The imperative of self-advocacy
Living with chronic pain is exhausting enough, but dealing with people who minimize us, and our experience, is no less exhausting and irritating. It gets so old. The energy it takes to constantly encounter such limited understanding and entitlement from people
The Wordwise project quarterly update
The Origins of The WordWise Project
The impetus for The WordWise Project arose from what I perceived as a gap in helpful resources for individuals living with chronic pain, particularly everyday practical as well as mindfulness-based strategies that could help them adapt to their new reality in positive, uplifting, and empowering ways. I also noticed a glaring absence of resources
the cost of careless words
There are times when someone’s words land like a stone — heavy, sharp, and impossible to shrug off. For those of us living with chronic pain or disability, these moments can feel all too familiar. What may have been intended as casual curiosity or even concern can instead come across as judgment, dismissal, or intrusion.
the radical act of slowing down
To some, slowing down — whether by choice or necessity — is often met with discomfort, suspicion, or pity. It can also be easily mistaken for failure. In our culture, the productivity myth prevails. We live in a world that worships speed. Quick decisions, fast fixes, and relentless momentum are praised as signs of strength. Productivity
The parts we hide, and the stories we need to tell
When Was the Last Time Someone Really Asked About You?
I mean really asked. Think about the last time someone genuinely asked you about your life story — not your job, not your title, but who you are, your life experiences,
The delicate balance of sharing
There’s a vulnerability that comes with sharing my story, especially when it’s rooted in something so personal, painful, and ongoing. Each time I write about my experiences with chronic pain, I feel both exposed and
Out of alignment, and the journey back
“ I thought I was fine — until I was flat on the floor, wondering what happened.” Many of us are walking around, (so to speak) slightly or severely out of alignment, physically or metaphorically, without even
When Pain Becomes the Path
I don’t adhere to any one faith, and I don’t reject any, either. I’m not here to preach, convert, or explain away suffering. I’ve always been spiritually inclined, though—a
Living Through a Flare
I usually know when the pain is already high the moment I awaken. The familiar signs tell me it’s more than just a tougher day. It heralds the onset of
The Presence of Grief While Navigating Chronic Pain
One word has arisen each time I’ve held seminars on living well with chronic pain: Grief. It’s a companion that has come to the table for so many of us living this experience. As a follow-up to my last article, I‘ll dive
It’s Not Over
For those of us who live with chronic pain, it’s easy to fall into that insidious trap sometimes — the one that tells us, “it’s all over.”
Sometimes that voice arises early on, at the onset of chronic pain, and sometimes it resurfaces
Tending the Inner Garden
Tending the Inner Garden: Self-Care and Self-Compassion with Chronic Pain
Transforming Self-Care from Surface Rituals to Soulful Reverence
There came a point in my chronic pain journey when I realized: I’d spent years tending to everyone but myself.
I knew how to push through, show up, and take care of others. But when pain made that impossible, I had to face something unfamiliar — the quiet invitation
How I found my voice again: The Transformative Power of Writing
Let’s talk about writing as both creative and therapeutic practice. It’s a topic that many of us are familiar with in the broader sense, and it can be an incredibly rich portal for
Music as a healing practice
I’ve been thinking a lot about sound and music as a therapeutic medium, and I wanted to share some reflections with you.
The power of sound has been a source of fascination and a recurring theme in my life for as long as I can remember. In addition to the emphasis
Art as therapeutic practice
I wanted to share a bit about art as a therapeutic practice in my own life, and to invite you to explore this as well in yours.
Growing up, there was always an emphasis on art in my family and in our home. There were books on art we loved to look at, and trips to the art museum
A new beginning…
I wanted to let you in on a little secret: This is a new journey for me too. . Well, not the pain part….that’s been in my life since 2016, and I’ve reconciled with the likelihood