Immediately in the aftermath of his wife Andrea’s death, Gerry Pelser began documenting his thoughts and feelings about his brand-new life as a ‘reluctant’ widower on social media as no one wants to be an ‘enthusiastic’ widower. Semi-daily snippets of candid and raw expressions of grief, fear, and confusion – punctuated with unexpected humour – went up on Facebook for the world to see.

Several posts went viral, and messages of support poured in from strangers as far away from India and New Zealand. Numerous of these encouraged Gerry to publish his posts as a book, simply because his posts helped people with their own healing and who wanted to share their recovery with other people.

In a surprisingly funny and heartfelt manner, Gerry breaks the fourth wall and tells his tale directly to the reader in a way that puts them with their feet up on his living-room couch: a memoir of an unlikely courtship, of love, dogs, a literal fairy-tale wedding, cricket, marriage, and the importance of stuffed animals. Of illness, personal wars and the eventual – unavoidable defeat – of dealing with the insistent question of ‘what now’ that follows in its wake. And ultimately, the possibility of healing.

This memoir is an honest tale of Love, Death and Life; heart-warming in its humour, heart breaking in its content and hopeful in its message. Chronicles of a Reluctant is a raw tale paying homage to Gerry’s late wife Andrea.

This book promises to be a landmark of exploration on a subject that eventually touches us all: dealing with grief. And the life that follows.

Die skrywer se eerste boek, Vandag se sekretaresse (Human & Rousseau, 1988), was gebaseer op ontelbare kantore, kollegas en werkgewers waarmee sy tydens 'n elektroniese revolusie te doen gekry het. Daar was wêreldwye bekommernis oor of die sekretaresse met moderne kantoortoerusting vervang sou kon word. Nou is daar weer wêreldwye onsekerheid tydens 'n pandemie waar vetsug lewensgevaarlik is. My laaste dieet is die memoires van 'n smullende skaalslaaf. Ná 'n lewenslange stryd en ervaring van vraatsug, gepaard met kennis en ondervinding van 'n magdom diëte, beskou die skrywer haarself as die Koningin van Diëte.

Surviving isn't enough: this is how you can thrive.

Over the past 15 years, anti-racist psychologist Guilaine Kinouani has contributed writing and run workshops on how racism affects both physical and mental health. Based on her findings, she has devised tried and tested psychological strategies. Her mission is to help thousands to find peace with this book.

Living While Black gives voice to the diverse experiences of Black people around the world and uses case studies and exclusive research to offer expert guidance on how to: set boundaries and process microaggressions; protect children from racism; navigate the dating world; identify and celebrate the wins.

Kinouani empowers Black readers to adopt self-care routines that improve day-to-day wellness to help them thrive not just survive and find hope - or even joy - in the face of adversity. This is also a vital resource for allies who wish to understand the impact of racism and how they can help.

The Will to Meaning contains three short lessons in logotherapy, the system of psychotherapy Frankl pioneered that transforms despair into hope.

'As logotherapy teaches, even the tragic and negative aspects of life, such as unavoidable suffering, can be turned into a human achievement by the attitude which a man adopts toward his predicament. In contrast to most of the existentialist schools of thought, logotherapy is in no way pessimistic; but it is realistic in that it faces the tragic triad of human existence: pain, death, and guilt. Logotherapy may justly be called optimistic, because it shows the patient how to transform despair into triumph.'

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the term that includes Crohn's disease (which can affect any part of the gut) and ulcerative colitis (which affects the colon) - two chronic auto-immune conditions that cause gut pain, whole-body symptoms and poor digestion leading to nutritional deficiencies. Both are on the rise in the developed world and are newly affecting developing economies such as China (where the author was actually diagnosed). The link with the standard Western lifestyle is evident, yet what elements of that lifestyle can be modified to make a difference? And how can sufferers live with symptoms and 'flare ups' that do not respond to treatment and/or lifestyle changes? What is the real-life experience of IBD and what can be done to take back control? Jenna Farmer offers an holistic and positive guide to living with IBD, combining conventional, nutritional, stress reduction and other lifestyle approaches, drawing on her blogs, ebooks and website www.abalancedbelly.co.uk. Throughout, the book is 'illustrated' with case histories from Jenna's blog and other contacts, and from her own experience of delayed diagnosis and listening to her symptoms.

Sarah Merriman is just like any other urbane young woman in her twenties... She has a job in a Central London hotel, a boyfriend, commutes to work on the Tube, eats out, goes to films and theatre... This is all the more remarkable (though not to her) because Sarah was born with Down's Syndrome. Her parents having no prior inkling, it came as a huge shock to them that they now had a daughter with a disability. In 1999 her father Andy wrote a frank and moving book, A Minor Adjustment, about the challenge of her early years. The national publicity it gained saw it become a treasured resource for other families on a similar journey. Now he follows up with the inspirational story of how his daughter, whose favourite expression is `I love my life', has grown up, featured on Michel Roux's compelling Kitchen Impossible series, and is making a life of her own at a time when pre-natal testing is threatening the very existence of people with Down's syndrome. Sarah has contributed throughout.

Addiction has become an epidemic in our society that is destroying the lives of people around the world at a rapidly increasing rate. When families have a loved one or even a friend who has been drawn into the world of drugs and alcohol addiction, or addiction of any kind, they are faced with the same challenging questions: is there a way out? Can a person truly break free from the bondage of addiction? The answer is YES YOU CAN!

Addiction of any kind can be beaten. There is hope and there is a way. The journey of recovery is a process of rebuilding every aspect of an individual’s life. It’s the exciting journey of discovering who you really are and who God created you to be. No matter how bad the situation, God has a plan to restore and redeem the life of an addict. Your best life is just one decision away! Brennan was addicted to drugs and alcohol for 15 years before he gave his life to Christ. He has overcome drug and alcohol addiction and has been sober for the past 13 years. This book is a practical guide of his first-hand experience and his personal journey in overcoming addiction. May God bless you and empower you to overcome as you read this book!

CRC is a dynamic, vibrant, growing group of churches that is making an impact in thousands of people’s lives all over the world. Pastor At Boshoff is the founder and visionary leader of CRC nationally and internationally. Brennan is serving in full time pastoral ministry, in the CRC vision, under the leadership of Pastor Glenn Schroder (Senior Pastor of CRC Durban, Ballito and Hillcrest) for the past 13 years.

Funeral service and insurance provider AVBOB, through its sponsorship of the AVBOB Poetry Project, gave South Africa the gentlest, most inclusive act of bereavement support in the form of an online poetry competition in all 11 official languages.

Poets submitted words of loss and consolation in all 11 mother tongues. Editors in all languages were carefully selected to curate the collection of poems entered, and they too were transformed by the process.

This is a poetry portal for all South Africans – a cathartic space where amateur and accomplished poets can use their craft to comfort others.

THE NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, STARRING STEVE CARELL AND TIMOTHEE CHALAMET.

"What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong?" - Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff's journey through his son Nic's addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets.

With haunting candour, David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3am phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the attempts at rehab. His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on Nic. This story is a first: a teenager's addiction from the parent's point of view - a real-time chronicle of the shocking descent into substance abuse and the gradual emergence into hope.

Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help.

Now available for the first time in the English language, and already an international bestseller, Power Up! Wake Up, Energise and Wave Goodbye to Fatigue is an outstanding book that should be read by anyone wishing to find natural ways of improving their health and vitality. Written by Dr Peter Aelbrecht , the European "TV Doctor", it tackles the problems of modern living common to us all - the lack of energy, the risk of professional burn-out, the constant search for physical and emotional well-being - and comes up with a number of ways in which we can confront our issues and enjoy again a happier, healthier lifestyle. Several years ago Dr Aelbrecht himself suffered from the symptoms he discusses in the book. He understood from personal experience the circumstances of ME ( Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ) and CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and was therefore able to offer an expert diagnosis to patients who presented with such symptoms. He opened his own "Energy Clinic" which specialises in the treatment of fatigue, and along with his team of doctors, osteopaths, dieticians, psychologists, physical trainers and life coaches, he now administers his methods of well-being to a broad range of patients - from professional sportsmen and politicians to nurses and office staff. Power Up! is based on medical and scientific fact, and is written in a simple, easy to read style. It teaches us about the good and bad things we eat, but it goes beyond being just another diet book. Dr Aelbrecht looks at the outside forces on us, such as being born and raised in Western, industrialised society, and our personal situation - circumstances, upbringing and environment - which all contribute to an individual's emotional, intellectual and physical well-being. For anyone who wishes to improve their life by finding more energy, reading this book will be the first step to achieving their goal.

Many books have tackled the subject of stress. Some are heavy, academic and encumbered with jargon. Others maintain a lighter, rather superficial approach. This book is a happy blend of the best of both styles. Stress Control combines the necessary scientific information (such as physiological facts about the effects of stress on our bodily systems) with a contemporary snapshot on today's society, an analysis of what is happening to humankind now that we are well into the twenty first century. In this book Susan Balfour takes a fresh, contemporary look at the dilemmas we face in today's society. She proposes alternative ways of approaching and thinking about life and it's challenges, and suggests solutions from ancient classical wisdom which can be applied to modern problems. In particular, she evaluates our dependence and craving for social networking, and our reliance on being permanently 'connected' - should our personal devices be seen as merely vices? She offers assistance in carrying out an audit of your life on many levels, to help discover just what is weighing you down and holding you back. Stress Control contains 11 clearly defined chapters, and in each chapter there are suggested exercises which are easy to implement and will help bust your stress. It is a guide book, a reference book, and a supportive, inspirational companion to help control the stresses of life. What's going on? Wisdom and truth: vital resources Who is in control? Technology and stress Take control of your agenda The positive 'no' Stress at work Let's talk about your body Just relax .... Food to empower you What we can learn from successful people

'Mother Killed, Baby Lives in Freak Accident, Oxford Times 20 February 1962. The newspaper was wrong. I was that young woman', writes Renee Goossens, an extraordinary woman who has suffered both physical and emotional pain throughout her life. This book will change how you understand and cope with pain. It took Renee five and half years of research and forty five years of living it. Renee shares not only her own coping strategies, but those of over one hundred families she has interviewed in England, France and Australia. It also includes the advice of medical practitioners and complementary therapists. "There is no family anywhere in the world who has not experienced pain, be it physical, emotional or in the form of grieving for a loved one," says Renee. In 1962 at the age of 21, Renee was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident that kept her in an English hospital for nearly two years depriving her temporarily of her husband and baby. When Renee was finally able to leave hospital, her husband left her for his pregnant girlfriend. Wheelchair-bound with a lively toddler to raise, Renee beat the odds and walked again. She has since then endured over fifteen spinal operations and ongoing chronic pain. Renee has required a wheelchair since 1995. Renee Goossens recounts her battles with pain and her inspirational resilience in surviving pain. Drawing on her own experiences and those of other pain sufferers, she describes how to get the best out of practitioners, seek a second opinion without damaging relationships, and assess complementary therapies. Most importantly, she demonstrates how to maximise the quality of life. Written in plain language, Pain Management provides up-to-date information, reference material and case histories on the sensitive issues of neurological diseases, the work of carers, respite care, children's hospices, caring for those with life-limiting illnesses, death and grief counselling. Pain Management is a practical guide for families suffering from physical and emotional pain written by a patient for patients.

50 Bybelverhale uit die Ou en Nuwe Testament. Hierdie boek is vol lewendige en prettige illustrasies wat kinders aan God se Woord en Sy liefde vir hulle bekendstel. Elke Bybelverhaal het: 'n gebed om kinders te help om met God 'n band te vorm. 'n Christel

Are you suffering from CFS/ME and/or fibromyalgia? Are you caring for someone with these conditions? Is someone close to you a sufferer? Almost certainly it will have taken your doctor some time to arrive at the diagnosis of CFS/ME and once there you may have been offered little more than 'graded exercise' and antidepressants to help with the condition. In the interim you may have tried many alternative approaches including changes in diet and lifestyle and a complex cocktail of dietary supplements. These may have helped but if the root cause is poor/blocked lymphatic drainage from the brain and this is left untreated you are unlikely to recover your full health. After many years of careful study and research, supported by recent published articles and coupled with practical hands-on experience, Dr Raymond Perrin has arrived at the firm conclusion that CFS/ME is a structural disorder with definite diagnosable physical signs. He has developed the Perrin Technique to stimulate lymphatic drainage from the brain and spinal cord and restore the health of the sympathetic nervous system - the secret of setting you on the path to recovery. In this second, greatly expanded edition of The Perrin Technique: Fibromyalgia syndrome is also included; Much new scientific evidence to support the theories hypothesised in the first edition; New illustrative case histories; A much more comprehensive guide to the manual treatment of CFS/ME and FMS; A comprehensive glossary; An A-Z of symptoms and how they related to lymphatic drainage problems. The Perrin Technique 2nd edition gives you the chance to take charge of your own structural health with a sound scientific research base to support the fundamental importance of the relationship between the nervous and lymphatic systems.

In the UK in 2012 an estimated 60,000 people had their gallbladder removed because of gallstones and over 2010-2012 the figure for Ireland was nearly 20,000. This number has been increasing year on year into a virtual epidemic, almost certainly related to contemporary high sugar/fructose diets. But it is fats that bring on gallstone symptoms - `gallbladder colic', said to be one of the most acutely painful experiences we can have. While seeking treatment for gallstones, the only way to avoid this pain is to follow a no-fat or very low-fat diet so that the gallbladder is not stimulated into action. But how to change the habits of a life time? Juliet Sullivan has been on that journey and shares what she has learned along the way (now in an expanded second edition), including what worked for her and the recipes she developed that saw her through to surgery and beyond. With star ratings for fat levels, her guidance is quick and easy to follow and provides low-fat alternatives of family favourites - from a roast dinner to spag bol - so sufferers can eat with family and friends and not feel excluded on account of their medical problem. As many reviewers have said, this book is like getting advice from a close friend with whom you have a shared experience.

Multiple award-winning author Elsa Joubert's memoir about life after the death of her beloved husband. She must come to terms with the loss of independence, friends who die and the changes in her memory and bodily powers. Vivid memories of her eventful life as a celebrated writer are skilfully woven into her story. Filled with wisdom, compassion and humour, this book will leave no reader untouched.

As an easily accessible companion to Raymond Perrin's The Perrin Technique 2nd Edition, this handbook provides the basics of the why and the how of the Perrin Technique so that ME/CFS and fibromyalgia sufferers who are severely fatigued and unable to read - or even hold - a 530 page book can still obtain the core information needed to understand the importance of good neurolymphatic drainage to health and to recovery. For a thorough understanding of the structural and neuro-immunological problems that can lead to myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, the comprehensive book is essential but for those who just want the basics - why they are ill, why they have the symptoms they have and what they need to do to get better - the Concise Perrin Technique offers illustrated, step-by-step guidance along with answers to the FAQs that Dr Perrin has encountered over 30 years of treating ME/CFS with manual technique.

The Fatigue Book is a practical guide to managing chronic fatigue, whatever its cause, in order to enable recovery at a pace that works for the individual. It outlines 100 proven fatigue management tips drawn from the author's personal and professional experience and is suitable for people of all ages affected by long COVID, CFS/ME and other chronic conditions, and for their family and friends. Whether someone is at the start of their recovery journey or has been doing this for some time, there is clear, practical advice based on a self-management approach that applies the principles of Pacing and Activity Management (but NOT Graded Exercise), as recommended by the latest NICE guidelines. Lydia Rolley brings her unique joint training and experience in occupational therapy and psychotherapy at a specialist NHS Fatigue clinic to provide an approach that recognises physical, mental and emotional/spiritual needs suited to the individual. Each chapter includes a range of Tips from which to choose plus Food for thought, Pause, and Mind, body and soul. Essential text is highlighted so that if you struggle with brain fog you can focus purely on that in the early stages of your recovery.

Now with new material, including a new foreword by Kate Manne, a reading guide, and an afterword from the author.

By the time they reach kindergarten, most kids believe that “fat” is bad. By middle school, more than a quarter of them have gone on a diet. What are parents supposed to do?

Kids learn, as we’ve all learned, that thinness is a survival strategy in a world that equates body size and value. Parents worry if their kids care too much about being thin, but even more about the consequences if they aren’t. And multibillion-dollar industries thrive on this fear of fatness. We’ve fought the “war on obesity” for over forty years and Americans aren’t thinner or happier with their bodies. But it’s not our kids―or their weight―who need fixing.

In this illuminating narrative, journalist Virginia Sole-Smith exposes the daily onslaught of fatphobia and body shaming that kids face from school, sports, doctors, diet culture, and parents themselves―and offers strategies for how families can change the conversation around weight, health, and self-worth.

Fat Talk is a stirring, deeply researched, and groundbreaking book that will help parents learn to reckon with their own body biases, identify diet culture, and empower their kids to navigate this challenging landscape. Sole-Smith draws on her extensive reporting and interviews with dozens of parents and kids to offer a provocative new approach for thinking about food and bodies, and a way for us all to work toward a more weight-inclusive world.

You deserve to stop suffering because of what other people have done to you.

Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of unresolved pain, playing offenses over and over in your mind? You know you can't go on like this, but you don't know what to do next. Lysa TerKeurst has wrestled through this journey. But in surprising ways, she’s discovered how to let go of bound-up resentment and overcome the resistance to forgiving people who aren’t willing to make things right.

With deep empathy, therapeutic insight, and rich Bible teaching coming out of more than 1,000 hours of theological study, Lysa will help you:

• Learn how to move on when the other person refuses to change and never says they're sorry.
• Walk through a step-by-step process to free yourself from the hurt of your past and feel less offended today.
• Discover what the Bible really says about forgiveness and the peace that comes from living it out right now.
• Identify what's stealing trust and vulnerability from your relationships so you can believe there is still good ahead.
• Disempower the triggers hijacking your emotions by embracing the two necessary parts of forgiveness.

From her own experience of mental illness and what she has learned from friends and family, and extensive research, Samantha Crilly shares a collection of more than 50 inspirational poems that give an honest and relatable insight into what it means to have a mental illness and what causes and triggers may lie behind it. Some are light-hearted and humorous, others go very deep, but all shed new light and have a positive ending for the reader. If you have a mental health issue, Samantha's insightful poems are there as comforting companions. For families and carers of sufferers, these poems bring fresh understanding of what your loved one is battling. Through Samantha's experience of recovery they also bring acceptance, strength and Hope.

A personal and powerful essay on loss from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. 'Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger. You learn how glib condolences can feel. You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping for language' On 10 June 2020, the scholar James Nwoye Adichie died suddenly in Nigeria. In this tender and powerful essay, expanded from the original New Yorker text, his daughter, a self-confessed daddy's girl, remembers her beloved father. Notes on Grief is at once a tribute to a long life of grace and wisdom, the story of a daughter's fierce love for a parent, and a revealing examination of the layers of loss and the nature of grief.