Flexibility and Self-Advocacy

I am very excited to announce that I've been working on compiling data with the State of Maine for the next Coastal Public Access guide. This opportunity means that I can take my experience as a Maine explorer and put it in the hands of everyone interested in visiting the coast. It also means that I'm spending a lot of time looking at spreadsheets, organizing all the details about hundreds of places that will be published in the guide.

Last week I had a goal to publish my blog post at noon on Thursday, but that morning, there was a distorted wavering in the right half of my vision. It was the first time I ever had a visual migraine. The pain followed soon after, and thus, I had reached my limit for looking at walls of text. 

My blog post came out later that day when I was done resting on my bed with a heating pad across my closed eyes. I was bummed… frustrated that I didn't meet my goal, despite having a very reasonable explanation. And as I reminded myself of that, I found the words to voice a  recent realization: for me, flexibility is intrinsically linked to self-advocacy.

When I ask myself to be flexible, I need to know that it is in my best interest. Change is difficult and scary and not always positive. I thrive on routine, and writing is one of the most important things I can do, but so is taking care of my health. I’ve shared a few posts now where I’ve discussed my physical and mental health, and prioritizing my health has forced me to be flexible in both small and dramatic ways. I’ve published picture posts when I’m sick, I’ve tried different avenues for diagnosing the source of my chronic pain, and I’ve even left jobs that were too much of a strain on my emotional wellbeing. In all these instances, I understood that change was necessary.

The more I’ve learned how to navigate change, the more comfortable I’ve become at advocating for myself. I’ve developed confidence in my ability to take on or walk away from difficult situations. Understanding my needs and my worth has made moments of flexibility more possible. I’ve heard “flexibility” thrown around a lot as I’ve entered the working world. Sometimes I laud it, and other times I raise an eyebrow in skepticism. In contrast, I’ve hardly heard “self-advocacy” stated in the workplace, so I’m saying it now for myself. I have the right to advocate for myself and experience positive change.