Category: Mindset

  • When no one believes

    When no one believes

    A while ago I did a post on how a very British lady called Sarah Colwill developed a Chinese accent after a severe migraine. The post included a reference to how Ms Colwill lost friends because they thought she was pretending (read more here). At the end of that post,…

  • The opposite of The Placebo Effect

    The opposite of The Placebo Effect

    I don’t identify with the term ‘pessimism’. I see myself as ‘rationally realistic’. My husband, an ‘eternal optimist’, would probably disagree. I’ve written before about the version of pessimism that I carry through life (which can be summarized as ‘hope for the best / plan for the worst’). The prior…

  • Grumpy cats, snippy dogs and moody people

    Grumpy cats, snippy dogs and moody people

    There are so many videos on the internet with dogs behaving badly, cats looking grumpy, and pets just generally being moody… sometimes there’s also a dig at another member of the family (usually teenagers) acting out in a similar, snarly, way. It’s like the post I did of animals giving…

  • The power of perspective

    The power of perspective

    If you’re new here to this blog (welcome!), there’s something you might not know about me: I read, read, read… way more than I write. I read other blogs, I read scientific papers (as a hangover from studying for my PhD), and I read self-help books galore, looking for clues…

  • My top 7 tips to heal

    My top 7 tips to heal

    To conclude Migraine Awareness Month, I want to do a shout-out for my top 7 tips to heal. There are MANY activities on this blog that you can try, any or all of which can move you along the illness-wellness spectrum to help get better – BUT – I’m starting…

  • “Becoming bulletproof”

    “Becoming bulletproof”

    OK – so the title of this post is a lot more… macho (maybe)… than my usual posts – and it’s why I countered it with the “no violence” words in the cover image. “Becoming bulletproof” is not my phrase; it’s the book title of US Secret Service agent Evy…

  • Time flies regardless of the fun-factor

    Time flies regardless of the fun-factor

    Short post today, because time is tight. Seriously – where has this year gone?!? It feels like only yesterday I was having my New Year’s Revelation that we can be more than one version of ourselves… and now… 4 months have swept by in the blink of an eye… When…

  • “Chronic pain management”

    “Chronic pain management”

    Today’s post is a (long, but totally worth it) book review of pain psychologist David Walton’s “Chronic Pain Management” (2021).  It hooked me in, because the cover seemed to be calling to me from the library shelf, and the opening words made me say a vigorous “yes!” in my head:…

  • Everybody panic… or NOT!

    Everybody panic… or NOT!

    To get into the city of Sydney from where I live, you can drive in, but parking is limited and can cost up to $50 for a couple of hours.  So instead, I catch the train. It takes about the same amount of time (one hour) but costs a fraction…