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saintshithead's review
I got this book when my closest friend/parter/ex thought she might be chronically ill. I found it incredibly annoying. I would say this book might be great for a Buddhist who gets sick. I've found a lot of value in trying to embody the tenets of Buddhism but am agnostic/atheistic as the day is long. I couldn't reconcile some of the super simplified advice for some of the world's hardest pill to swallow.
Additionally, the author seems to barley reflect on the level of privilege they have in their lifetime partner also being willing to be a caretaker. So much of the trouble I had was how to honor my needs in the context of a relationship where I was also called to be a care taker. They hardly describe what this relationship is like and the advice they offer to care taker is boiler plate. Basically amounts to: take care of yourself too.. Have boundaries sometimes, etc. Useless.
If you're looking to cope becoming chronically ill or being close to someone that's chronically ill, I'd skip this one. Omitting a star rating because I only got about halfway through before calling it quits.
Additionally, the author seems to barley reflect on the level of privilege they have in their lifetime partner also being willing to be a caretaker. So much of the trouble I had was how to honor my needs in the context of a relationship where I was also called to be a care taker. They hardly describe what this relationship is like and the advice they offer to care taker is boiler plate. Basically amounts to: take care of yourself too.. Have boundaries sometimes, etc. Useless.
If you're looking to cope becoming chronically ill or being close to someone that's chronically ill, I'd skip this one. Omitting a star rating because I only got about halfway through before calling it quits.
geekberry's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I just couldn't relate. Maybe it's the 20-year career I didn't have before I got sick. The cover of my copy days it's Buddhist-inspired but it certainly friend Buddhist-restrictive, because when taken out of a spiritual context it really seemed like most of the advice in the book boiled down to "have you considered not feeling bad about it?"
celiaka's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
ginabyeg's review
3.0
This book was okay. I appreciate the Buddhist teachings on mindfulness, and acceptance of suffering as a part of life. But I don’t quite agree with the practices of equanimity. Buddhism seems very cerebral, and equanimity seems like a way to bypass, minimize, or ignore one’s feelings and emotions, rather than experience them fully. The more I learn about embodiment, the more I recognize that emotions have to be felt both in mind and body to be able to work through them in a healthy way. Equanimity feels contradictory to embodiment, and a good portion of this book focusses on equanimity as a coping strategy for chronic illness. I couldn’t get behind those practices, and the practises on mindfulness and acceptance were not really new content. Someone new to mindfulness may find this insightful, but for me it was just okay.
tlindhorst's review
5.0
This book is written by someone with ME/CFS. This Is not a memoir as much as it is a manual filled with practices the author has crafted over nearly two decades of being chronically I’ll. Very affirming and helpful.
atintera's review
3.0
Maybe I shouldve expected this, but the books focus on Buddhist teaching made reading it a bit difficult. I thought the advice was helpful, though not always applicable to my life.