How getting lost in physical and mental pain helped me find myself
In the summer of 2001, I developed a neurological movement disorder called dystonia. Dystonia is the third most common movement disorder after Parkinson’s and essential tremor. In the very beginning,...
Are you trying to be positive when you’re miserable? Don’t be. Choose honesty instead
I often hear people with pain and other chronic health conditions say something like the following: “I am really struggling right now and I feel that talking about how...
What can we do to find peace when we are struggling?
If you are struggling with anything in life, a question to ask yourself is, “what can I do on a daily basis that puts me in a position to...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
The truth about stress…in my opinion
Believe it or not, it wasn’t until final exams my freshman year in college that I heard the term “stressed out.” It just wasn’t used that often back then....
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...
