We finished the class with standing sprints to Bring Me to Life by Evanescence, a five-minute climb to 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up, and cooled-down to The Jam’s That’s Entertainment. As the opening bars to Beck’s Loser filled the room, the spinners slowed their pedals to a stop, dropped their heels, and stretched their calf … Continue reading So Much More Than Tics
Tics
Telling my Story, or Not
I ran into Sandy in the hallway. “Oh, hey Jeff, this is a heads up. You're going to be formally invited to be a book in the Living Library.” Sandy’s statement probably makes no sense to you, so let me elaborate. A big trend in libraries right now is to offer patrons a chance to … Continue reading Telling my Story, or Not
Alone in a Crowd
I encountered someone with Tourette Syndrome last week—I think. Their tics, facial twitches, were subtle. I stared too long and probably got caught. Still unsure, I stared some more. Once I decided I had it right, I wanted to walk over and say “Hey, me too! Tell me your story.” Susan said “Don’t, it’s none … Continue reading Alone in a Crowd
The Meaning of a Shriek
Our house was seventies suburban, solid hardwood floors but with drywall so thin I once punched a dent in it during an uninspired attempt to show my dad a bit of emotion. Each morning my father awoke early for work. He started every day with a shower. Everyone else had an extra hour to sleep, … Continue reading The Meaning of a Shriek
Tourette
Tics: Involuntary movements and vocalizations… I sit at my desk and grit my teeth—first my molars, they squeak with friction, then my eye teeth, left then right. I press outward with my bottom teeth, until I feel movement. When I eat my apple, my jaw locks. It audibly snaps with every bite. I probe the … Continue reading Tourette
The battles of those around us – a guest post
Debbie Frick, the author of Conversations About Autism, showed up out of the blue. Over the past week, she and twenty-three other people began following my blog. My friend Robyn Coupe wrote a guest post, and legions of her followers clicked into my blog to see what she had to say about Tourette Syndrome. After reading … Continue reading The battles of those around us – a guest post
Endless Interruptions – a guest post
In my blogging world, Cara is a recent connection. I don't recall when she started reading and liking my posts, but it wasn't until after she left an intriguing comment that I clicked into her blog. I'm glad I did. The first post I read on Exploring Yoga was bursting with energy. Cara, a new yoga instructor, … Continue reading Endless Interruptions – a guest post
Write me a story
Awareness. A teal ribbon. A buzzword, something I talk about often. Or at least I write about it. I suffer from Tourette Syndrome. A poorly understood disorder, uncurable. Stigmatized and ridiculed. So much so, that last spring, the Tourette Association of America’s entire social media campaign was Tourette: It’s not a punchline. C’mon, you might … Continue reading Write me a story
Educate
Tourette Syndrome (TS or Tourettes) is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. God! This topic again? Can you tolerate another blog post about mental health? About Tourette Syndrome? About oddity? About me? It’s TS Awareness Month, therefore I feel the need to hammer you (again) with messages about … Continue reading Educate
“O” Brother
I didn’t know whether to call this post “O” Brother or “O” Well. The “O” is the important part of the title. It’s the O in OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I’ve got that one. And not the cute kind as seen on TV. Not the neatnik variety from shows like Monk. My OCD, when active, … Continue reading “O” Brother
Messy
My public self: confident, controlled, together. And then I blog: vulnerable, messy, confused. Tourette Syndrome. The tics I suppress with medications, mostly: Thigh-punching. Eye-rolling. Body-scratching. Tooth-scraping. Grunting. Pay attention, you see them, hear them. I lack repose. Always moving, twitching. My brain in motion, fueled by anxiety. By obsession. By worry. Those conditions that accompany … Continue reading Messy
An itch I gotta scratch
My workplace is large. It’s a community center: a weight room, basketball courts, aerobics rooms, swimming pool, child care center, coffee shop. Tying it all together is a long, straight hallway—a hallway I travel several times a day. Gazing down the hall, I can be seen walking with purpose… on my way to get things … Continue reading An itch I gotta scratch
Below the Surface
Hey Jeff, I didn’t realize there was an exclusivity of using the tag “tourettes”. This is news to me. I won’t be taking up your kind offer to read your post. But thanks! I’ve had only one snarky encounter in WordPress. It was a fight that I picked. That was the response. Like many WordPress … Continue reading Below the Surface
The Placebo Effect
If I were to rate my days (and that’s exactly the sort of thing I would do) yesterday was a nine. Not a ten because I was at work, and I didn’t go running, but I’ll take my nine. For the past three months, I’ve been scoring fives… or less. Less: After a string of … Continue reading The Placebo Effect
The Other Stuff 