Back in June of 2012 I was one month away from the manuscript due date. I asked Phillip to read the first chapter of Chronic Resilience. As most writers do, I was struggling to know if things sounded cohesive and intriguing. He agreed and spent a few hours poring over…
It is easy to become attached . Too easy. Online, in stores and everywhere in-between it is the outcome that sells. Here are three headlines from Health.com today: Get Toned in Half the Time Think Yourself Healthy! How to Treat (and Avoid!) Summer Skin Problems It’s an article’s, or product’s,…
We had a ton of fun making the Chronic Resilience book trailer. It hatched as an idea somewhere in my mind to put the book’s message on screen to demonstrate that even with illness life can be something really special. I wrote three scripts. Version one was too deep.…
There are lots of things to do when you’re coping with an illness: rest, drink green juice, find a good doctor, get support, reduce stress,… The list could go on for days. As important, if not more, are the things you should not do when you’re sick. These are the…
Fractals I have a thing for fractals. They are widely recognized as futuristic patterns that repeat over and over again. It’s a math thing. Don’t click away yet…this does apply to your life. In fractals, there are certain mathematical properties that are shared from the smallest to the largest components…
I just watched this insightful TED talk about perspective. The speaker, Rory Sutherland, asserts that circumstances mater much less than how we interpret them. Specifically, Sutherland says that the more control we feel over our circumstances the more satisfied we are. I completely agree. This one idea is the bedrock…
We woke up a little more than a week ago and Emma was not herself. She refused to come out from underneath the guest bed, and when she did, she struggled to get up and down the stairs. It is beyond heartbreaking to have a pet not feel well. These…
A facebook friend of mine linked to a recent Huffington post article titled, “To the Parents of Small Children: Let Me Be the One Who Says It Out Loud.” I don’t have any kiddos (yet), but I just had to know what needed to be said out loud, so I…
I recently finished In the Kingdom of the Sick by writer, author and health activist Laurie Edwards. It is a fascinating exploration of the intersection between illness and society. Coping with chronic illness can have a narrowing affect on your life as you deal with daily symptoms and doctors appointments.…
There are an infinite number of ways to meditate, and just about infinite benefits that come from consistent meditation. The most important benefit, as it relates to coping with illness, is that meditation turns off our stress response system. This allows our body’s energy to be directed to repair and…