• Will this upset the Mindfulness Police?

    Will this upset the Mindfulness Police?

    When I first started practicing mindfulness, it was practice in the sense of a “learning experiment” rather than a “regular habit”. I relied heavily on YouTube videos that appeared in my google searches, and made selections of what to try based on the shortest duration of the video rather than…

  • Everything is under control… maybe

    Everything is under control… maybe

    In the past I’ve talked a tough game about “progress over perfection” and how I understand the difference between “the circle of control and the circle of influence” (here) – but the reality is, I remain a mid-level control freak… OK, eye-roll… upper-middle-level control freak.  I like to know what’s…

  • Life in the ecotone

    Life in the ecotone

    I say this a lot, but I’ll say it again: I spend as much time (or more) in blog-land reading compared to writing. There is SO MUCH to learn about life, and I especially enjoy the material that falls outside typical migraine-me subjects. BUT I ALSO like it when I…

  • Sage, coach, cheerleader or filter-less friend…?

    Sage, coach, cheerleader or filter-less friend…?

    What am I to you? It probably doesn’t matter, but I have been thinking a lot about which kinds of people I prefer to take advice from, and equally importantly, which kind of person YOU might prefer to listen to.  Each ‘label’ represents a slightly different approach to sharing wisdom. …

  • Darwinian migraine madness

    Darwinian migraine madness

    Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is often summarized down to a key concept: “survival of the fittest”. Given this fact, I have often wondered why – given how much migraine reduces functionality – why has migraine not been “bred out” of humanity…? Surely when our ancient ancestors needed to pack…

  • Green light therapy for migraines

    Green light therapy for migraines

    A while ago, I was listening to a podcast about migraines when the pain patient said something like, “if I won the lottery, I would build a green light therapy room in my home.” What, I wondered, is green light therapy? According to Time.com, people with chronic pain can be…

  • Glimmers versus triggers

    Glimmers versus triggers

    You’ll hear a lot on this website about chronic pain triggers: “dehydration triggered my migraine last week, and stress triggered my pain-brain yesterday”, and so on and on. Sometimes the potential triggers can be super-quirky, but potentially still very real, and might include your pillow, drafts, or even nightmares. This…

  • Lessons learnt from Icarus

    Lessons learnt from Icarus

    When I was young, I was an enormous fan of Greek Myths and Legends. I was in awe of Zeus on Mt Olympus looking down on humanity, and adored the idea of Apollo, the sun-god riding a gilded chariot across the skies. Soon, single words were enough to conjure up…

  • I am more than my body

    I am more than my body

    Across the centuries and all cultures, there has always been a sense of something ‘beyond’ us mere mortals.  Perhaps because we ‘travel’ in our dreams, humans have no problem believing in this other realm.  Moreover, there has also always been people who claim they can act as the intermediary between…