Living my life of Wow! This year has been a wild ride! Last year at this time I was in Paris, France—my first time on “the continent” with no plans to move. Now I am sitting in my new home, in my new office surrounded by boxes and chaos ....
Are you ready to thrive? Then it is time to take a look at the 5 steps from Ow to Wow and make your own Thriving with Pain Plantm. Thriving takes awareness and developing mindfulness. When we are in pain, a natural reaction is to get as far away from...
Support Lunch I went to lunch with two women from a Fibromyalgia Support Group I belong to yesterday. It was a much-needed session of support and a wonderful illustration of what thriving with chronic pain is all about. If you saw us, we would have looked like any trio of...
Rewards of Awareness Yesterday I woke up in pain! A migraine was starting to form, my low back was screaming, and I felt grumpy and basically in pain. I have tools now to be able to manage my pain and ways to recognize the patterns that can help me know...
What does it take to thrive? I truly wish that there was a simple, easy answer to this question, especially for those of us who live with chronic pain. I know some of the essential ingredients; information, knowledge, motivation, support, purpose. I also know that I had these ingredients for...
The Medicine Map–Where to turn? Do you know why you have chronic pain? In other words, have you been diagnosed? Pain is a symptom of something happening to or in your body. It can be a symptom of a disease process, an injury, or some structural issue. Knowing what is...
Hiking is Thriving! Living with pain is challenging on many levels. I posted the video about how addictions are based in avoidance of pain. This feels true on many levels including physical, emotional, mental and spiritual pain. Pain is a universal experience and by its nature is one that we...
What is this thing called pain anyway? When we talk about pain, it is important to understand that it is a very individual experience and to remember WHY we experience pain. Pain is a signal that goes from the body to the brain and says something is not right. It...
September is Pain Awareness Month Finding information about chronic pain is easy, but finding relevant factual information that meets a particular individual’s needs and educational level is not so easy according to American Chronic Pain Association, Inc. in 2013. Chronic pain is a complex physiological, psychological, and sociological condition. When...
A word about Specialists When you go to a specialist, you are seeking help. You expect that their knowledge, expertise, and tools will be able to alleviate or at least treat what is hurting. At the same time, specialists tend to see you through the lens of their specialty. For...