This week is the VEDA (Vestibular Disorders Association) Conference, Life Rebalanced Live 2026. It’s become one of my favorite weeks of the year because it’s the one time I’m immersed into a fellowship of hundreds of people who get it. The dizziness, brain fog, nausea, visual intolerance, migraines, and fatigue are shared along with solutions for how we live well when we don’t even feel comfortable in our own bodies.

For me, it starts with daily, repetitive acceptance. Before my feet even hit the floor, I remind myself that this is the current version of me, and there’s no going backward. “Once a pickle, always a pickle,” as we say in sobriety. Acceptance is the key to unlock my morning. It opens the door to willingness and allows me live well despite the symptoms. I got to learn slowly, and sometimes stubbornly, that I’m the expert on my body, and no doctor can chose the right healing path for me. I’ve had to participate in making those decisions, weighing what’s available with what helps and what hurts.

I kept a symptom-and-joy journal where I wrote down what I did, when I did it, how bad my symptoms got (0–10), and how much joy I felt (1–10). That journal turned my chaos into patterns. And over time, these practices of acceptance, tracking, fellowship, rest, and small brave repetitions built confidence, purpose, and hope amidst uncertainty.

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