Why I write Self Care Sunday
I have lived with back pain for more than 50 years. That experience began early and shaped the direction of my life. I started studying training, movement, yoga, breathing, philosophy, nutrition, and the nervous system when I was young, because I needed answers I could actually use.
For more than 45 years, I have continued that study through practice, experimentation, and direct work with people. I spent 15 years running a studio in Vancouver, helping clients understand persistent pain, movement restrictions, protective tension, and the many ways the nervous system influences how the body feels.
My work does not begin with the idea that the body is broken. It begins with the belief that symptoms often make sense when we understand the conditions that shaped them. Breathing, food, sleep, movement, touch, emotion, habit, stress, and belief all affect the same living system.
Self Care Sunday is where I bring those pieces together. Every edition is meant to be useful, thoughtful, and calm enough to read with a cup of coffee before the week begins. Some articles draw heavily on published research. Others grow from lived experience, long observation, and practical work. I try to make that distinction clear while never losing sight of the person who simply wants to feel better.
I write as Stephen Backhealer. The name reflects the work, keeps my private life private, and gives the books, articles, and Back Pain Exposed series one consistent author identity.