Day 22: Little

Sketches from my Japan trip 👋

“Sleep Apnea”

This is something that I’ve been wanting to delve more deeply and apply into my work. I don’t think that many people are aware of the severity of this common but serious sleeping disorder.

About 10 years ago I was diagnosed and, like many people, believed that it was simply just snoring. But after getting informed and doing further research, I realized how much it severely affected my overall well being.

“Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain -- and the rest of the body -- may not get enough oxygen.” -- Nayana Ambardekar, MD

I’ve been told that, before using the equipment to help with sleeping (the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine, or CPAP), my breathing sounded like a loud creature getting choked from its own body. I can joke about it now, but it was a really scary discovery! But despite this health condition, I’m still thankful that I got to be educated, to find out in my early years, to get the help and resources I need, and to be more understanding to those that are also diagnosed with it or something similar.

You can find out more about sleep apnea in your own time. I just hope that there will be more awareness about it, that it’s not just snoring, that seeing the term or the supplies used won’t be so foreign, and that there are solutions to improving their health in the long run.

Resting and reflecting

Lately I've been focusing on other parts of my life and finding what truly brings me joy.

Despite the uncertainties, I'm thankful for these years of reflecting and facing head on my inner turmoils. I'm grateful for the love and support that surrounds me, be it at home or virtual. I'm especially grateful that, one of the reasons that I've been feeling at peace is I finally got the help of medication. I'm acknowledging that I needed more help than just therapy and meditation (although these are just as powerful resources), and that's completely okay. It's been helping greatly, and I'm relieved to feel more like myself again -- kinda like relaxing your jaw and realizing now that you've been tightening it this whole time.

It's only been a few weeks into the new year, but I hope you've all been well. Thanks for reading and sticking around, it's been a journey ❤️

Day 6: Drooling. Inspired by the Lily of the valley flower. 🌼

Day 5: Chicken. Whether it’s a giant chicken or tiny child, that’s up to you!

Day 28: Gift. Friendship can be a 🎁

Hi everyone, I am having a Charity Sale for ALL my prints and zines in my Etsy store, available through the link in my bio. I have a limited amount and will not be printing copies anytime soon, so once they’re gone, they are gone!

All profits from my shop will be donated to supporting BLM and COVID-19 organizations and businesses. For this month, I will be donating to @relief_international.

Relief International is a nonprofit that works in 16 different countries to provide food, education, and medical care to “people in the world’s most fragile settings.” They are currently building isolation and treatment centers in refugee camps for COVID-19 patients, delivering care packages to the homes of refugees, and opening more health clinics. (From the GoFundMe article with lists of charities to donate to, which is also linked in my bio)

For ongoing donations, I will be supporting the BLM movement through ActBlue. If you do share this, please also donate, sign a petition, and/or support your local businesses/organizations. And be sure to credit me as well.

Thank you so much for your support! I hope you all have a good, restful weekend ❤️

I've been playing this escape room series lately, called "Rusty Lake." I highly recommend it for the puzzle solving and for the spooks! Also dark shadowy figures is my cup o tea 🙂

Jorgen the Midnight Giant 🌒✨ 

Hilda is such a good series! I knew the moment I saw this gentle giant that he was gonna be one of my favorite characters ☺️