it really sums up the relationship I have with with my sister. Growing up, Audrey and I  weren't like "normal"sisters who keep to themselves, doesn't really make any time for their sibling(s), and argues almost constintly. Instead we spent just about every waking minute together, played jokes on eachother , laughed or giggled almost constantly, had fun, and our mom could count how many times we argued from the day Audrey was born to the day she left her physical body here on earth with one hand. For the most part we were always really close to one another; but in the back of my mind I always wondered what it felt like for her to grow up alongside me with all of my disabilities?


In this blog, I will go more in depth with my relationship with my sister, share some challenges a sibling may experience with growing up around a sibling with disabilities, how to solve those challenges, and my advice for the best way to maintain a solid relalationship as a sibling to a sibling with disabilities.

When is She Going Back?

My sister; Audrey
                     My sister; Audrey

I am just going to put it out there that being a sister is one of the best experiences in the world; even though I asked my parents when she was going back on the day she was born😉🤣😀.  I still can't believe I said that about my sister. I guess that is where a three year old's mind goes when all they know is an environment that is quiet and calm for three years and then a sudden change to constant crying and chaos of having a newborn sister in the house.  We have always been really close to one another though, with being more like a team that could never be broken apart as we went about life in our own unique way. Where as most siblings our age at the time would more than likely spend most of their time playing with material objects inside; we spent most if not all of our time outside as we rode our bikes or scooters, went for walks, and played about a million make- beleive games. We were constantly moving around with doing different activities that even though we had tons of toys, we never really stayed entertained with them or actually stayed still long enough to play with them and preferred to do an activity that allowed us to move and be active.

Having a sibling whether they are older or younger than you is truly a blessing for many reasons. For me personally though,the biggest reason why having a sibling is a blessing is for all the fun memories we created as we grew up together. Audrey and I always had a good time with one anthor and even though she is not here in physical form makes me sad, but I still have a relationship with her in a different way.  In life, there are going to be good moments like the ones I talked about earlier in this post and bad moments like I talk about in some of my other posts. All bad moments effect the people around you; but how does it effect a sibling who witnesses it happening to their disabled sibling?

Challenges Siblings may Face growing up Around a Sibling with Disabilities

I can't speak for Audrey or even come close to imaging what was going through her mind during the times I either rolled backwards on my bike off a revein, blacked out and fell backwards unresponsive in the middle of the dinning room due to some seizure activity that made another appearance when I was 14, or the time I  rolled over on the trampoline and dislocating my knee. It had to be scary for my whole family, but especially for her with witnessing each of these events , unsure of what happend, wanting to help but unsure how,and being told to standing off to the side if we were in a public place or if we were at home my parents would tell her to go inside or to go into a different room to remove her from the situation all together when all that was on her mind at the time was to make sure I was ok, so they could focus on me, the situation, and have enough room for the paramedics to take care of me if it was nessesarry like when I dislocated my knee. Once the situation was handled or being handled one of my parents would go check on Audrey to see how she is doing with what happened. These are just a few challenges that Audrey may have encountered with growing up with me; but what are some other challenges that siblings may experience face with growing up around a sibling with disabilities?

Other Challenges of growing up with a Sibling with Disabilities

Growing up with disabilities is challenging for the person with the disability,but it also effects the people around you with  them trying to find the best care options, making tough decisions, and helping you out with daily tasks as needed. The toughest part about it though is that the sibling(s) of the sibling with the disabilities are in my opinion are in a way disconnected from what is going on with the health of their disabled sibling. On the outside they may seem like they are doing ok; but on the inside there are many different challenges they could be expiriencing which can include;
  • Being disconnected
Trying to take care of a child with disabilities can be really tiring, stressful, and emotional; especially during bad situation that your focus is on that child and their needs which can cause you to unintentionally leave the other sibling(s) out. This can cause them to feel disconnect with what is going on around them and with their sibling.
  • Feeling like they need to be perfect
In some cases when parents are going through a lot with all that it takes to care for the child with disabilities, the other sibling(s) may gain the feeling that they need to perfect with every aspect of their life in order to not add to the stress level that their parents are already feeling.
  • Feeling like they can't express their feelings
Going back to the challenge of feeling like they need to be perfect goes along with this challenge of feeling like they can't express their feelings. No child wants to add unnecessary stress to what their parents are going through; especially when the parents are trying to find the best resources for the disabled sibling. The sibling(s) to the one with disabilities may be feeling a ton of different emotions with everything going on around them; but may be struggling with not sure how to express them or try to put a smile on for their parents as they push those emotions inside to not cause more stress on the parents.
  • Jealousy
Growing up alongside a sibling with disabilities has to be challenging. To the sibling(s) they may start to feel jealousy towards their disabled sibling because they feel like they are getting all the love, attention, or neat resources which makes them feel left out.
  • Pressure about the future
Sibling(s) that are around this type of environment with the main focus being what is best for the sibling with disabilities in the future can be a lot of pressure on them. They may feel like their parents are expecting them to take over the role as being the care taker for that sibling when their parents get older which is a lot of pressure with them being out on their own, trying to take care of themselves and their sibling, making enough money to that care of both of their needs, and trying to find time to live their own life. It is just a bunch of unnecessary pressure.
  • Mixed emotions
Raising a child with disabilities whether mental or physical can be very challenging. This can bring up a lot of mixed emotions that can effects your body if held in or not dealt with in the proper way.
  • Feeling like they need to have a high level of responsibility
When life is full of doctor's appointments, surgeries, research on the best care options, running errands, taking the kids to school, working,and still finding time to spend as a family is a big load and is hard to juggle all at once. Unfortunately though, that leaves out things like doing the chores around your house because it is not really high on your priorities list which the other sibling(s) notice and try to take on that extra responsibility, so their parents don't have to stress over it and can focus on the things that are higher on their priority list.
  • Loneliness
It can be a little lonely to be a sibling to a sibling with disabilities. Yes, they have each other, but what  about making friends outside of your family? Audrey and I always offered to include each other in what we were doing with our friends; which for the most part worked for us; but sometimes it was better to let that sibling play with their friend on their owm. It is not always easy to find a friend who understands what it is like to have a sibling with disabilities, so it can sometimes be lonely.

These are just a few of the challenges that a sibling can experience with growing up with a sibling with disabilities; but what can parents do to help solve these challenges?

How can Parents Help Solve these Challenges?



When it comes to solving these different challenges that the sibling(s) may be facing as they grow up alongside their sibling with disabilities it is import for parents to

  • Include them in descusions about the health of their disabled sibling in terms they will understanding.
This will do a few different things. First, it will help the sibling(s) feel included with what is happening around them. Second it will help them better understand their sibling's disabilities and what they are going through on a daily basis in terms they understand. Lastly, by including siblings in the descusions about the health of their disabled sibling will allow them to get advice from the doctor on how they can help their disabled sibling on a day to day basis.
  • Let them know that they are perfect just the way they are
This may seem very simple; but it makes a bigger difference in their life than you think. A lot of the time when parents are dealing with a sibling that has disabilities, the sibling may hide how they are feeling or change their personality to mask who they truly are, so they don't cause any unnecessary stress.
  • Sit down with them, so they can express their feelings, concerns, etc
Much like the previous solution, kids may hide how they are feeling about what is going on around them, but sooner or later those emotions will build up so much which can start effecting their health if they aren't properly dealt with. One of the best ways you can solve this challenge is by  sitting down with them and frequently checking in on how they are doing, what they are feeling, and any worries they have on their minds at the moment. This will help them get their feeling out into the open, instead of holding them inside.
  • Set aside time just for them to spend time with you. No matter what is going on at that moment
I find this to be a really important solution. Life can feel really hectic sometimes; but I highly suggest that for siblings of a disabled child that you set aside a date with them to just spend with them doing some sort of activity. I know it may be hard especially with worrying about the child with the disabilities; but it will be worth it for both you and them. When Audrey and I were younger our parents would plan a date with Audrey and no matter what was happening at that current moment they would take Audrey to do some sort of activity while I was at a play date. Some times it got hard; but it was something they set aside time for which ment a lot to Audrey with getting that moment with our parents.
  • Have a plan for the future, so the pressure of taking care of the disabled sibling isn't fully on them
No matter what, I think it is always a good idea to have a plan for the future when you are taking care of a child with disabilities, so it doesn't fully fall on the sibling(s). This will also the disabled child to be taken care of, calms everyone's mind, and allows them to live their own life.
  • Create a schedule to get everything done so the sibling(s) don't take on too much responsibiliy.
Creating a schedule is the best way to plan out your day with everything that comes with being a parent. This will allow you to get everything done in a stress free way.
  • Help them find or start a club for siblings of siblings with disabilities
Finding a group for siblings of siblings with disabilities or starting your own is a wonderful way for them to enter act with other kids, find other kids who also have a disabled sibling, and make long lasting friends.

My Advice for Maintaining a  Strong Relationship as a Sibling to a sibling with Disabilities

In my opinion, the best way for a sibling(s) maintain a strong relationship with their sibling with disabilities is to just be yourself. Disabled kids already express themselves in their own unique way because that is all they really know at a young age; but if the their sibling(s)  just act like themselves then their relationship with their disabled sibling will be stronger. I believe that is why Audrey and I got along so well is because we were our own unique self with everything we did together which allowed us to have fun, laugh, and grow closer as siblings  no matter where we were at or what was happening around us.

Conclusion



Being a sibling is one of the best experiences in the world. It provides kids with an opertunity to have a life long friend by their sides always as you team up and help each other with anything that comes your way. Yes, there will be good days and bad days, but overall I wouldn't change anything in the world with the type of relationship I have with my sister. By being yourself, you too can have a strong relationship with your disabled sibling.