WELL BEING

A look at many aspects of chronic illness from an author who’s been there herself.

Gaylord, who’s been diagnosed with both Bell’s palsy and Hashimoto’s disease, first takes readers through a brief overview of her own time living with chronic illness, discussing things those with similar afflictions have experienced, including feelings of hopelessness (when she writes about days when she could hardly bear to look at herself in the mirror, many readers will immediately relate) and the medical quagmire of befuddled doctors and conflicting diagnoses. She then goes on to address various means of coping, including strategies for improving mental, spiritual, and emotional health during whatever ordeal the reader might be facing. Accompanying each of the book’s segments are brief inset meditations encouraging readers not only to reflect on the different parts of their medical journeys but also to write down their thoughts, chronicling their experiences as a way of feeling more in control. One of the book’s final sections centers around the physical elements of chronic illness, in which Gaylord dispenses some common-sense advice on subjects like clean eating: “If you fuel your body with processed foods filled with chemicals, GMOs, and antibiotics, your body will become problematic,” she writes; “nourishing your body with mindful and colorful nutrients will become essential to your journey.” Much of this advice is winningly heartfelt, though the author repeatedly indulges a weakness for cliches and overgeneralization: “Love is beautiful, soulful, and inspiring,” Gaylord writes in one such passage. “It is graceful, kind, gentle, and patient, and it is precisely what your soul needs in more ways than one.” Still, readers experiencing chronic illness (either as patients or caregivers) will appreciate the text’s unbeatable optimism.

Upbeat, engaging strategies to feel empowered in the face of illness.