March 19, 2017

9 things I'm grateful for as I celebrate my 3rd birthday since the onset of my chronic illness

March 19, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I wrote this blog post as I was celebrating my 32nd birthday, which was also my 3rd since the onset of my mysterious chronic illness. As it was also my 1st birthday since recovering fully through DNRS, I thought it was a good time to make a list of things I'm grateful for, since the whole journey made me realise how many things I took for granted before my illness started. So here’s my 32nd birthday gratitude list.

March 12, 2017

10 ways to make overcoming obstacles easier

March 12, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I can still remember driving home from the first fitting for our bridesmaids’ dresses for Corinne’s wedding after having been housebound for months. I felt so free and empowered and realised in that moment that I could actually recover if I kept at it, although I knew that I still had a LONG way to go. Still, trusting the process and believing I could do it wasn’t easy. But there were 10 things which I believe really made things easier for me and which can help anyone overcome most obstacles that life might present.

March 05, 2017

Chronic illness to 13 mile race in 13 months

March 05, 2017/ Johanna Galea

When I think back to what my life was like just over a year ago when I was chronically ill, I still find it hard to believe that by the time you read this, if all goes well, I’ll have completed a 13 mile race. Before I started DNRS just over a year ago, I would go to sleep wondering whether I would be well enough to get out of bed the next morning. So as I write this today I still can’t quite believe that I’ve prepared all my stuff to get up for a half marathon tomorrow! Here’s all about what this means to me and what it could mean to others suffering from mysterious, chronic illnesses – even if they have no intention of ever running a half marathon down the line (I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea :) ).

Photo by Alan Falzon

February 26, 2017

A letter to myself before I became chronically ill

February 26, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Being chronically ill taught me quite a few lessons and more than anything it taught me to slow down and appreciate the little things in life. It also helped me realise that in actual fact the little things are the big things. Now that I’ve recovered fully, I still like to occasionally remind myself of the things my chronic illness taught me, because life can be so rushed that it can be easy to forget. So here’s a letter to my 29-year-old self, to the person who hadn’t yet learned any of these lessons.

February 19, 2017

15 uplifting quotes for when you’re feeling down

February 19, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I know no one likes being ill. But after being chronically ill for so long and then recovering, things like colds and flu upset me a bit more than they should and a bit more than they used to. And since this cold has been dragging on for over a week, I’m not in the best of moods today. So instead of one of my usual blog posts, here’s a collection of 15 uplifting quotes which always cheer me up when I’m feeling down.

Photo by Rene Rossignaud Photography

February 12, 2017

Here’s why I can’t wait for the BRND WGN & University Ring Road Races (and 10 reasons you should be there too)

February 12, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Don’t let this photo mislead you. I won’t be taking part in the BRND WGN & University Ring Road Races this year. This photo actually shows the only time I ever actually ran in one of the races on the day. It was tough having to switch back to organiser mode as soon as I finished my leg of the relay and tagged my colleague Louis, who was up next. So this year, much as I’d love to run it again, I’ll “just” be sticking to the role of organiser. But being able to plan the races last year and then even getting to be there was a big defining point in my recovery. So here’s why I can’t wait for the BRND WGN & University Ring Road Races (and 10 reasons you should be there too).

Photo by Jeffrey Cassar

February 05, 2017

How to overcome perfectionism in 9 simple steps

February 05, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Before I started this blog, I remember thinking I didn't have the right photos for my website. As a perfectionist, I must admit that sometimes I want things to be so “perfect” that I just don’t get them done. But I finally made the decision that I’d start the blog with the photos I had and eventually try getting some proper photos taken. While my best friend Becky – an amazing photographer – travels the world, last weekend Sean Mallia, another really amazing photographer, took my photos for the blog. This photo shoot reminded me of that moment when I wanted to wait to have the right photos before starting the blog. I’m so glad I didn’t put off getting started for so long. And here are 9 simple steps which can help you overcome perfectionism too.

Photo by Sean Mallia

January 29, 2017

10 tips for tough times

January 29, 2017/ Johanna Galea

The past couple of months haven’t been the easiest as Dermot and I received some difficult news. Nothing we won’t get through, but quite challenging just the same. And while on the whole I feel I’ve been coping pretty well, there was actually a point this week when I thought I wouldn’t write a blog post this weekend because I just didn’t feel up to it. But then I decided it would be a good time to put down some tips for getting through tough times. I really hope my tips might help you even just a little bit if you’re going through a tough time also. Obviously all situations are different, but here are the 10 things which are really helping me get through this.

January 22, 2017

My parents' views on my journey and recovery

January 22, 2017/ Johanna Galea

For this blog post I wanted a photo taken before my illness started. When it never even crossed any of our minds that difficult times might lie in store. And I don’t mean difficult times just for me. I always say that I believe it was actually worse for those around me. 5 months ago, I wrote about my journey through Dermot’s eyes. And because some of you had asked and because my parents walked with me through the storm in every way possible, here’s my journey and recovery from a chronic illness through my parents’ eyes.

January 15, 2017

A year ago I hoped to improve by 10%: here’s what happened instead

January 15, 2017/ Johanna Galea

To say I had hit rock bottom by the start of 2016 was putting it mildly. But exactly a year ago, I sat down to watch the DNRS DVDs for the first time. I still had huge doubts about the whole thing but I remember saying that if it at least helped me improve by 10%, it was worth giving it a try. Little did I know how my life was going to change! Rather than improving by just 10%, here’s what happened in the year since I started neural retraining.

January 08, 2017

The top 10 uncanny things that happened when I had multiple chemical sensitivity

January 08, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Today I feel so grateful that things which made me so ill when I had multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are now so normal again. Apart from so many other things, I can now hug my loved ones again without worrying about reacting to any of their perfumes or toiletries. When I had MCS, I was lucky that although such strange things were happening, everyone around me was extremely supportive. But since unfortunately that isn’t the case for so many sufferers, hopefully this might make you smile and might also help to raise awareness about such a poorly understood condition. So here are the top 10 uncanny things that happened when I had MCS.

Photo by Rebekah Kamsky Photography

January 02, 2017

9 steps for turning New Year’s Resolutions into achievable goals

January 02, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I started 2016 housebound, which is why this photo of me and Dermot in Italy last June means so much to me. In fact, being able to travel again was one of my recovery goals when I started DNRS in 2016. I believe setting tangible goals is really important not only when it comes to recovery from chronic illnesses through DNRS but also for life in general. And when it comes to setting New Year’s Resolutions, I really believe that turning them into actionable and achievable goals rather than leaving them up in the air as something you hope to one day achieve is the way to go. So here are 9 steps which can help you to keep your resolutions and achieve your goals in 2017.

December 24, 2016

11 tips for coping with Christmas after losing a loved one

December 24, 2016/ Johanna Galea

Sadly, the grandfather of one of my best friends passed away a couple of days ago. It was exactly 19 years less a day after my own grandfather had passed away so it obviously reminded me a lot of our Christmas 19 years ago. It also made me think of others who have lost a loved one at Christmas time. And of course even if they would have passed away before Christmas time, the first Christmas in their absence is never easy. I’m definitely no expert on the subject, but here are the 11 tips I would give to anyone celebrating their first Christmas after losing a loved one.

December 18, 2016

The top 5 mistakes to avoid when things don’t go according to plan

December 18, 2016/ Johanna Galea

The nausea I feel in Madrid alarms me at first. But it’s not long before it becomes clear that this is no reaction to the tapas, paella, sangria or anything else. This is gastric flu. So while it’s a relief that it’s just a normal bug, gastric flu obviously wasn’t part of the plan for our holiday in Madrid: our first family holiday in almost 2 years. And here are the mistakes I almost made which could have ended up ruining our holiday – mistakes which I consider to be the top 5 mistakes to avoid when things don’t go the way you would have wished them to.

December 11, 2016

How I rediscovered the true magic of Christmas when I was chronically ill

December 11, 2016/ Johanna Galea

I’ve always loved Christmas and everything that comes with it. But last year somehow when everything got stripped back, sad as it was, that’s when I realised that although there was no Christmas tree in our living room, I had all the essential things and nothing else mattered. There was something about having none of the usual things at Christmas time that showed me just how much I actually had. And here’s how I rediscovered the true magic of Christmas and the 10 lessons I learned when I was chronically ill.

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