About Me
My name is Tori Highley, and I am a Physics major in my senior year living with fibromyalgia. I intern on a science podcast, and recently completed an internship at a scientific journal publisher. I also am an active member of my departments Women in Physics club. I have a huge passion for physics and science, and I truly care about improving diversity in STEM.
I started this blog to build my science communication skills and develop resources for people with chronic illnesses trying to get through their STEM education. I realized that there is a lot of stigma about having a disability, chronic illness, or mental illness in the STEM fields, and the best ways to combat this are to support people with these problems and to make the conversations happen.
As a person living with chronic pain, I have found the spoon analogy for taking care of myself extremely helpful. Spoon theory is that individuals with chronic illness use a spoon to do a task whenever needed. There are 12 spoons for the day, and when I am out of spoons, I can’t do anything else. It takes one to get out of bed, another two to shower and dress, three to feed oneself throughout the day, and then I am left with six spoons to do everything else for the day.
If I run out of spoons without making it home, I usually rest before driving, or I text my boyfriend or brother for a ride. Most people do not realize how hard it is for someone in pain to get off the couch or make food in the evening. I often rest for hours so the pain subsides enough for sleep. I’ve found it very difficult to get my physics degree because of this disease, but I refuse to give up on myself.
I care deeply about continuing my work in science outreach and communication, and I enjoy documenting my work in STEM. It takes a lot of effort and planning for me to “spend my spoons” on outreach activities, but it is extremely worth it in the end. I hope I can inspire others experiencing similar challenges to find their place in STEM, one spoon at a time.
I started this blog to build my science communication skills and develop resources for people with chronic illnesses trying to get through their STEM education. I realized that there is a lot of stigma about having a disability, chronic illness, or mental illness in the STEM fields, and the best ways to combat this are to support people with these problems and to make the conversations happen.
As a person living with chronic pain, I have found the spoon analogy for taking care of myself extremely helpful. Spoon theory is that individuals with chronic illness use a spoon to do a task whenever needed. There are 12 spoons for the day, and when I am out of spoons, I can’t do anything else. It takes one to get out of bed, another two to shower and dress, three to feed oneself throughout the day, and then I am left with six spoons to do everything else for the day.
If I run out of spoons without making it home, I usually rest before driving, or I text my boyfriend or brother for a ride. Most people do not realize how hard it is for someone in pain to get off the couch or make food in the evening. I often rest for hours so the pain subsides enough for sleep. I’ve found it very difficult to get my physics degree because of this disease, but I refuse to give up on myself.
I care deeply about continuing my work in science outreach and communication, and I enjoy documenting my work in STEM. It takes a lot of effort and planning for me to “spend my spoons” on outreach activities, but it is extremely worth it in the end. I hope I can inspire others experiencing similar challenges to find their place in STEM, one spoon at a time.
Comments
Post a Comment
I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories! Please leave a comment so I can know what you think and what you are looking for from this blog!