Another thing I found, if try to force myself into a fast pace and don't get my fretting hand positioned properly for my chord shape, I'll get one of those "tendon pops". I hate those, it feels like a shot of electricity going through my hand and wrist. It can't be healthy either.

This happens to me if I rush into a B-Minor chord. It's real important I get my hand positioned properly first, with my index finger barred across the strings, before applying pressure with my remaining fingers. If I apply fret pressure with my pinky and ring finger and don't have my hand positioned properly..."pop" ouch.

I'm becoming less obsessed with following Lisa McCormicks exact strum patterns. I can do them all, but they can make it difficult to transition to certain chords. So often I'll just brake it down to a simpler strum pattern, and focus on clean chord changes.