what does “Listen to your body” actually mean?
“Listen to your body.”
It sounds simple enough. It’s the kind of advice many of us have heard countless times, especially when we’re dealing with pain, illness, stress, or exhaustion.
But what does it actually mean?
when I thought creativity had left me
There are some things that many of us have always been searching for: truth, clarity, that ever-fleeting creative spark. Yet more often than not, those things have been right there in front of us the entire time.
What chanting gives me when pain takes over
As some of you may already know, I had been practicing various forms of mindfulness and meditation for over thirty years by the time chronic pain came into my life. I had learned different ways of working with my attention, my breath, and the constant activity of my own mind.
But pain changed the equation. Many of the things I knew how to do suddenly felt much harder to access when my body and brain were overwhelmed by pain that was both acute and relentless. This was also a time when the anchors of my daily life were slipping away, and the identity I’d built seemed to disappear.
Whose voice are you listening to?
I write a lot about self-compassion, in part because it may sound simple enough in theory but can be hard to put into practice.
We sometimes hear someone say, “Talk to yourself the way you'd talk to someone you care about.” It's good advice. But what happens when we've spent decades doing something different?
mindful, compassionate, and occasionally fed up
I spend a lot of time writing about mindfulness, compassion, reflection, and self-awareness.
And I mean every word.
But every now and then, I also want to roll my eyes at something.
I find it comforting to know that some of the kindest, most emotionally intelligent people out there also have another voice within them, the one that occasionally says,
"Oh, come ON."
7 things i started doing between doctor visits to take my power back
Some of the hardest words I heard in the doctor's office weren't "We don't know what's wrong," or even "There's nothing more we can do."
They were: "We'll see you again in three to six months."
And like so many others living with chronic illness or pain, I found myself wondering:
"Okay...but what am I supposed to do until then?"
why I don’t use the word “acceptance”
There’s a word that rarely appears in my work.
Not because I don’t understand its meaning.
And not because I think there’s anything inherently wrong with it.
But because, for me, it has always felt a little… unsettled.
The word is acceptance.
I call it… the “A” word.
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