Taylor Swift, Dance Healer?

In my early days of vulvar pain, I noticed very quickly that my symptoms would worsen when I felt angry and powerless. There was something about that disheartening mix that produced searing pain spikes. 

Over the years I slowly learned how to feel angry...but not powerless. I learned how to recognize anger as an indicator that my boundaries had been crossed or my values violated, and that instead of feeling like there was nothing I could do, I could channel that energy for change, either in outside circumstances or how I perceived them.

My emotional boundaries were therefore gifts rather than liabilities, and I learned how to recognize, strengthen, and respect them. Instead of being porous, with everything hitting me right in the heart, I developed a thick skin, allowing me shake off the slings and arrows of life on Planet Earth.

And now, finally, there is an anthem for my newfound freedom... Shake it off, Tay-tay!