Mantra Checkpoints for Impossible Days

6 Dec
I do love using the Splat system and the Impact Map to help manage self-expectations and to lighten the load, when I’m having my worse days, without all the guilt. But there are plenty of times in life when adulting...
Read more »

I Was Surprised When this Common Question Triggered Me (how I discovered I’m a “Scrooge”)

20 Dec
Wow, the holidays are tough. We all know this. It’s a wonder we all voluntarily do it year after year. The parties. The decorations. The fudge. One of the things we accept about this time of year is that we’re...
Read more »

A Day in the Food Of (and other reflections on intuition and self-care)

1 Nov
Monday, I had pizza. I had it for lunch, and then I had it for second lunch. It was so good and made my taste buds so happy. My stomach had entirely different feelings about it. By the end of...
Read more »

Travels with Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, and Amica

19 Jul
Two days ago, my dog and I returned from a 10-week, 12,000-mile road trip across America. It was the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life, absolutely. So many mornings I’d shove off from wherever I was, looked at...
Read more »

Christina and Amica’s Chronic Adventure

28 May
Amica is my best friend, a senior retriever-chowchow-shepherd-rottweiler-otherstuff mix whom I’ve been with for eleven years, and in case you missed it, we’re on an epic cross-country journey. On Instagram, I’ve been using #ChristinaandAmicasChronicAdventure to tag it, because that’s what...
Read more »

7 Things to Be Aware of Regarding Fibro and CFS

16 May
May is fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue awareness month. I have both these diagnoses and here are a few things I’d like to make people “aware” about them: Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are real. Fibromyalgia is way more than just...
Read more »

How to Help Me Learn to Say “Yes” Again

26 Apr
I recently caught myself doing something terrible … in my brain. My default answer to invitations for social events, whether intimate or large, has become “no.” I have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, and...
Read more »

4 Ways I Reset My Optimism During a Flare

26 Apr
I’ve finished a marathon. In the last 12 weeks, I spoke in 5 states: at 11 college campuses and 1 Native pueblo. I debuted a brand new program and customized existing programs for unique audiences, like non-native-English speakers and veterans....
Read more »