As someone with a chronic illness, this book is so relatable. I enjoyed the advice and plan to share with my friends and family who also live with chronic illnesses.

"How to Do Life with a Chronic Illness" by Pippa Stacey is a heartfelt and practical guide for anyone navigating life with a long-term health condition. Stacey's writing is candid and empathetic, offering invaluable insights and tips on managing daily challenges, from dealing with medical appointments to finding a supportive community. Her humor and personal anecdotes make the book relatable and engaging. While some might wish for deeper dives into specific topics, the overall message of resilience and positivity shines through. It's a must-read for anyone seeking encouragement and practical advice on living well with a chronic illness.

I recieved an ARC copy of this title from the publisher.

As someone who lives with a chronic illness, I was cautiously optimistic about this book and Pippa didn't disappoint. I found her incredibly relatable, as if I were getting a latte at starbucks with a friend and chatting about our mutual lived experience. She speaks cadidly about living in a world that is not built for you, and the ableism that comes along with that. She also is not afraid to call you out on your own role in the things that make you frustrated about living with chronic illness.

I WISH I had this book when my health rapidly changed. I needed to hear this message during my transition into a new medical normal.

I can and HAVE reccomended this book to my chronically ill friends. I've also gifted more than one copy that was purchased with my own money to people I know.

I can't wait for what comes next from this author.

I was very glad to be able to read this book as an ARC because it really spoke to me due to the title of the book.
As a person with a chronic disease myself, I thought this would be very interesting to read. And indeed it was.

I learned a lot, especially because of the additional forms in the book to evaluate your own part in the areas that are spoken about in the book. It gave a lot of insight and the tips were very convenient. Besides that, I could recognize a lot of examples which made me feel understood. And I think, with a book like this, that is a very important part of the story.

I would recommend reading this book to everyone dealing with a chronic illness and having difficulty with living with it. Maybe not everything will be something for you, but there sure are some useful things in it!

This is a really well put together introduction to living with a chronic illness. Written in an open, friendly tone, Stacey works through issues such as illness management, relationships, mental health and more. She acknowledges problematic attitudes within our ableist world with a good balance of frustration, hope for change and above all compassion for ourselves. Her advice about rethinking our life choices with kindness and self-care are written with friendliness and vulnerability. This is an excellent first stop for anyone who is struggling to manage their condition.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Finally, something practical (and not depressing or with toxic positivity) written by people who actually have personal experience with chronic illnesses!

"How to Do Life with a Chronic Illness" offers a comforting and practical guide for navigating life's challenges while dealing with chronic illness. The author's abundance of helpful tips, combined with a tone that balances hope and realism, makes it a valuable resource for those facing similar struggles.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

As someone who has been living with MS for almost 20 years, I found this book extremely helpful to remind me, that I'm not my my illness. I think this will be a tool for people who are just starting their journey with chronic illness and a reminder for those of us who are further in their journey.

DNF

I have lived with chronic illness including severe endometriosis and adenomyosis, hemiplegic migraines and interstitial cystitis for 19 years now. Perhaps that is why I didn't find this book for me as I just found it quite patronising and not very helpful. I read to 20% and just couldn't anymore. I think I will just stick to the more scientific books.

There are a lot of good (and not so good) books out there about chronic illness from a medical/wellness perspective, but this is one of the first I've seen that addresses the general "living life" with a chronic illness. Good information, interesting journaling prompts, and the author has a great, supportive way of writing - it makes you feel like you're talking to a friend who gets it.

Absolutely loved this book. It’s the kind of book I wish I'd had at the start of my own chronic illness journey.

I’d recommend this book to anyone living with a chronic illness but still wanting to find a way to live life. It’s full of helpful advice and practical tips on all aspects of life, broken down into easy-to-read sections. I related to so much of Pippa's experience and the thoughts and feelings she writes about throughout the book. I liked the use of journal prompts at the end of each chapter allowing you to reflect on what you’d read and how it applies to your own personal situation.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!)

What an excellent book!!
I wish this book was around when I was first diagnosed with M.E/CFS. There is so much info and advice in here. But it never feels like too much, or overwhelming. It is sorted into easy to digest chapters, with journal prompts at the end. I really liked the lists at the end of some of the chapters too. It was a good book to read from start to finish, but you could also dip in and out, or search and read certain sections as and when you need guidance.
Pippa Stacey - thank you for bringing some light onto a topic that doesn't get spoken about - let alone written about!

Living with a chronic illness myself I was interested to discover some new tips from Pippa Stacey's new book. However, I found most of what she said is repeated in an abundance of other sources.

I would say though, that I liked her open conversations manner and her little stories were either funny or thought provoking. As an experienced chronic disease survivor I would highly recommend this book to anyone finding themselves on this journey as it explains everything in good, easily digested, detail and I can confirm her ideas really do help!

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Where was this book when I was first sick. Seriously, this book is amazing and answered so many of the questions I had when I first got sick before I was diagnosed and found the #NEISvois (which is also suggested as a community for support in the book). The journal prompts were great and I will definitely be coming back to them again in the future. I loved that it also mentioned things such as medical gaslighting and approaches to mobility aids and the stigma which I haven’t seen in disability books I’ve read before and really appreciated hearing about it from other people. I also appreciated that Pippa gave her own experiences after every chapter/section she had explained to see other experiences parallel or contrasting to my own.

This was a great book to read while resting at home during a flare-up of chronic illness. The author provided lots of little, helpful tips and the overall tone was one that was hopeful while still being realistic and relatable. I particularly enjoyed the journal prompts and actually explored some of them and found them really insightful and useful.

This book offers great insight into the world of living with a chronic illness. I think it’s amazing how the author included their own story so readers could feel a sense of understanding and community with this book.

I will definitely be recommending this book to family and friends with chronic illnesses.

Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Pippa Stacey, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this self-help book.

A very accessible read for anyone with a chronic illness, also offering useful journal prompts to further support. AS someone who has recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness this feels very helpful and a book I'll keep referring back too.

In short, it's the book you need if you live with chronic fatigue - whether as a symptom, or a syndrome, it's useful to explore.

There are some useful journal prompts in the book, for those so inclined, but the best part for me are the ideas about adapting hobbies to suit particular ailments. I've been in touch with the UK Paraclimbing Collective, looked into a pottery wheel I could actually use, and other things. This book has been such an inspiration for action - so rich, and varied.

Throughout the reading, I've been prompted to think about things I otherwise hadn't (of course thermal wear is basically an Aid for me - why hadn't I seen that before?), and it's certainly something I'll refer back to, in future.

I do find the term 'non disabled' appears a lot, and I understand why - like 'non fiction' suggests fiction is the 'standard', this suggests disabled is the standard... and that's novel - but it's a double-negative I'm taking some time to get used to.

On the whole, though, it reads well, it's conversational, it's well-structured, and... I expect it's useful for most people with a chronic illness. Chronic Fatigue, as a side effect or syndrome, is such a common experience that I'd be surprised if anyone struggled to find something to take away from this book.

This is an excellent resource for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. It’s filled with tips, advice, and each chapter ends with journal prompts to reflect on what you read. I think this would be especially helpful for someone who is starting their journey with chronic illness, but even someone who isn’t can benefit from it too. I found it relatable and helpful. I’ll definitely recommend it

How to Do Life with .a Chronic Illness by Pippa Stacey

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to read and give my honest opinion of.

i'm not exactly sure what I thought this book was going to be about, but it was both better than I hoped in some respects, and less than in others.

Part of the problem for me in reading this was the formating was so wonkey throught the book. Dropped letters, weird footnoting numbers that suddenly appeared, but not looking like footnote numbers I'm used to.

This book is written by someone who has a chronic illness, and recognizes that even those of us who have the same as she does, we do not all respond the same to treatment, or to what we can/cannot do. Pippa talkes about pacing and what it is, how we can use it to our advantage.

There are journal prompts at the end of each chapter, whick can be useful if that's your thing.

I would recommend this book to those interested in some fairly easy reading that doesn't make you feel like a failure for having a chronic illness.