Functional with FND

03/15/2026

03/14/2026

I took my first long car trip and managed my symptoms with the tools I’ve been practicing: distractions, an eye mask for traffic, sour candy to ground me, and gentle self‑talk.

And then the universe handed me a bonus win — caffeine‑free Diet Coke, which is nearly impossible to find. It made the whole moment feel even sweeter.

This quick trip to St. George reminded me how capable I am. I’m really proud of myself.

03/09/2026

Today’s Therapy Takeaway: Putting Our Thoughts on Trial

I learned a new tool in talk therapy today for when my thoughts start to spiral. Instead of accepting the thought as automatically true, I practice putting it “on trial.” I write down the thought, look at the evidence for it, the evidence against it, and then rephrase it into something more balanced.

I tried it with one of my big ones: “I can’t cook alone.”

🧠 Evidence for the thought
- Cooking can feel overwhelming when my energy or sensory load is high.
- I’ve needed help recently, so my brain assumes that means I can’t do it solo.
- When I’m tired or dysregulated, multitasking in the kitchen is harder.

💛 Evidence against the thought
- I have cooked many meals—sometimes with help nearby, sometimes independently.
- I’m actively rebuilding stamina, sequencing, and confidence in therapy.
- I use pacing, breaks, and prep strategies that actually work.
- “Needing support sometimes” is not the same as “can’t do it at all.”

✨ The balanced rephrase
Instead of “I can’t cook alone,” the more accurate version is:
“Cooking alone is harder right now, but I’m building the skills and confidence to do it safely.”

This felt so much kinder and more true to where I actually am.

If anyone else wants to try putting one of your spiraling thoughts on trial, I’d love to hear how it goes. We can practice together.

03/05/2026

In therapy today we worked on a neuroplasticity technique for reducing the intensity of negative thoughts. Instead of treating the thought like a fact, you change how it shows up in your mind.

I practiced three things:
• Adding something silly to the thought
• Imagining a cartoon villain delivering it
• Singing the thought to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

All three helped my nervous system shift out of threat mode and reminded me that thoughts are just mental events, not commands.

Sharing this because it might help someone else loosen the grip of those automatic patterns.

03/01/2026

🌿 Building Sustainable Rhythms: Creating a Nervous‑System‑Friendly Daily Flow
A sustainable rhythm isn’t a strict schedule or a color‑coded plan. It’s a gentle pattern — a way of moving through the day that helps your nervous system feel held instead of hurried.
For many people with FND or other sensitive‑system conditions, days can swing between bursts of energy and sudden shutdowns. That swing isn’t a failure. It’s your body trying to protect you. A rhythm softens those edges. It gives your brain a sense of what to expect without demanding perfection or consistency.

🌱 What Makes a Rhythm “Nervous‑System‑Friendly”?
- Predictability without pressure — small cues that tell your brain, “You’re safe. You know what’s next.”
- Gentle transitions — moments to pause, breathe, and shift instead of jumping from one thing to another.
- Built‑in rest — not as an afterthought, but as part of the flow.
- Flexible structure — enough shape to feel supported, enough softness to adapt to symptoms, energy, and life.
These elements help reduce overwhelm, soften the push‑crash cycle, and create a steadier internal landscape.

🌊 Think of Your Day Like a Tide
A tide doesn’t rush. It doesn’t force. It moves in and out with a natural rhythm.
Your day can work the same way — gentle rises of activity, gentle returns to rest, and predictable moments that anchor you. Even one or two small “tide markers” can shift how your nervous system experiences the whole day.

🌼 Small Rhythms That Make a Big Difference
- A soft morning ritual that signals “start” without pressure
- A grounding pause before transitions
- A predictable rest window in the afternoon
- A brief evening wind‑down that tells your body it’s safe to settle
These aren’t tasks to complete — they’re touchpoints of safety.

🌙 A Gentle Reminder as You Build Your Rhythm
You don’t have to change everything at once.
You don’t have to get it right every day.
You’re learning how to live in a way that honors your body, your energy, and your needs.
Every small moment of awareness is a step toward safety.
Every gentle choice is a step toward steadiness.
And you deserve a life that moves at a pace your nervous system can hold.

02/27/2026

🌻Living with FND means some days feel bright and steady, and others feel heavy and unpredictable. But even on the grey‑sky days, we still get to choose how we show up for ourselves and each other.

🌻Today I’m choosing to be a little bit of sunshine🌞 — for my family, my FND warriors, and for anyone who needs a reminder that they’re not alone in this.

🌻If your skies are grey right now, come sit with me. We’ll find the light together. 🌻 🌟💫🌞😊💖

02/24/2026

When your tics decide to act up on the way to a doctor’s appointment…
Apparently my nervous system said, “You know what would make this car ride spicy? A full interpretive dance break.”

So there I was — seatbelt on, vibes questionable, limbs doing their own choreography — just trying to get to my appointment like a normal human.
Spoiler: I did not succeed.
But I did dance it out.

FND/PNES life isn’t always cute, but sometimes you just have to laugh at the glitch, roll with the rhythm your body picks, and keep moving forward (even if it’s involuntary).

If you see me in public doing the cha-cha against my will… just know I’m fine.
My brain is just buffering.

02/24/2026

💛 Let’s Talk Pacing Together

Today is all about pacing — that gentle, frustrating, necessary art of doing what we can without burning out our nervous systems.

Finish this sentence:
👉 “Pacing for me today looks like…”

For example
• “…doing one thing, then actually taking the break I promised myself.”
• “…choosing the slow route even when my brain wants the sprint.”
• “…celebrating the tiny wins instead of chasing the big crash.”
• “…listening to my body before it starts yelling.”

There’s no right or wrong answer — just your honest experience.

💬 Share yours below.
Your pacing strategy might be exactly what someone else needs to hear today.

We learn from each other. We support each other. We pace together. 💛

02/21/2026

This is awesome 👌

🧠 “They said FND has no brain changes.”
Then explain this?
A study out of Massachusetts General Hospital looked at the brains of people with Functional Neurological Disorder using a special MRI that examines white matter.
●First :what is white matter?
Think of your brain like a city.
🩶 ●Gray matter = the buildings (where information is processed).
🤍 ●White matter = the highways and wiring (how different areas communicate).
👾If the buildings are fine but the highways are glitching… traffic gets messy.
That’s what they studied.
They compared: • 32 people with FND
• 36 people without FND
And they found measurable differences in the brain’s wiring in people with FND.
✅️Not imagination.
✅️Not exaggeration.
✅️Not “just stress.”
Differences showed up in circuits connected to:
• Emotion regulation
• Stress response
• Fear/survival systems
• Pain processing
• Movement control
You know… the exact systems that go haywire in FND.
In simple terms?
☆🩵The circuits that regulate danger signals, body responses, and movement weren’t communicating as efficiently.
✔️The buildings are there.
💥But the highways are disrupted.
And here’s what really matters:
🩵The people who had been sick longer and were more physically disabled showed greater wiring differences.
🧡That means this was linked to real physical severity ☆not just anxiety or mood.
✅️Even after adjusting for depression and anxiety?
The brain differences were still there.
Let me repeat that.
✅️Still. There.
This does NOT mean permanent damage. It does NOT mean hopelessness. It does NOT mean degeneration.
It means FND is neurological. It means the network is dysregulated. It means the science is finally catching up. 🙏
For years we were told: “There’s nothing wrong with your brain.”
There is.
Not in a broken way. Not in a hopeless way.
But in a measurable, biological, network-level way.
And that matters. 💛

02/20/2026

FAQ Friday 💛

Is FND Neurological or Psychological?

Short answer:

🧠 FND is neurological.

Functional Neurological Disorder affects how the brain and body communicate.

The brain is structurally intact.

But the signaling pathways aren’t functioning properly.

That means symptoms are very real.

Real weakness.
Real tremors.
Real seizures.
Real gait changes.
Real speech changes.
Not imagined.
Not faked.
Not “just anxiety.”

Now here’s where people get confused 👇

Because FND involves the nervous system, stress can be a trigger.

But triggers are not the cause.

Asthma can be triggered by stress.
Migraines can be triggered by stress.
Autoimmune flares can be triggered by stress.

That doesn’t make those conditions “psychological.”

FND sits at the intersection of neurology and nervous system regulation.

It is diagnosed by neurologists.
It is recognized in medical literature.
It is real.

And kids like Leena deserve to be treated with respect — not skepticism.

If you’ve ever been told “it’s all in their head,”

Save this. Share this. Advocate louder.

You are not alone in correcting the narrative. 💛