Book Review of 'Finding Joy with an Invisible Chronic Illness' by Christopher Martin

TGIF Bookworms!

I am one emotional bookworm today for several reasons. The first reason is my oldest son is turning 18 tomorrow! I still cannot believe that I am going to be a mom of an adult! He still has a year left here with us as he finishes high school, but it doesn't change the flood of emotions that are hitting me right now.

The second thing that is making me emotional has to do with the book that I am featuring today. Many people don't know that I have dealt with a chronic illness my entire life. I have since been diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses that have affected my life dramatically, to the point that I cannot work a normal job, I miss out on many life events, and it has affected many of my personal relationships. Reading Finding Joy has meant so much to me, and you will see why when you read my review below.

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Finding Joy with an Invisible Chronic Illness by Christopher Martin, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Finding Joy with an Invisible Chronic Illness

Author: Christopher Martin

Publisher: Martin Family Bookstore

Release Date: November 15, 2021

Genre: Christian Nonfiction; self-help; chronic illness

A 2022 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner

"Finding Joy is a vital guide on how to best manage and navigate life with a chronic illness." —James Nestor, New York Times bestselling author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Finding Joy presents a comprehensive, practical guide for living your best life with chronic illness. This psychology self-help book integrates personal and professional insights to give you tools for handling various aspects of living with a chronic illness. There is also a chapter specifically for the loved ones and caregivers of the chronically ill. While this book is designed for anyone with a chronic illness, the spiritual content early in the book suggests the value of sticking to your faith and offers several Bible references.

Ultimately, Finding Joy is an A-to-Z guide that critiques the literature and empowers the reader with:

Positive psychology techniques. These range from self-compassion, positive reappraisal, positive self-talk, and pacing to positive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors such as optimism, humor, and volunteer work.
Stress-reduction methods. These include tools such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, simplification, and (therapeutic) journaling.
Proven therapies. Examples include cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
Effective communication strategies and their impact on relationships and even the ability to access quality healthcare.
Numerous tips to both access and optimize your experience with high-quality healthcare.
Important considerations for loved ones of the chronically ill, so they too can know how to best support their loved one and take care of themselves in the process.

“This book offers great value for anyone with chronic illness as it contains clear, practical, and actionable insights and steps that can be naturally implemented into daily life. An engaging, easy, and helpful read. Highly recommended.”—Alla Bogdanova, MSc, MIM, co-founder and past president of the International Empty Nose Syndrome Association

"The thing that sets it apart from others is that it’s written by afellow sufferer who can also give valuable insight as a psychologist.This topic could easily be heavy-going, but it is mainly an upbeat, positive read. Saying that, the author has taken care to balance positivity with reality."—Elsa Bridger on Amazon.co.uk

"What I loved the most about this book is theauthor has his own chronic illnessesso all methods are tried and tested. I really like the way this book was written as it didn't feel like any other self-help book I have ever read; it felt more relaxed.You knew that the author understood you and his manner made me take more in."—Ladyreading365 on Goodreads.com

“I have had various invisible chronic illnesses for nearly forty years, but I was still able to find suggestions that will help me. So many of the things I have gone through are reflected in this book. I highly recommend this comprehensive book.”—Sue on Amazon.ca

My Review

My entire life I have been plagued by a chronic illness. I was diagnosed with psoriasis when I was five years old, something that was unheard-of at the time. Years later I would be diagnosed with eight other chronic illnesses that has led to the life I once knew being over at the ripe age of 29. I know there are many out there that suffer like me, but for a long time I was alone in my silent battle, so I’ve grown to try to ignore it the best I can, pull up my boot straps, and do what I can to live each day with as much vigor as I can possibly muster. This is incredibly hard when all of my ailments have pretty much disabled me.

Because I am a suppressor by nature I normally do not read self-help books about dealing with chronic illnesses because I know when I do I will have to face my situation. Even though I’ve dealt with debilitating pain for years, it continues to be a truth I struggle to comprehend and it’s a constant fight for me to not be bitter that others can lead seemingly normal lives while I suffer in silence. But as I grow older I am realizing this is very unhealthy and, after reading Finding Joy, I am wondering just how harmful I’ve been to myself with years of negative self-talk.

There is definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with chronic illnesses, but I still found comfort in the fact that I do not suffer alone. There were times I was reading and it felt like I could’ve written it myself, the truth resonated that deep. This book is outlined in an easy to read format that allows you to pick and choose what you want to read, and I personally took copious notes from chapter three, Managing Stress, and went through chapter seven with my husband, which is specifically for caregivers of those with chronic illness. My husband isn’t always the most sympathetic when it comes to my illness, because nothing seems to change no matter what new treatment I try or what surgery or procedure I endure. Reading through the chapter with him gave us both insight to one another’s thoughts and feelings and opened up the lines of communication, something which I am very thankful for.

Though this is a fount of information on its own, the author also cites many resources for further study that was extremely helpful, and something I plan on pursuing in the future. “Chronic illness can ruin your life,” and in a lot of ways I feel like it’s practically ruined mine. After years and years of debilitating pain, multiple surgeries and procedures, and no end in sight I do not know who I am anymore, but after reading Finding Joy I am feeling more hopeful, something I haven’t felt in a really long time. No, I might not be able to change my situation, but I can change my mindset, and choose to see my situation from a different perspective. It doesn’t have to be a burden, it could a blessing.

My Rating: ★★★★★

About the Author

Christopher Martin is a school psychologist, husband, father, and an award-winning author who has lived with multiple debilitating chronic illnesses and their hidden effects - from chronic fatigue to significant pain to seemingly endless infections - for 25 years. As a result, he is all too aware of how disruptive and life-changing they can be to our daily lives.

But don't let what was just shared fool you: while he is far from cured of his illnesses, he still maintains a fulfilling life and experiences ongoing joy, peace, and happiness. He appreciates the small things in life such as drinking hot tea, going for walks with his family (when he is feeling up to it), and reading inspirational books. It was his goal, in turn, to give back to others by doing what he loves to do: authoring books on these conditions. He wrote his most recent book, Finding Joy with an Invisible Chronic Illness, because few books exist that offer comprehensive, practical guidance on chronic illness. And even fewer books exist that include mental health tips from the perspective of a psychologist and sufferer. Christopher enjoyed integrating his background in psychology with his experiences as a patient into realistic, easy-to-understand and apply strategies. His deepest hope in writing Finding Joy is to inspire the reader to live a more abundant life.

Learn more by visiting invisibleillnessbooks.com.

Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will receive $25 paypal cash and an audiobook download of the book!

(3) additional winners will receive an audiobook download of the book!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 22, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 29, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.