Thanksgiving quotes we can use every day
Quotes are some of my favorite things. Some of them I read or hear and they go in one ear and out the other. Then there are some that...
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...
Isolating ourselves to feel less alone
This may sound like a strange title so let me explain. I live with a health condition called dystonia, which is a neurological movement disorder. It is the third...
How life before and after chronic pain from dystonia changed my entire world
For most of my 21 years with chronic pain and other symptoms from dystonia, a neurological movement disorder, I viewed it as a curse; an evil intruder that ruined...
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...
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...
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...
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...
NEW BOOK RELEASE — Beyond Pain and Suffering: Adapting to Adversity and Life Challenges
In 2015, I published my first book, Diagnosis Dystonia: Navigating the Journey. It is a combination autobiography, self-help, education book that provides treatment options, coping strategies, skills for daily...THE TOWER – What my husband’s cancer diagnosis taught us about perspective
This is a guest blog from an old friend who shares how her husband’s recent cancer diagnosis changed his and their perspective about life. This is so well written...
My typical day managing my dystonia and chronic pain
I have lived with dystonia and chronic pain for 21 years. The first 5 of those years were the worst of my life. The pain from the involuntary muscle...
