About

She was just 19 when she woke up debilitatingly ill at age 19 and it took 17 years to find a proper diagnosis. Now Joanna Charnas says, "My body may be out of control but I am in control of how I take care of it." Learn tips and tools for living well with chronic illness or how to best care for someone who is from a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who truly gets it.  In this podversation: The day Joanna woke up debilitatingly ill at age 19 which became a 17-year struggle to get properly diagnosed Finding relief through meditation and other mindfulness and holistic health and wellness practices The importance of maintaining an existential perspective rooted in gratitude Learning to temper optimism with reality to best support clients and loved ones who are ill Being willing to ask for help when needed Check in on your strong friends Why Joanna likes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy We're all in the closet about something Why it's hard for people, especially women, to assert themselves and ask for needs to be met Owning your illness and not making others responsible for our needs "My body may be out of control but I am in control of how I take care of it." "Your pain and suffering are real, but with time, effort, and perseverance, you can still have much happiness in your life." "Attitude is the king, queen, and sun god rolled into one. It's the most important thing we bring to the challenges [we face]."   Meet Joanna Charnas: Joanna Charnas has been a clinical social worker for thirty years and holds specialties in group therapy and chronic illness. She blogged on the HuffPost Blog for two and a half years, and had been published on several other international websites, including Popsugar.com before authoring two books herself: Living Well with Chronic Illness, and 100 Tips and Tools for Managing Chronic Illness. Connect with her further at: https://www.joannacharnas.com/