My journey with meditation had a lot of false starts and it was definitely a skill that once I started with the right intentions and reasons, I haven’t stopped and it has become the most valuable practice in my life. Read more about my meditation journey here:
Category: Self Care
Find Your Anchors
We all need our little anchors to keep up grounded and uplifted when the seas and skies are stormy.
A Healthier Way to Review The Year
It’s pretty hard to look back on a disappointing year, when nothing went your way and felt like a struggle to get through. From my experience from many tough years, here are a few things to keep in mind when reviewing the year.
The Days Are Long But The Years Are Short
2020 has been a strange year and a lot of us have struggled with the notion that our perception of time has changed. This is a very similar experience to when you have a chronic medical condition. Read more here!
Present Ideas for People with Medical Conditions
Buying presents for people with chronic conditions can sometimes be a little tricky. Here are some suggestions that are fail-safe to bring your loved ones some joy and comfort this festive season!
Book Therapy – Notes On A Nervous Planet
Matt Haig is a brilliant writer and human being who is constantly investigating and questioning the effect of modern life on our mental health. He is a huge advocate for mental health wellness, and has shared his experiences through his multiple fiction works and his non-fiction books.
Musings & Meditations – December 3 2020
When I Am Among the Trees When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me, and daily. I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which…
Places To Go At Your Own Pace
Today’s post is all about inspiration for places to explore which let us go at our own pace and don’t drain our energy.
Musings & Meditations – November 26 2020
This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive. – Alice Waters
Managing Celebrations With Chronic Condition
Anyone with a chronic condition can tell you that going to celebrations or large events can be quite challenging and exhausting. With some careful planning and sensible self care, we can make the event much more enjoyable and last longer than Cinderella before the carriage turns into a pumpkin!
Musings & Meditations – November 19 2020
Look on each day that comes as a challenge, as a test of courage. The pain will come in waves, some days worse than others, for no apparent reason. Accept the pain. Little by little, you will find new strength, new vision, born of the very pain and loneliness which seem, at first, impossible to…
Maybe She’s Born With It
So often we can fall into the trap of assuming that someone is naturally gifted with skills, habits and traits. But what if they weren’t born like that and worked hard to be that person?
Reading Gives Us Someplace To Go When We Have To Stay Where We Are
When life gets too much we can retreat into familiar places and stories that give us comfort, and which feel better than the place that we are currently living in. Escaping into a book is the perfect balm for a tired soul in need of rest from yourself, your life and the world.
Musings & Meditations – October 29 2020
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” ― James Baldwin
Musings & Meditations – October 22 2020
You can not prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair. – Chinese Proverb
Managing Both A Chronic Condition & An External Crisis
Being in pain or managing a chronic condition while also having an external crisis play out in front of you, can really add to the stress and therefore the symptoms that you manage. From my own experiences, here are my suggestions for managing both a chronic condition and an external crisis.
The Chronic Condition Emergency Plan
We never know when something could go wrong or we need additional help, and the best way to manage this is to be prepared and have a plan. Here are my tips to cover all bases!
Musings & Meditations – October 8, 2020
In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you. – Andrea Dykstra
Book Therapy – The Poetry Pharmacy + The Poetry Pharmacy Returns
I would love to introduce you to The Poetry Pharmacy. If you are a poetry beginner, or a literary lover, I am certain that you will find joy and comfort within these pages.
Meditations & Musings – October 1, 2020
The secret is to never lose sight of the simple, everyday miracles in life;good food, literature, laughter, music, compelling conversation, nature, and art. Look for them in every day,and even when it feelslike your whole world is unravelling,you will never be too farfrom a needle and thread. – Beau Taplin • N e e d…
The Survival Kit
Nurturing ourselves with familiar and enriching activities that restore our energy is what keeps us afloat when everything around us is uncertain, rough and stormy.
Musings & Meditations – September 24, 2020
“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us…
Sharing Your Story With The Right People At The Right Time
Knowing who and when to share your story with takes skill and awareness, and can be incredibly supportive and rewarding.
Activities For Slow & Quiet Days
Some days you just need something to do that is quiet and not too taxing on your energy levels.
How to Handle Motion Sickness Like a Pro
Finally getting out of your house only to suffer from motion sickness? Here are my tried and true tips to manage it.
Become A Regular At Your Local Chemist
The pharmacist is probably going to be a frequent person you’ll see when managing a medical condition, so it is reassuring to get to know them and their services.
How To Master The Afternoon Nap & Get Quality Rest
With a little experimenting, rituals and preparation, you can master quality rest time.
How Someone Looks May Not Be How They Feel
We all just want to be seen and heard for how we really are.
Clothes Can Change Your Mindset
Clothes help us to transition into different states of being and doing, and can transform your mindset and mood in an instant.
Rest Before You Need To
Don’t wait and miss the opportunity for a quality rest break.
My Biggest Game Changer: A Health Diary
One of the most transformative things that I have implemented in my medical journey was to start a daily diary.
Self Care Is Being A Responsible Adult
Self care that make us feel good and nurtured for our long term wellness.
Taking Care of Yourself First
As the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
Uncertainty & Being Uncomfortable
Hey Readers,
If you have ever experienced a crisis, a medical condition, a major change or been impacted by the current COVID-19 situation, you may probably have noticed the secondary effect of a level of uncertainty and discomfort. I wish I could wave a magic wand and help it disappear for you. Instead I have hard truths and some hard work to practice, which is well worth the effort for your mental and emotional well-being and for those around you.
When the Minority Becomes the Majority
We are all going through a time of big change.
