The Seated View

The plotzing! OMG, the plotzing!! OK, deep breath.    So, I had the opportunity to interview Leeza Gibbons. I was a complete fan girl about it, although tried to keep it together for the actual interview. Plotzed before, after, while I was writing up the article, when I saw the interview — because it's also on video — and am still plotzing. Because it's Leeza Gibbons! I've always been a fan, and now that she's working with and for caregivers, especially those who care for loved ones with Alzheimer's, I'm an even bigger fan. "Leeza Gibbons is a busy woman. In addition to her Emmy-award-winning work as a TV host, she also is an author, speaker, and family woman. But these days, she is often mentioned in the same breath as the word “caregiving,” through her work with her nonprofit foundation Leeza’s Care Connection , which provides self-care and wellness resources for caregivers. I spoke to her about caring for the caregiver of someone who lives...

A few weeks ago, we walked home from the Royal Ontario Museum and decided to wander through Queen's Park. This is both the seat of the provincial government of Ontario, as well as an actual park. And I'd never been there before. It was absolutely lovely, the low light of a November afternoon filtering through multi-colour changing leaves. It was quintessentially Canadian. This is not exactly quintessentially Canadian, but certainly worth the photo. It’s not every day you see someone casually travel through downtown Toronto on a unicycle. Queen’s Park is also close to the University of Toronto. Which is likely the reason for this    We met some of the inhabitants of the park. Namely the squirrels. Which appeared to be very well cared for by the government employees and hospital staff that work in the downtown area around the park. Because they were easily the healthiest, chubby us to squirrels I have ever seen. Also the friendliest. As we entered the p...

I am (seasonally appropriate) so grateful for the incredible support my HealthCentral family is giving me and Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness! David Mendosa of the HealthCentral Diabetes site reviewed my new book and asked some insightful questions about it : " If you have a chronic illness that limits your activity, this new book is the best gift you can give yourself this holiday season. If you have friends or relatives for whom the holidays are challenging, also give them a copy. But don’t wait until Christmas! You need this book now. The book is “ Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness ” by Lene Andersen, the Community Leader of HealthCentral’s rheumatoid arthritis site.   Nobody is better suited for writing it than Lene Andersen. She is not only a person who has to manage a chronic illness but also is an accomplished writer. And Christmas is Lene’s favorite holiday, which she writes about ...

Am I kidding? Not entirely. My new post for HealthCentral is a mostly tongue-in-cheek look at the reasons to feel grateful for RA: "I like to say that living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a dance on roses — there are plenty of thorns. It can be very difficult to see the positive when you are hurting and exhausted. But did you know that nurturing a sense of optimism can improve your experience of pain ? Personally, I have found that focusing on what I have and what I can do have made me a much happier person than when I was very aware of what I didn’t have and couldn’t do. This post will take a look (sometimes tongue-in-cheek) at ways you can change thorns to roses. Meeting new people in white coats . Having RA means spending a lot of time in healthcare settings. Just think of all the new people you will meet! Some will become mainstays in your life and an important part of your support network. Credit: Giphy Naps are medicinal. Naps are blissful, naps are ...

You've heard me mention the amazing Rick Phillips before — he is the man behind #RABlog Week, an important addition to the RA conversation, now in its second year. And he was kind enough to review Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness : "I was so excited to hear about Chronic Christmas Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic  Illness .  It came to me at exactly the right time of year, and I was in the mood for some fun and practical advice about the holiday season.  When this book arrived in the mail, I was excited to see what Lene might share to help me find that contentment and excitement about the holiday season.  As a person with choric conditions, I sometimes have difficulty getting into the season.  Lene’s words helped me discover some reasons I feel out of step with the rest of the world and gave me practical advice about how to overcome some of my barriers." Read the rest of Rick's wonderful and very detailed review on...

I've mentioned before how very much I love the cover for my new book Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness . It makes me giggle. It makes other people giggle. So I decided to have some fun with it and created a pile of products using elements of the image. Best of all, they are useful products that can help you connect to the spirit of the season. And which might make you giggle and hat's always a good thing! More than once in the book, I mention having a drink of something hot. And what better way Christmas mug? There are two of them. The first is what I call the Christmas Bliss mug Christmas Bliss Mug by TheSeatedView And the Chronic Christmas mug Chronic Christmas Mug by TheSeatedView Do you want to keep track of all the things you are doing (and not doing) to make this an enjoyable season? Why not use the Chronic Christmas notebook? You can also keep track of gifts, or use as a journal to record your thoughts about th...