At this time of year it’s hard to avoid hearing about new year’s resolutions. Although the general consensus seems to be that they rarely last, many of us still go ahead and make them. Mine was to stop drinking alcohol for six weeks, and week one has gone splendidly, mainly because I think my body is so relieved to have a rest from consumption!
I met up with a good friend recently. We’ve known each other since university, where we shared rooms, so we have a lot of common ground - including the obligatory shared embarrassing memories! Our youthful misdemeanours have given us a special bond, although I sometimes wonder how on earth our landlord put up with us.
When you live with chronic pain, ‘safety’ might not be the first word that comes to mind. You might be more familiar with tension, tightness and the constant background hum of worry, wondering when the next flare-up will come. But what if feeling safe enough was actually one of the keys to helping your body and brain heal?
Many years ago, a dear friend of mine asked me to be godmother to her daughter Jess. I’ve loved following Jess’s development from infant to competent professional, but over the years there’s been little opportunity for us to catch up, for a variety of reasons. I often need a nudge to contact her outside of Christmas and birthdays.
We’ve all been there - that heavy, dragging feeling when we just don’t want to do something. It could be a workout, a difficult conversation, tidying the house or sitting down to a creative project. There’s a quiet tug inward, a little voice that whispers ‘not now… maybe later’. Resistance creeps in subtly, sometimes disguised as tiredness, distraction or apathy. If we’re not careful, it can pull us into full withdrawal, disconnected from what we intuitively know is good for us.
