Let’s say you’re sightseeing at the Grand Canyon. You are with a trusted friend enjoying a scenic overlook when notice your friend is walking a little bit too close to the edge of the cliff. “Hey, watch out!” you say. You can see that no one else is standing that close to the edge. Your … More Understanding pain as an overprotective friend
In my experience, the key to learning to work with your pain instead of against it is to learn to view pain as your body’s alarm system. In the developed world, most of us are privileged enough to have very little experience with pain. As children, we only feel pain when we’re at the doctor’s … More Understanding pain as your body’s alarm system
A friend posted this article about the pitfalls of positive psychology on Facebook this morning, and gosh– it resonated. I’ve honestly been annoyed by the concept of positive thinking for a long time. It seems like most of the time, when someone tells urges you to be more “positive,” what they really mean is that … More The ‘Tyranny’ of Positive Thinking
I’ve held off on writing this post until I was absolutely sure, but the time has come for me to make my official pronouncement. In my post at the end of this past June, I explained how my SI joints were unexpectedly doing better following my 3 weeks in California. At first, I had thought … More The end of my SI joint problems is officially in sight.
Normally, I tend not to share work-in-progress type posts. I don’t like to take up everyone’s time talking about something I’m not sure about. I’ve just been through SO much– filled so many notebooks with my scribbles, had so many “epiphanies” thinking I’d figured it all out– only to find out that so many of … More Could my frequent chiropractor visits be making my SI joint problem worse?
I’ve been away from my blog for the past month, and I have so much to tell you all. I took what was supposed to be a five-day trip to a wedding in California, and turned it into an amazing, impromptu two and a half week stay. To be honest, I was really scared to … More Newfound possibility
I’ve realized something about myself recently– something that has implications for my ability to heal. I’m sharing it with you all, in case it can help spark a similar realization for anyone else out there. *** As many of you know, when I was in high school I had an eating disorder. I was very … More Inner Limits
Here is an amazing talk, given by social psychologist Amy Cuddy, on how the way we feel about ourselves can affect our physical experience of our bodies. I first stumbled upon it a few years ago, and every time I watch it, I find it’s still relevant to my own life. Dr. Cuddy’s … More Amy Cuddy on Personal Power, Posture, & Body Language
I’m one of those people who is spiritual, not religious. But I love holidays because of how everything slows down, and people come out of their shells. In Boston, on a weekday… you better not dare to take an extra two seconds to make your turn, because you’ll definitely get honked at by at least … More Graceful.
One of the things I really admire about Neil Pearson’s approach to chronic pain treatment is his optimism about our ability to re-train our nervous systems, once they’ve become sensitized to pain. Chronic pain is obviously not a cheerful topic. Those of us who’ve struggled with it know what it’s like to come home from … More Neil Pearson: Blending Optimism and Scientific Evidence
And one foot pointing toward my dreams… I haven’t been able to write as much as I’d like recently, because I’ve been busy focusing on my real-world exploits: specifically, earning money for grad school. It’s hard to find the right balance. Follow your dreams and the money will come, they say. But when your dreams … More One foot in the real world…
These days, I’m all about the little things. Last Sunday, I went with my friend Romina to her father’s house in Rhode Island. I would say that we were going to visit, but we were actually short on time, and Romina just needed to drop some things off. But we ended up having a great … More Little things
I had a crazy, fun-filled weekend. The kind of weekend I haven’t had in at least five years. Five years ago, my friends and I went to a “tango night” at a local restaurant. It was an amazing evening. The teachers were professional dancers, and a lot of the other students were from other countries. … More Lessons from an amazing weekend
I know I may have mentioned this once or twice before on my blog (or in like every post), but in case you missed it: Neil Pearson‘s work changed my life. It all started when I met a physical therapist who had studied with Neil. This physical therapist opened my eyes to a relatively new … More Neil Pearson on Building Hope and Recovery
What I love about winter is how everyday scenes can become beautiful, under different conditions. Here are some photos I took off of my porch after last week’s storm. It snowed all day, and then stopped right before sunset. I have lived here for almost a year, and I had never seen these colors. I … More Crystallized
This is the question that has consumed me recently: how do people take their most precious and guarded memories, and spin them into stories, unfurling them to the world? It seems so easy when other people do it– when you read a famous, heart-wrenching novel for class, and analyze its themes. “I could do that,” … More Reading List: Vulnerability
Ironically, I have a feeling this is going to be somewhat of a meandering post… because I have a lot of thoughts I want to share on the topic of staying in place. I moved somewhat recently (last spring) after living with family for several years. I didn’t move far (still in the suburbs of … More Sense of Place
