Tics

Surprise Solitude

6th
December
2020

For me, Tourettes means I have strong oppositional impulses – the automatic urge to do exactly the opposite of what I want to do. This is why I shout ‘I’m over here’ during games of hide and seek,’ why I … read more

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Phil Mitchell Half Term Saviour

20th
October
2020

It’s half term week and families across the UK will be looking for ways to keep everyone entertained. In non-pandemic times the Touretteshero team travel a lot and, in the process, we’ve developed some tic-inspired games to pass the time. … read more

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Affirmations for The End Times

5th
October
2020

I was chatting earlier with a friend who’s having a tough time, and it got me thinking about affirmations, by which I mean positive statements that you say out loud to help overcome negative thoughts.

I looked some up, and … read more

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Yaska Sahara - Mama and Me

17th
September
2020

At the start of lockdown I was sent a short story about the experience of growing up with a parent with Tourettes by a young writer called Yaska Sahara. I found the piece incredibly moving and it was a perspective … read more

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What’s That?

15th
September
2020

At the weekend I met my sister and my niece Bean at a playground we haven’t visited since Bean was tiny. It was lovely to be back in a park playing together. I was wearing a mask and being careful … read more

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The Agony Shelf

30th
August
2020

Here at Touretteshero we have what we call the ‘Ideas Shelf’. It’s an imaginary shelf and we put ideas for future projects, events or services on it. These ideas are then ready to be taken off the shelf when the … read more

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Blustery Tree

29th
August
2020

It’s been a long, busy week and for a good part of it I was managing a heady mix of pain and nausea. One of these on their own I can usually cope with, but both together is overwhelming.

This … read more

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F***ing Captions

27th
August
2020

I did a stand-up comedy gig this afternoon, the first since lockdown. It was online of course, but it was still great to be performing again. The show was with Abnormally Funny People, a collective of disabled comedians. Alongside … read more

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Raising a Child with Tourettes - Five Ideas For The Early Days

12th
August
2020

I’ve seen a few social media posts recently from parents of children with tics who are yet to receive a diagnosis. I imagine the pandemic will have slowed this process down even further and suspect there will be families having … read more

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Welcome to Our Tourettes Family

11th
August
2020

Normally when I write this blog, I’m writing for everyone – all ages, all backgrounds, with all sorts of bodies and minds. But this post is different because I’ve written it specifically for children and young people who are at … read more

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