Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Excerpts from My Book on Living with Chronic Illness


I am home briefly in between trips - three trips in 10 days' time! It's a busy month with a lot of family stuff, so I thought I would share some videos here today.

Since I started my YouTube channel in February 2021, I have made quite a few videos based on chapters from my book, Finding a New Normal: Living Your Best Life with Chronic Illness (available everywhere, in print and e-book, and more info on the book at that link). This book is meant for anyone living with any kind of chronic medical condition, with a focus on emotional coping, daily living, healthy relationships, and figuring out what your best life is, within your own restrictions and limitations.

I recently made a couple of brief videos (YouTube Shorts, under 1 minute each), with a quote from the beginning of two chapters:

Who Do You Tell and What Do You Say? - all about deciding what to reveal and to whom about your medical condition.

The Hidden World of Invisible Suffering - how chronic illness showed me a hidden world with lots of people facing challenges others don't see.

And these are longer (12-25 min) videos, based on full chapters from my book:

Get Out! Nature Improves Health - based on the chapter, The Restorative Power of Nature, includes some photos and videos of nature, plus tips on how to enjoy and get the benefits of nature, no matter what your limitations.

A Plan B Day - a useful concept with specific steps to help you prioritize, reduce stress, and listen to your body.

You're Right Where You Need to Be - how techniques like acceptance, giving in, and living in the present can help you to live your best life with chronic illness.

Finding Joy in Every Day - simple habits that can help you to identify the small joys in your everyday life and create more of those moments, to improve your quality of life and happiness.

What Are You Looking Forward To?one simple tip I learned from a wonderful psychologist that can help when you are feeling stuck in a rut.

Celebrate Everything, Big and Small - when you celebrate the small stuff - with minimal effort! - you add joy to your life and give yourself and your family something to look forward to. It's fun! 

So, I hope that will provide some useful information to you while I'm away.

What tips and strategies help YOU live with chronic illness?

Let me know in the comments below.

You can also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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