Author: Christine Hennebury

I'm a writer/storyteller/director/creativity & lifestory coach with a black belt in ITF Taekwon-do. I read voraciously and I write like my fingers are on fire. I'm the founder and Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl and I'm a former president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie.
a small quilted cloth with two pumpkins on it with other Halloween images around the edges Christine Reports A Clear Increase In October Fun
fitness · fun · planning · play · self care

Christine Reports A Clear Increase In October Fun

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

I tried to make the title of this post sound as un-fun as possible so… how did I do?

As I write this, I am more than halfway through the month and even though I have been ridiculously busy* I am happy to report that I am having more a lot fun than I usually do in October.

And that’s definitely due to the fact that in my post two weeks ago I took the time to write a list of seasonal things I wanted to do that would maximize my fun this month. Creating that that post gave me a good container for my thoughts about the kind of fun I want to have in October AND it guided me to make plans early enough to make things happen.

Here’s an update on each item from my list of 13 in the initial post:

  1. I have already planned a ghost story writing workshop and a spooky storytelling event later this month.

I taught the ghost story writing workshop on Sunday and we all had a great time.

The spooky storytelling event will be on October 28 and you can join us online if you wish – let me know if you want the registration link.

Plus, I added an idea-generating writing workshop and an oracle card making workshop to the list of things I am offering this month. I love teaching workshops so that’s extra fun for me.

  1. I’ve planned a couple of artsy-craftsy Halloween events with my community arts organization so I’ll get to be creative and hang out with lots of other people who love this season.

The other bonus is that I will have extra places to wear my costume and I will get to make some cool decorations for my house.

And in addition to those events, I also bought tickets to see Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors – a dear friend of mine is in it so it’s going to be extra fun for me.

I also bought a ticket for an online lecture called ‘Seasons of the Witch’ which promises to be very interesting.

Sidenote: I also bought a book called Season of the Witch: A Psychiatrist’s Case for Magic by Ellen Vora, MD and I am finding that very intriguing, too. I’m not really that far into the book so I can’t address the strength of her arguments or anything but I’m very interested in the ideas she’s working with. I’m also reading Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House and I can endorse the argument he is making so far – dolls and puppets can indeed be very creepy. (Since I can’t include tone in a blog post and I want to be clear: I’m making a bit of a joke about the second book. I just found it funny to pretend that he’s trying, in a horror novel, to convince us that dolls and puppets can be creepy.)

  1. I have already assembled my Halloween-themed collage/junk journaling supplies so they’ll be handy all month.

I’ve spent a couple of evenings moving bits of paper around but I haven’t actually finished my collage yet so I’ll share it later.

Meanwhile, I would not have gotten around to this at all yet if it hadn’t been for this so  I would have missed out on that relaxing creative time.

Lists = More Fun. Imagine that!

  1. I’m making two zines – Advice from Monsters and (Some) Ghosts are Helpful – which will let me combine drawing and writing and some silly spookiness.

I’ve made a list of monster advice and a list of ways that (some) ghosts can be helpful and I have experimented with a slightly different way to fold a zine.

I’ve also drawn some practice ghosts and some practice monster eyes, monster horns and monster teeth.

The actual zine part isn’t complete yet.

  1. I’m on track to finish the ghost story that I’m writing (it’s about a haunted mirror that someone picked up on the side of the road.)

This one has moved slowly because of the aforementioned busyness but I have a fair bit of writing time this week so things will pick up.

  1. I’m slowly putting up Halloween decorations all month.


This is ongoing and as I mentioned above, I am also making some new ones!

  1. I’m making a bit more time for my favourite spooky podcasts/YouTube channels – including taking slightly longer walks and doing slightly longer workouts so I can finish an episode.

So far so good with this one and I am also using Halloween-themed background music and ambience channels** to add to my fun while working or creating cool stuff.

  1. I’m using my Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle for journaling prompts.

This has been SO INTERESTING.

I have used this oracle deck before but those times I was mostly just thinking about things in the moment. Drawing a card and reflecting on any possible personal meanings has been really cool. My mind likes it a lot.

  1. I’m doing some practices from Yoga for Witches by Sarah Robinson – I know that title sounds like it could be flippant but I am finding it to be respectful to Yoga and to pagan practices.

I haven’t done many of these yet but, like my writing, this is a good week for it.

  1. I’ve got big plans for making soups and breads and cookies.

I’ve made two batches of chocolate chip cookies and two pots of soup and they have all been delicious.

  1. My Halloween costume is already in the works.

It is still in the works!

  1. I’ve added Halloween music to my playlists.

Last week, my oldest kid (24) and I had a great time rating the relative seasonal appropriateness of a bunch of Halloween songs while I was driving him to work.

Yes, we did find that a lot of fun.

Note: Monster Mash is fun and seasonally appropriate but Flying Purple People Eater is not particularly Halloweenish.  Also, do the words flying and purple apply to the eater or the people it eats?

  1. I’ve already started wearing all of my Halloween themed clothing.

I have indeed! And I just dug out more from storage.

I’m wearing a ‘Haunted Harvest Festival’ tshirt right now and several people have been disappointed to learn that it’s just a shirt, not an actual event.

What do you think a Haunted Harvest Festival would entail?

Is the Festival haunted or is it the Harvest that has gotten all spooky?

(Yes, I do take any opportunity to follow my curiosity)

____________

So, with another week and a bit until Halloween, I have to conclude that advance planning, making lists, and deciding to have more fun (without pressure to fully do every part of every plan) does indeed result in a clear increase in October Fun.

And, as suspected, increasing my fun levels has been great for my mental health and my overall wellbeing.

How is your October going?

*I really need to have a serious look at how I organize my schedule but that’s a whole different post!

**In my last post I shared some podcasts and YouTube channels that focus on spooky stories so this time I’ll share a few links for spooky season ambience.

A video called “Cute Lo-Fi for Ghosts” and the still image shows a cartoonish drawing of a sheet ghost in a graveyard at night with tree trunks in the background. The majority of the image is blue/black but the ghost is white and there are white scribble accents here and there. White text at the top of the image says “Halloween Lo-Fi No AI”
A video called “October Magic Ambience” from the Dead of Night channel. The still image shows a digitally animated corner of a room with stars and moons on the wall, and a stack of books with a teacup on top, an antique dresser decorated with stars and moons, a carved Jack O’Lantern, a blanket with ghosts and witches on it, a sleeping cat, and a bunch of Halloween knick-knacks and on the right side of the image is a window that is slightly open that is decorated with a string of mushrooms.
This ambience video is called Vintage Halloween Art and is by Art for Your TV by 88 Prints. This channel would be to put on a screen as a ‘decoration’ in your room and the images change every so often. The first image is a sepia-toned drawing of a witch and her cat flying on a broomstick over a village at night. There’s a church and houses with their windows lit up and there are a bunch of trees at the bottom of the image. The full moon is in the sky but it is not casting much light.
This music/ambience video is called (No AI) The Toy Shop. Text at the bottom of the image reads “The Toy Shop: Hand-painted Art. Original Music. Ambience.” The image is of shelves in a toy shop with all kinds of wooden toys, dolls, and puppets on them and in front of the shelves are a series of marionettes hanging from the ceiling with their feet near the floor.
A playlist called “something wicked this way comes; a playlist for writing spooky stories by candlelight” The still image shows two hands emerging out of the dark background, the back of one hand is towards the camera, and we can see the palm of the other hand. There is a human skull on the bottom right and we can only see the left side of it because it is facing towards the left in the image, it is poorly lit so it isn’t highly visible. The words “Something Wicked This Way Comes” in a gothic font are overlaid on the image.
A playlist from Alex Rainbird Music called “spooky season 🎃 • a haunting indie/folk/alternative playlist” and the still image is of a person with long hair in dark clothes standing in what looks to be a forest with fallen leaves all over the ground. They are looking downward at the pumpkin they are holding at waist height.


Train Your Brain Day? Sounds Good To Me!
fitness · habits · health · motivation · self care

Train Your Brain Day? Sounds Good To Me!

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Today (Tuesday, October 13) is Train Your Brain Day so I thought I would find a few fun ways for us to celebrate.

Don’t worry if you struggle with these activities or videos though because October 13 is also the International Day For Failure – a day to celebrate the important role that failure plays in the learning process.

So, even if you make a total mess of the brain training, you can console yourself with the fact that you ARE learning and that you are celebrating both Train Your Brain Day and International Day For Failure at the same time.

That would be pretty impressive, don’t you think? There’s really no downside to giving this whole thing a try!

Two hands holding a Rubik’s cube
Is solving a Rubik’s Cube specifically mentioned in the articles I read? No. Does it seem like the kind of challenge that would be beneficial? Yes. Image description: a photo of someone’s hands holding a Rubik’s Cube as they turn one column of squares into place.

So, let’s get started with the whole Brain Training/Day for Failure cycle then, shall we?

I’m giving you a big list of links and a bunch of videos but I don’t want you to break your brain.

Just pick one or two things to try, pretty please. No need to overwhelm ourselves!

13 Brain Games for Adults to Help Keep You Mentally Sharp (from HealthLine)

6 Powerful Brain Exercises to Help Sharpen Your Mind (from Prenuvo)

22 Brain Exercises to Improve Memory, Cognition, and Creativity (from Medical News Today)

Why Dancing Could Be the Ultimate Brain Workout (from BBC)

Since these specific activities get mentioned a lot when you search from Brain Training, I thought I’d link you directly to crossword puzzles, logic puzzles, Word of the Day, Sodoku, thinking creatively, mystery games,

And, finally, here is just a sample of all the fun videos I found about training your brain.

A video from Justin Agustin called How to Improve Brain Power/ Easy Brain Exercises to Improve Memory. On the right side the still image shows Justin (a man with light brown skin, very short/shaved hair, and a green sweatshirt), using his left index finger to point to his right hand which has two fingers raised. In the middle of the image is a pink image of a brain and text reading 6 Powerful Brain Exercises is on the left.
This video from the Wellness Cupboard is called 2 Min Brain Boost Quick Hand Exercises: Day 1. The still image shows a pair of light-skinned hands with their fingertips pressed together and the background is beige with text reading Neuro-nimble Series Day 1 in brown on the upper right. Their channel includes a whole playlist of activities like this.
This video from NeuroYoga is called Halloween Memory Challenge: Where Was It? Brain Game and the still image is supposed to represent a spooky night. The majority of the background is purple with a darker purple representing the night sky and lighter purple representing clouds. The ground at the bottom is black and there are small houses with triangular tops and a few trees at the bottom and a few black bats in the sky. Text in white reads Train Your Memory Halloween Challenge “Where Was It?”
This video by SENDCo is for kids but I found it fun so I included it. It’s called Brain Break Hand Movement Routine for Focus and Crossing the Midline. The still image shows a landscape in the background with a simple drawing of green hills against a light blue sky. There are two hands near the bottom of the image with the palms facing the viewer. The left hand is pink and the right hand is blue. Text in black reads Cross the Midline Bilaterial Coordination. Copy the left and right hands and pulse to the beat. The words left hand are next to the pink hand and the words right hand are next to the blue. A blue numeral 5 is on the right side of the image near the bottom.
This video from Yoga with Adriene is called Yoga for Brain Power and shows Adriene (a woman in her 30s with light skin and brown hair that is pinned up, wearing black leggings and a grey shirt) standing on her yoga mat in the middle of her living room doing tree pose (left foot resting on right inner thigh) with her arms in the air. Her dog Benji is sleeping on the floor behind her near some potted plants.
This video from Jim Kwik is called 5 Exercises to Improve Memory and Concentration. The still image features Jim Kwik an Asian man with short black hair in a black tshirt who is standing up with his right arm raised and his right hand over his head. There is a black rectangle with text reading Brain Exercises and featuring a small cartoon picture of a brain superimposed over him at waist-height.
This video from The Calm and Content Mind is called Balancing Exercises (the Cerebellum Connection): Inspired by the Book ADHD 2.0. The still image shows the instructor (a woman with light skin and brown hair that is pinned up, wearing a burgundy long-sleeved shirt, leggins, and black sneakers without socks) standing on a small square and holding her arms out to the sides, level with her shoulders. She is in a room with beige walls that have white trim and there is a window to one side with the white blind closed. There is a painting with lots of green in it behind her on her left.
This video from Ageless Grace Brain Health is called The 21 Tools of Ageless Grace. And the still image shows the instructor, a woman with blonde shoulder-length hair and bangs wearing an orange shirt and dark pants, sitting in a chair with her eyes closed and her hands raised in front of her at chest height. She is in the middle of a movement that may be about turning her hands in a circle. She is sitting in a living room chair and there are shelves of photos and knick-knacks behind her on her left and a table with knick-knacks behind her on her right.
This video from Power for Parkinson’s is called Boost Your Brain with this Standing Cardio Workout for Parkinson’s and the still image features the instructor (a woman with long curly brown hair, light skin, and glasses, wearing a black tshirt that says Power for Parkinson’s) mid-movement on the left and the title of the video in yellow on the right.
This video from Yes2Next is called 15 Min Brain + Body Workout for Seniors and features the two video participants, one on either side of the image with the video title in the center. The words ’15-Minute’ are white and are enclosed in a purple rectangle, the words Brain + Body are in yellow with a purple outline. The person on the left is the main instructor (a middle-aged Asian woman with a pink tanktop and black pants with a big smile and her right arm held up in a non-aggressive fist), the person on the right is an elderly Asian woman (the instructor’s mother) with short grey hair, glasses and a small smile. She is wearing a black sweatshirt that says Live Your Yes2Next and she is holding up one finger on her right hand and is making the ‘thumbs-up’ signal with her left hand.
Christine is Determined to Have More Fun in October
ADHD · celebration · fun

Christine is Determined to Have More Fun in October

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

I love Halloween because it has so many of my favourite things (Ghost stories! Snacks! People going all in on their weirdness! ) but the early part of Autumn is always really busy for me and I often end up feeling like I jumped from the end of August to the last week in October without any time or energy to plan Halloween fun. 

BUT NOT THIS YEAR!

This year I am absolutely determined to have as much fun as possible in October. 

How am I going to do that?

Well, I’m not much of one for going to parties so I won’t be going that route but I do have some really appealing plans:

  1. I have already planned a ghost story writing workshop and a spooky storytelling event* later this month. 
  1. I’ve planned a couple of artsy-craftsy Halloween events with my community arts organization so I’ll get to be creative and hang out with lots of other people who love this season.
  1. I have already assembled my Halloween-themed collage/junk journaling supplies so they’ll be handy for playful creativity all month. 
  1. I’m making two zines – Advice from Monsters and (Some) Ghosts are Helpful – which will let me combine drawing and writing and some silly spookiness.
  1. I’m on track to finish the ghost story that I’m writing (it’s about a haunted mirror that someone picked up on the side of the road.)
  1. I’m slowly putting up Halloween decorations all month.
  1. I’m making a bit more time for my favourite spooky podcasts/YouTube channels** – including taking slightly longer walks and doing slightly longer workouts so I can finish an episode or two. 
  1. I’m using my Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle for journaling prompts.
  1. I’m doing some practices from Yoga for Witches by Sarah Robinson – I know that title sounds like it could be flippant but I am finding it to be respectful to Yoga and to pagan practices so far.
  1. I’ve got big plans for making soups and breads and cookies. (This one is less Halloween-focused but definitely seasonal!)
  1.  My Halloween costume is already in the works.
  1. I’ve added Halloween music to my playlists. (Current Fave: Alanis Morrissette’s version of Donovan’s Season of the Witch. (It’s part of the soundtrack for Yaga, a show that starts airing this month.)
  1. I’ve already started wearing all of my Halloween themed clothing.
A photo of a woman on stage speaking into a microphone
I was leaning into my own whimsy when I added my Halloween scarf to my outfit to perform at the Tales from Near and Afar at the St. John’s Storytelling Festival on Friday night. Photo credit: Jeanene Walsh. Image description: Thanks to Jeanene Walsh for the fun photo of my story adventures on Friday evening.
Image description: a photo of me, a middle aged white woman with shoulder length brown hair (but the lights overhead make my hair look purple in this photo), dark framed glasses and red lipstick. I am wearing a black shirt and a grey scarf with ghosts, witches, and pumpkins on it. I am in the middle of saying something into a microphone and I look very sincere.

I know, I know! That’s a lot of things*** but I was doing a lot of those things anyway, I have just switched to the Halloween (or at least Fall) version of them. 

The idea of this list doesn’t make me feel overwhelmed. Instead, I feel excited and I like having so many things to look forward to. 

The things on my list are all so good for my well-being – creativity, fun, exercise, journaling, good company, choosing clothes and music and foods that make me feel good – that even if I don’t finish them all, I am still going to feel good in the process. 

And, finally, it feels great to know that I am not going to reach the end of October in a big hurry, wondering where the time went, and feeling out of sorts because I have nothing planned to celebrate Halloween.

Instead, I am celebrating Halloween all month and having a bit more fun every day.

*The storytelling event is on Wednesday, Oct 28 at 8:30PM Newfoundland time, you can join us via Zoom if you’d like. You can also join my ghost story workshop but I don’t have the time confirmed for that yet.

** Real Life Ghost Stories

Classic Ghost Stories (A story a day until Halloween!)

Eerie Edinburgh

Old Gods of Appalachia

Whispering Woods (An episode a day until Halloween!)

Uncanny (A really short episode a day until their Halloween special)

***Yes, I did deliberately choose to include 13 – so spooky! Ha!

A drawing of overlapping patterned circles in fall colours with the word “update!” at the top. Update on Christine’s September Circles
fitness · habits · health · mobility · self care

Update on Christine’s September Circles

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Ok, so I am reporting back a little early but since I don’t think there will be a drastic change in my results over the next two days, we’re in the clear.

On September 1, I told you about my experiment for this month – 5 minutes of circle-based mobility exercises each night before bed.

And, despite the fact that I was ‘going in circles’ this whole time, I have definitely made some progress towards increasing my mobility and improving my sense of well-being.

Here are my discoveries:

1) As I suspected in my initial post, doing circles seems to reduce the restless, twitchy feeling I was often experiencing while sitting in bed reading before going to sleep.

2) I feel far less stiff and achy when I get up in the morning.

3) My body feels a bit more mobile and fluid overall.

4) I like having a small physical practice as part of my bedtime routine.

5) If I had trouble settling into sleep in the evening, doing a few more circles was soothing.

Obviously I am declaring this experiment a success!

And I am giving myself bonus points and a gold star ⭐️ for sticking with my experiment even though this month included some travel with friends and coordinating a 10 day arts festival.

Normally that kind of shift in routine would affect any kind of new practice I was trying to incorporate into my days but I guess that my plan to go in circles was just the right-sized practice for almost any circumstance.

And since it has worked out so well, I plan to keep this circular strategy going.

Now to figure out an experiment for October…

A small painting of a shiny gold star Go Team 2026: Forge Ahead, Pivot, Restart!
advice · fitness · Go Team · goals · habits · motivation · self care

Go Team 2026: Forge Ahead, Pivot, Restart!

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Team,

Here’s your semi-regular reminder that you are the boss of you.

Soooooo, it is up to you how to proceed with your plans. 

If your current plans feel good and you are getting where you want to go, then forge ahead. 

I mean, it’s good to check in every now and then but you are under no obligation to examine every single detail of your fitness plans over and over. 

And you certainly don’t have to keep changing them to match trends or to prove a point. 

Basically, if your current plan is working for you then… FORGE AHEAD!

But what about if your plan sort of works but there are stil rough spots, friction, and/or you often find it hard to get going.

In that case, it may be time to make a few changes.

You may want to switch up your plans a bit, change the exercises you’re doing, find some company, take on a different challenge, put in some extra effort or maybe dial things back a bit. 

Basically, if your initial plan is getting on your nerves you don’t have to keep frustrating yourself (and you definitely shouldn’t be hard on yourself), instead, you can… PIVOT!

But what about if you started out strong but your enthusiasm waned? 

Or if you hated your plan from step one?

Or if you love the plan but life got in the way and now you just can’t?

Or if your plan worked when you made it but then your schedule changed?

Well, in that case, the only thing you *can’t* do is be mean to yourself about it. (Ok, I guess you can but I will give you a stern look about being mean to my friend.)

After all, finding a fitness plan that works for you isn’t about doing the perfect thing as your perfect self on your most perfect day.

Instead, it’s is about finding ways to keep doing things that you want to do (or achieving things that you want to achieve) so it only makes to make your plans appeal to the most important person in the equation – YOU.

Basically, if you aren’t doing the things you want/need to be doing then change your plans and …RESTART.

And yes, I know there is great value in starting something new on a significant date (New Years, your birthday, September 1) but there is also value in starting wherever and whenever you happen to be. 

(In fact, with a little imagination you can turn anything into a significant date. If nothing occurs to you, feel free to post in the comments and I’ll wrangle any ordinary day into an auspicious occasion for restarting you project.)

So, Team, the key information here is that it is ok for you to do the things you want to do, in the way you want to do them, on a schedule that works for you.

You can work hard or proceed gently or do anything in between. As long as you match your expectations to your efforts, your intensity is up to you.

You can have a strict schedule or something a bit more loose and responsive to your day to day plans. As long as it works for you, it’s a good way to proceed.

Basically, as I said at the beginning, you are the boss of you.

AND your needs are the most important factors in your fitness plans. 

So, whether we’re going to forge ahead, pivot, or restart, let’s do all what we need to do to help us stick with the things that help us feel the way we want to feel. 

Oh, and please collect your gold star for your efforts below.

Go Team Us!

A selfie of a woman in a dobok after a martial arts class Christine was right about TKD muscle memory
fitness · martial arts · mobility · training

Christine was right about TKD muscle memory

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

…and the other good stuff about heading back to class.

Thursday night was just as good as I hoped it would be.

I thoroughly enjoyed the familiar routine of walking into class, talking to my friends, and doing our warm-up.

My body and brain were utterly soothed by the rhythm of the beginning of our class.

You know how it is – you can be a bit addled or off-kilter and then start some familiar routine and the momentum of that routine (making tea, preparing a meal, working with a partner in a project, following your morning plan) carries you forward and you soon realize that you have left that weird feeling behind.

And when we started our patterns, my relaxed state allowed me to access my muscle memory with ease.

I still made mistakes, of course, but my errors felt a bit funny instead of frustrating.

I swear I made up several new movements – perhaps I should consult with the technical committee? Ha!

And along with my amusement at my mistakes, I was thrilled to discover that my summer exercise plan was making a real difference for my mobility, my strength, and my flexibility.

I already felt encouraged by my fitness progress but seeing how my exercise efforts were positively impacting my ability and capacity at TKD made me even more determined to continue with the Hybrid Calisthenics program.

I’m travelling at the moment (I taught a storytelling workshop in Nova Scotia last night!) so I am missing our second class of the year but I am definitely looking forward to class on Thursday night.

Next step: set some personal goals for TKD for this year.

Kiya!

a photo of the top part of a white martial arts uniform with a black belt draped over it. Christine’s ready to head back to TKD
ADHD · fitness · martial arts

Christine’s ready to head back to TKD

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

I’m looking forward to heading back to class on Thursday night.

I’ve missed my TKD friends, I’ve missed my instructors, and I’ve missed being part of a group activity.

But mostly I have missed moving in those specific ways, those specific patterns (literally – we do a lot of patterns), and enjoying the process of remembering and executing the movements I have been learning and practicing for so long.

I know I’ll feel kind of rusty and off-kilter on Thursday night, and we’ll all be a little out of sync with each other.

But I also know that it won’t take long for each person’s muscle memory to kick in and that will lead to the group finding a comfortable groove, and we’ll all feel that ‘click’ as we get in sync.

I have all kinds of goals for myself at TKD this year but for right now I am just focusing on the fun of getting back to my routine and sinking into the familiar challenge of coordinating my movements with the people around me as we move through our patterns.

Ki-ya!

A drawing of decorated, overlapping circles in fall colours Christine and the September Circles
aging · habits · self care

Christine and the September Circles

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

In the spirit of Anne-Laure LeCunff’s Tiny Experiments, I am planning to spend September going in circles …but in a good way. 

Here’s the backstory:

For the last few nights, I have been doing about 5 minutes of mobility exercises before bed and the practice feels really beneficial. 

I didn’t start the exercises with a plan, I just did them one night while listening to the end of a podcast and I liked how I felt afterwards so I did them again the next night.

And since I often find myself feeling a bit twitchy and restless before bed – with an odd feeling or an ache in one place or another – but I haven’t had that feeling in the last few nights so it seems worth exploring if there is a connection between the exercises and the lack of twitchiness. 

This may be a coincidence of course but that’s part of the experiment.

I’m referring to it as going in circles because I made myself laugh when I referred to the exercises that way on Sunday night. 

And seeing as the routine includes rolling a ball under each foot and then doing ankle circles, knee circles, hip circles, upper body circles, arm circles, shoulder circles, and neck circles, it’s not wrong it just sounds a bit funny.

So here’s my experiment:

For September, I am going to go in circles for 5 minutes each night before bed and note whether or not I feel twitchy afterward and whether I feel more or less stiff each morning. 

I’ll report on my experiment on October 1.

A drawing of decorated, overlapping circles in fall colours
These imperfect circles were fun to make and they are a good representation of the imperfect circles in my practice. Image description: a drawing of 8 overlapping, painted circles in fall colours (shades of green, brown, red, orange) with a different pattern in black ink on each one (spirals, circles, grids, lines, triangles, squares) and each circle is outlined in black. The drawing has been cut out of a larger sheet of white paper in an irregular shape that resembles a cloud or a puddle. The outer edge of the paper is trimmed in black and there are gold dots between the black trim and the edges of the circles. At the bottom are the words ‘hello, September!’ written in black.
A photo of a purple flower Christine goes from back pain to back at it.
ADHD · fitness · goals · motivation · planning

Christine goes from back pain to back at it.

Christine Hennebury2 Comments

This time last week, I had to work hard to focus on the good.

At that point, I had spent three days dealing with some lower back pain that had kind of come out of nowhere.*

That was annoying, obviously, but what was really frustrating is that up to the first day of back pain, I was on a 40 day exercise streak with the Hybrid Calisthenics app.**

For the first time in ages (maybe ever?) I was finding it easy to exercise, I was generally enjoying each session, the whole thing felt very purposeful, and I was seeing and feeling some results.

But then I had to break my streak to care for my back.

Part of my brain immediately went into story mode (a professional hazard for storyteller/writer types) and told me that a) I would have a hard time picking up where I left off and I might have to start again b) that I was probably going to put my routine aside and not remember it for ages c) if I did start again, I would have lost my momentum and it would take a lot of effort to convince myself to exercise.

Now, I’m not saying these are sensible thoughts but I have to admit that none of those scenarios are out of the question.

In fact, each of those scenarios is a very familiar groove and there was a definite risk of me and my ADHD brain slipping right into one of them.

This time, though, I was very determined not to let either of those stories come true.

Even though my back pain continued (with slowly diminishing intensity) right through this past week, I kept checking in with myself about when I’d be able to get back to my routine.

On Friday, I could feel clear improvement and Saturday was better again and Sunday was practically normal.

And on Monday morning, I asked myself the question I was asking daily before my back pain started:

“Am I exercising this morning or this evening?”

(A strong contrast with the question I would have asked myself during previous programs: “Am I exercising today?)

And, here’s the real victory as far as I am concerned:

It was EASY to get started.

I didn’t hesitate or try to negotiate with myself.

I didn’t have face any resistance at all – I just decided on morning and got started.

I felt a little rusty and my first set of each exercise was kind of slow.

But I did it. Carefully. Intentionally. With good form and while paying close attention to my back.

And I feel good. – physically and mentally – about getting back at it.

Now my worry is metaphorical – I don’t want to risk breaking my arm patting myself on the back.

😉

This photo is largely unrelated to the text except that I also had to take a break from walking Khalee for most of last week. My back was so uncooperative!

A dog looking at grass with a series of large mushrooms on it.
A photo of Khalee looking at some surprisingly abundant mushrooms on a a green space near our house. Don’t worry, I didn’t let her step into the faery ring. Image description: Khalee, my light haired medium sized dog is looking down at a series of large mushrooms amongst the green grass. She is wearing a blue kerchief and looks quite jaunty.

*My lower back is unhappy from time to time but it is usually short-lived and not quite this intense.

**To be clear, my program is two exercises a day for three days, repeat, active rest. I did not do 40 days of intense exercise in a row – it was gradual and had rest days built in.

a small drawing of a gold star with a happy face on it Go Team 2026: A Gentle Reminder To Give Yourself What You Need (When You Can, Of Course)
advice · fitness · Go Team · meditation · motivation · rest

Go Team 2026: A Gentle Reminder To Give Yourself What You Need (When You Can, Of Course)

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Team, 

Here’s the short version of this post: It’s ok to give yourself the movement, the peace of mind, and the rest that you need.

I know this is not the first time I have given you (or myself) this advice but since I always need reminders about this stuff then I assume you do, too.

So, to reiterate:

Whenever you can, please, please, please, give yourself the things you need. 

If you need rest, then please get some rest

And please do that in a way that lets you meet your needs the best way you can in your current situation.

Resting doesn’t have to mean taking a nap (but a nap is great if you are able to take one!) It can mean resting in small increments, taking some deep breaths, pausing between tasks, choosing to limit the scope of some tasks, doing some yoga or stretching, or picking a restorative activity.

If your thoughts are feeling tangled and you need to meditate or journal then please meditate or journal. 

And please do those things in the way that meets your needs. 

Journaling doesn’t have to be pen on paper, it can be typing on a screen or drawing on an envelope or using voice to text or creating a collage or anything else that makes your thoughts more tangible and organizable for you. 

Meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting still (but that type of mindfulness is totally cool.) It can mean colouring, or doing walking meditation, or drawing a series of small lines, or doing a task with great care. It’s more about the nature of your attention than the specific activities involved.

If you need to get moving, then please get moving.

And please do that in the way that meets your needs.

If you need intense exercise, then push yourself hard in whichever ways are available to you right now. 

If you need slow movement, then take your time. 

If you need to lift heavy, lift heavy. If you need to lift light, lift light. 

And please don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to doing some sort of established routine. It’s totally ok to put on some music and flail around like a fish that got washed up on the beach. It’s totally ok to head to the playground and swing on the swings. It’s totally ok to do squats while you watch TV.  And it’s totally ok to stretch while you talk to a friend. 

As long as your movement meets your needs, then forge ahead.

If you need something, then please do what you can to meet that need. 

Even if you feel you *shouldn’t* (I still hate that word!) need it.

In fact, ESPECIALLY if you feel you shouldn’t need it. 

Your needs matter. 

You matter. 

And if you need some sort of permission before meeting those needs – in whatever way you are able to meet them at the moment – then consider that permission granted. 

I may not be the boss of you but I am perfectly willing to boss you into being kind to yourself. 

(Yes, I *am* the oldest sister, how did you guess?)

So, Team, please, please, please take good care of yourselves out there. 

And here is your gold star for your efforts to meet your needs – whatever they happen to look like right now. 

Go Team Us!

a small drawing of a gold star with a happy face on it
This little gold star cheered me right up. If you have a minute, draw yourself a gold star – you won’t regret it!

Image description: a drawing of a cartoonish gold star with a happy face on it. The drawing is on a piece of white index card and the background behind the star includes a bunch of small marks (some dots and some are a little more like lines) and five short lines that are near each point on the star like it is either glistening or in motion. The piece of index card is propped up between the keys on my computer keyboard which is black with white letters.