How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness

A Mindful Guide

By: Toni Bernhard

Narrated by: Deon Vozov

Comfort, understanding, and advice for those who are suffering - and those who care for them....

Chronic illness creates many challenges, from career crises and relationship issues to struggles with self-blame, personal identity, and isolation. Beloved author Toni Bernhard addresses these challenges and many more, using practical examples to illustrate how mindfulness, equanimity, and compassion can help listeners make peace with a life turned upside down.

In her characteristic conversational style, Bernhard shows how to cope and make the most of life despite the challenges of chronic illness. Benefit from:

• Mindfulness exercises to mitigate physical and emotional pain
• Concrete advice for negotiating the everyday hurdles of medical appointments, household chores, and social obligations
• Tools for navigating the strains illness can place on relationships

Several chapters are directed toward family and friends of the chronically ill, helping them to understand what their loved one is going through and how they can help.

Humorous and empathetic, Bernhard shares her own struggles and setbacks with unflinching honesty, offering invaluable support in the search to find peace and well-being.

©2015 Toni Bernhard (P)2015 Toni Bernhard

The authenticity of the author’s voice and perspective.

I can’t think of anything negative about this book. I suffer from multiple chronic illnesses and could relate to so much of what the author speaks about. The book is intelligent and detailed without overwhelming the reader with too much information. It is also written clearly. I like the quotes that she starts chapters with, and may buy the book just so I can have those quotes. If you’re suffering from a chronic illness or know someone who is, this book is very enlightening. I highly recommend it.

Inspiration and Hope

Loved this book; the author helps you feel not so alone with everything that's going on in your life and gives helpful insight and advice as she shares her thoughts and experiences that she has endured with her own chronic illness. I highly recommend this book.

Most Amazing Insight!

Toni’s words are so full of insight and compassion. I have never found a resource for living with chronic illness which has impacted me as much as this book! Through her words I feel validated and cared for like I never have in my over 10 years living with this illness. Will read again and again for years to come!

For those with disability and not

A truly excellent book with tons of wisdom and advice. I really liked how each chapter was introduced with a profound quote. If you read this book, it will not regret it :-)

Great book, terrible narrator

I love Toni Bernhard and deeply appreciate the way her writing (both books and blog) has helped those like me with chronic pain and illness. Because my health issues make it very hard to read, I depend on audio books. But oh, this narrator is so irritating. She “performs” the book in a chirpy, superior voice, accenting her reading with infuriating tongue clicks, sounding like such a know-it-all with a singsong, preachy style. Toni is NOT like this but somehow this narrator manages to wrench her calm, helpful words into something I can hardly bear to listen to. It’s such a shame, because she’s the narrator of all Bernhard’s books on Audible. I am so very tired of narrators who “act out” books instead of, you know, reading them. When I read books to myself,I don’t inflect them with all this drama, and I don’t need it when someone else reads to me. I wish Audible would vet its narrators with more care.

diamond in the rough

I so appreciate you writing this book I love it. Just what I need. You are amazing for putting this out there I appreciate it more than you know.

Beyond words...

I just finished this book for the first time with strangely joyful tears about it’s teachings and compassion regarding living with unrelenting chronic pain. I am certain that I will be listening to it again and again.

I love all her books

The best book on chronic pain and how to live through it. She has 2 other books.

Very Helpful for ICI

I've been living with invisible chronic illness for over half my life and I found this book very helpful. The author discusses mindfulness and meditation a lot. I knew nothing about those things before reading this, so it inspired me to learn once I had the opportunity. This book is a must read for those with debilitating chronic illness.

Great information

I have Fibromyalgia. This book will help me put more tools in my tool box of self care.