There are lots of comments on here about the importance of self-care, being kind to oneself, self-forgiveness, understanding and working with some of the ways we push ourselves to the point of illness.
I wondered if people would like to share the names of books or writers they've found helpful.
I've been reading Thomas Moore's Care of the Soul which I found both baffling and brilliantly inspiring. Although baffled more often than inspired, the inspiration did keep me reading until my partner demanded her book back.
Hope we are all having good days.
Ben
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Brizzleben
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Good idea. My reading matter is restricted to fiction that makes me laugh or have a (mostly) happy ending. Nothing instructional. I have also dropped my book group, partly to lack of concentration but mostly because the attitude was that unless it involves angst, pain and misery it isn’t literature. My soul food comes from the garden meditation in growing things and focusing on details of plants. My husband has made me a new flower bed in the form of a simple labyrinth. This is probably not what you’re after but my last read was Calling Major Tom by David M Barnett.
Ben. I find reading "complicated /instructional" hard work & not at all helpful. Tend to dip into stuff & see what's there. Same with tele etc. Nature/gardening/sensory rarely cost me stress wise! The experienced on this forum point to a no magic bullet solution & they are right! It's a personal but not lonely experience finding the way through your way. Hope that helps. ATB
Thank you Pepperdoggie. Oh, I know that feeling of reading complicated and instructional: the information just doesn't go in. But like you, I'm finding the support group helps prevent the feeling that I"m going through this alone.
I have bought a couple books mainly low carb cookery and reversong diabetes and a cycle book. Sitting down and reading a full book wouldn't be possible as my concentration is non existent. I bought a book on cycling a giro route but saving that for when I can read and take things in. I must confess I am a tv addict and like to watch familiar programmes that require no concentration ..netflix in particular. Like others I like things that make me laugh (the cycling book sounded a hoot which is why I bought it). Sorry no recommendations at the moment!!
Thank you Poopadoop. Did you watch Stranger Things, on Netflix? I binged on it on a month's free trial and loved it. Family viewing where almost all the adults are idiots and the kids are the heroes plus some nasty baddies. Hope you get to go on the bike ride for real in the not too distant.
Yes stranger things absolutely brilliant. I also watched the companion round table and it was interesting seeing the kids characters in real life. I love the curly haired cheeky one!
If you like those child centred family viewing there is a film.called super 8 which has kids as the heroes. O think I watched it on Amazon on a trial but not sure where it would be now.
I am into my humourous zombie series on Netflix..izombie and zombie nation.
Sadly I have found it almost I possible to concentrate on or enjoy a book since diagnosis of PMR in January 2017 but am currently re-reading Kate Gilbert's book on my kindle and did follow up her advice and buy Jack Challems book about the Inflammation Syndrome.
I am hating not getting the pleasure of reading books to relax. Chrissie
Reading is my favourite hobby; mostly fiction. Have bought Kate Gilbert's book and am reading in chunks according to chapters I feel relevant. I recently found my local library lends books on line (brilliant) - borrowed anxiety and depression for dummies which includes section on mindfulness, and cook book for inflammation. I have a good book on mindfulness (but it is at work and I'm not this week so cannot name). I also pore through "Pinterest" items on vitamins, healthy eating, craft ideas etc to help me switch off.
Thank you Pongo. I kind of like Pinterest but find it a bit overwhelming and haven't worked out how to reduce the volume of stuff they send me. Healthy eating though: yum. I've become a food hoover since I was put on Prednisone and for some reason I'm not interested in sweet stuff like I used to be so that's probably all to the good.
Ha ha! Understand! Need discipline for Pinterest! I'm good at that! I have read "still Alice" recently. Really good read. About a younger woman with Alzheimer's. Lost my mum to this - awful. However makes me feel lucky only to have PMR and steroid brain....(I hope that's all it is).
Not being much of a self-help book reader, I read biographies and histories. Just finished David McCullough's book on the Wright Brothers. I've read just about everything McCullough's published. He's a brilliant writer. He makes reading history like seeing a movie. (You can hear, see taste and smell like you were the historical characters.) I especially recommend his books about the Brooklyn Bridge and the Jonestown Flood.
The good thing about biographies and histories is that you can pick them up and put them down without "breaking the mood" so to speak. It helps a bit if you can finish a paragraph or get through a section, but if not, you can always retrace a page or so to pick up where you left off. And it hardly ever effects the story. I did find myself, however, missing my subway stop when reading McCullough's account of the Battle of Brooklyn in the American Revolution.
As laughter is the best medicine I would recommend 'Write me funny' by Mark Benjamin.It really is funny and written by a fellow pmr sufferer from this group .
Like others, I’ve not been able to concentrate long enough to read novels for some time. But........just recently I read Restoration by Rose Tremain. Completely engrossing historical novel in a different style to her usual stuff and rich in detail. Finishing this feels like an achievement and a sign that things are improving alongside the other indicators like tapering the pred and having more energy……
I also like self help books- Sacred Contracts and Why People don’t heal and how they can -both by Carolyn Myss. NLP and health by Ian McDermott and Joseph O’Connor is one of my favourites too
Love audiobooks. I din’t feel like a total moron when my dates asked what was my latest read. I never tell them I just listened.
The Other Einstein was great, Big Little Lies, James Patterson is mindless, Me Before You ( great movie), Orphan Train, We Need to Talk About Kevin (also a movie Amazon Prime). Girl in Translation, The Invisible Bridge (long, requires concentration), The Space Between Us.
I spend a lot of time reading profiles on Match.com which certainly is comedy! Love Netflix comedy...Chris Rock, Ali Wong, Tiffany Haddish.
Love reading, for me the best way to relax!! Like thrillers/ spy stories but also decided I could read some of the Penguin classics- but a bit hard going at times. I also listen to a lot of podcasts / u tube but often find I've drifted off to sleep in a way. I can hear the voice droning away but can't recall anything they've said !!
I love falling asleep to the radio / podcast. Just so long as it's not the World Service: the number of times I've re-surfaced to horrific stories..... Thanks for your reply,
That's set me up for books and viewing for the foreseeable.
Ironically, over the last decade or so I've not actually been that a great reader: it's only now with a brain swimming in Prednisone that I seem to have bucked up my appetite and energy. Long may it last.
When I first started combing this support group for information I came across a posting referring to a book called "Healing Without Freud or Prozac" by David Serban Schreiber. I can't remember whose post it was but have it in my mind that they mentioned a second book as well: does this ring a bell with anyone?
For me always history - especially 'historical' biographies of mainly women. Carol Easton's 1989 bio of Jacqueline du Pre is one I read recently - it is of course heartrending and put my own health issues in perspective - unsurprisingly it has the strange compelling and fateful flavour which besets any 'true' story where the outcome is predetermined and SO ironic and 'unfair'. I also enjoy politically and philosophically oriented bios and those which confront our perceptions about 'truth', 'knowledge' and the Arts. I really enjoy reading about an interconnected 'crowd' or group of people (through various authors' points of view) - the Bloomsbury crowd are a great example and fascinating for that - if you are interested in the history of art and literature (even gardening, dance and politics) and the 'antics' of interesting & creative people. This is my idea of 'self-help' reading anyway - but we are all so different and my 'list' of likes would to many be idiosyncratic I know ....
Thank you, Rimmy. I just raced through "Capital" by John Lanchester, which is about a loosely interconnected crowd, all living or working in one London Street. Witty, wry and warm, I came away feeling understanding for characters I'd never meet.
I hope you're well and have a nice weekend. Brrrr!
You can always get my collection of short stories on amazon uk ! Boyfriends by Bonnie west actually published by a small uk press! Even tho I’m a yank!
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