Nature versus nurture when it comes to chronic pain and illness

If you live with a health condition, as I do with a chronic movement disorder called dystonia which is accompanied by pain, I have to be very careful how...

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Turning suffering upside down

Having lived for over 20 years with chronic pain and persistent involuntary muscle contractions from dystonia, a neurological movement disorder, I have experienced a lot of suffering. If you...

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Trying to put pain into perspective

This year marks the 21st anniversary when devastating chronic pain from dystonia took over my life. Within months after my first symptoms, I went from a very active, social,...

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Tips for becoming more self-empowered when living with a chronic health condition

When we are faced with a limiting health issue where performing “simple” everyday activities becomes a challenge, our self-confidence and self-worth can dwindle. This can happen with any health...

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Fear is the enemy: stop feeding it

I have been compensated by Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC for this blog post including for sharing information about XEOMIN® (incobotulinumtoxinA). I am not currently being treated with XEOMIN. Fear is...

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Listening to our body to help reduce pain and anguish

Having lived over 20 years with chronic pain from dystonia (a neurological movement disorder) in order to best manage my condition, I have to be very mindful of the...

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Striving to find balance when in pain and everything feels off balance

I am always striving to find balance in my life, as I know most people are. Because my neck is off-center from a neurological movement disorder called dystonia, it...

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How to choose better for ourselves when we are suffering

If you have dystonia and chronic pain like I do, or one of many other thousands of health conditions, or just dealing with some tough life situations, you are...

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Releasing past pain and starting the new year differently

Being that it is a new year, which for many people is a time to say goodbye to the previous year with plans and goals for a fresh start,...

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Coming to terms with painful challenges is hard!

Life is filled with endless ups and downs. The first 5 of my ongoing 20 years living with dystonia were pretty much nothing but down times. I experienced the...

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Try as we may, we can’t hide from our pain forever

Human beings are wired to run away from things that are painful and difficult. I sure as heck did the first 5 years of my dystonia diagnosis. It often...

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What a spider (and all of nature) taught me about resilience and adapting to adversity and pain

I have lived with chronic pain from dystonia, a neurological movement disorder, for 20 years. When it first began in 2001, it completely changed my life. I had to...

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Stress is like a clogged drain – Tips for managing our emotional plumbing

I think everybody would agree that stress is a challenge in their lives. Personally, I think we should take on the belief that no stress exists and that it...

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Slow down to manage your pain

How many of you find yourself rushing around and it’s causing you stress and pain? And if you already have pain, does it add to your pain? Are you...

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Embrace the suck of life

Most of us are familiar with the Latin term, carpe diem, which means “seize the day.” This phrase became especially popular in the movie Dead Poets Society with the...

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