Jess Didway
Bio
Mother, activist, athlete, creator in the PNW.
Stories (5/0)
Introducing: Chronique Living™
What is Chronique Living in the PNW? (CLIPNW) [CHRONIQUE - chron·ic /ˈkränik/] What is Chronique Living™ in the PNW? Located in Southern Oregon, this is a project designed around achieving optimum wellness through science, spirituality, and cannabis. When I first started thinking of creating a wellness platform, I had three goals in mind: to spread the word about the connections between our guts, brains, and autoimmune health; promote healing through the foods we eat, as well as taking my first steps into the world of alternative medicines.
By Jess Didway5 years ago in Potent
Living with Borderline Personality Disorder – Rx Me Good, Part 2
Happy New Year to me. My plate was full. In fact, it was MORE than full—it was overflowing. With my son in kindergarten, me working 6.5 hours a day while being in online college courses, trying to balance my fitness goals as well as keeping my home life/personal relationships stable—the universe was weighing on my shoulders. Normally, this pressure would have been MORE than enough to break me down, but in a relieving turn of events, the medicine my psychiatrist prescribed to me was WORKING. No longer was I waking up in the dead of night in a panic. I could answer the phone without my heart racing and my fear rising into my throat. No longer were my actions and emotions unpredictable; my mind was clear and suddenly I was able to experience life in a way that I had always dreamed of—without dread, without hopelessness, without fear.
By Jess Didway6 years ago in Psyche
Living with Borderline Personality Disorder – Rx Me Good, Part 1
December 2017, As I entered our local behavioral health office, I couldn’t stop the anxious shivers that ran up my spine. I wasn’t chilled from the weather—southern Oregon being unusually warm for winter—I was shivering in anticipation; I’ve always been a trembler. My last appointment at this office left me feeling unsure of myself and how I could ever get better with my new diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (a mental disorder characterized by unstable moods, behavior, and relationships) on top of my PTSD, severe anxiety, panic, depression, and attachment/abandonment issues. Over the years, my shortcomings and tribulations made me believe I could never get better, my depression and anxiety gluttonous for my despair. I knew I wasn’t in control, HADN’T been in control of myself for years, and I had finally reached my breaking point. Time to be humble.
By Jess Didway6 years ago in Psyche
Living with Borderline Personality Disorder - the Diagnosis
It took a lot out of me to muster up the courage to make it to my therapy appointment on time. By the time I had gotten dressed, the anxiety of leaving the house had set in. The lurking thoughts of my fear of driving —thanks to my car accident earlier in the year — caused my heart to race. It did not stop pounding on the trip across town, not even as I arrived, only intensified as I entered the behavioral health office. Step one, check, I told myself. I made it to the office. Without making eye contact with the receptionist, I checked in and flipped through our local newspaper (supplied by the office) to try to ease my anticipation. The therapist called my name, led me to her office, and closed the door behind me; not only ensuring my legally-required privacy, but sealing me inside her office to unleash my life story and traumas in what should have taken an hour… but dragged on well past two. She took a long time to think and write down my experiences.
By Jess Didway6 years ago in Psyche
The Importance of Women’s Reproductive Freedom
Women have been fighting for fair and equal rights for two centuries, with the first Women’s Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. At the convention, the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions was drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, much like the Declaration of Independence, which “demanded equality with men before the law, in education and employment.” (Imbornoni, n.d.). The struggle for equal rights did not go without violence, protests, resistance, and retaliation, which eventually led to hard-earned victories such as the right to vote; Colorado being the first state to adopt an amendment granting women the right to vote in 1893. 21st century women have been fighting a controversial battle in recent decades, regarding reproductive freedom and being denied the right to access healthcare regarding their reproductive health. Denying women the right to make their own personal and private choices regarding their reproductive health can lead women of all ages, races, and ethnicities to make dangerous, uninformed decisions regarding unwanted pregnancies due to lack of professional assistance and care.
By Jess Didway6 years ago in The Swamp