Category: Mindset

  • Ice-curling and chronic pain

    Ice-curling and chronic pain

    A short time ago I reviewed a piece of writing about migraines, plants and pain, written by Tan Tuck Ming. There was a phrase that he used that stood out to me at the time of reading, and has stayed with me since – he mentioned his pursuit of a…

  • Mansplaining migraines (and painsplaining away)

    Mansplaining migraines (and painsplaining away)

    In 2018, there was a massive uproar in the Australian news about an image that was placed on the hoarding of a construction site, on the campus of Adelaid University. Can you see why? [Image source: Ad outside future Adelaide university building ridiculed] I’ll let the newspaper author explain it:…

  • Seeking the Nemesis Bird… mindfully

    Seeking the Nemesis Bird… mindfully

    I recently watched the fictional murder mystery “The Residence” which is set in the White House during a visit from the Australian prime minister (played by Julian McMahon (whose father was the actual Prime Minister of Australia in the year I was born, oh, and he was once married to…

  • Dream big and (maybe) make magic

    Dream big and (maybe) make magic

    Funny story. My teenage daughter decided to make a cake-in-a-mug. We don’t own the ready-to-go mixes, she just decided that she would start from scratch, presumably with a recipe she found online. The first I knew of her culinary adventures was when she stuck her head around the corner of…

  • Are you feeling paingry?

    Are you feeling paingry?

    There’s a phrase in Australia (and presumably everywhere that English is spoken) which is a play on words; hungry + angry = hangry. It defines the feeling of being grumpy and irritable because it has been a long time since you’ve eaten. I for one, am guilty of experiencing mood…

  • Three wishes

    Three wishes

    The other day I watched the movie “Three Thousand Years of Longing” (2022) because the title caught my attention. Without giving too much away, it spins around the ancient story of a djinn (or genie) who offers up three wishes. Visually impressive, filled with wonder and weirdness, there was something…

  • Eating crow

    Eating crow

    Every now and then I venture onto social media to see what the world thinks about global issues. Once upon a time, the platforms seemed to provide a more honest sneak-peek behind the curtains of mainstream media and the way they chose to frame the news. Now, in all honesty,…

  • Our woven selves

    Our woven selves

    On my healing journey I have often turned to metaphors in an attempt to articulate what I think and feel about my situation. I’ve spoken of the “tidal” (rather than linear) nature of healing, and the “rising tide of advocacy“, both of which affirm the fluid nature of the wellness-illness…

  • Shadow work (try it)

    Shadow work (try it)

    A little while ago, I wrote about a lingering pain I labelled “my migraine’s scar howl“. One of my lovely readers, the fabulous blogger Sue Dreamwalker, replied to the post with encouragement and kindness – and a reference to shadow work. I’ve never heard the phrase before, but it piqued…