I’m working on a new book! Melissa vs Wellness estimated date of publishing, sometime in 2024.
Writing a book is a big task and I want to enjoy every step of the way, and I want you to come along with me for the journey.
I’m not sure how this project is going to turn out. But I want to share it with you, dear friend. I believe I am writing my recovery story.
I’m Totally In!
About Melissa vs Wellness
From my messy middle, I feel compelled to share how my healing journey is going. What I’ve learnt in over 20 years of experience and over 10 years of information gathering. When I say “messy middle”, I mean a person in the middle of life with all its demands and a body that has the most demands.
It is my hope that in sharing my story, you will find what works for you. Rather than a treatment plan for any one condition, I share what works for me as a whole person with many symptoms.
Choosing the title Melissa vs Wellness may seem counterintuitive, like I’m against wellness. In fact, I am very much for it. But every single step toward wellness has been like a battle that I’ve been waging for most of my life. At this point in my journey, I’ve simply decided that I am going to live as healthily as possible with the body I have.
I’ve been sharing my journey through the blog Melissa vs Fibromyalgia since 2013. In that time I have put a lot of coping mechanisms in place and have been able to increase my functionality. I’ve gone from moderate daily symptoms to mostly mild daily symptoms. In my thirties I’ve finally been able to begin exploring things like hobbies and learning what I like to do. I never had the time or energy to pursue anything outside of work before.
And so, with four small children and dramatic health issues, I’ve been able to achieve lifelong goals and begin passions that will surely be lifelong.
What I write about
In this book I will share my constellation of symptoms and what helps them. It is a love song to all the things I’ve had to experience to get to where I am. In it, I offer you my best tips and resources to support your journey.
In the first part I discuss what the conditions we are discussing are – fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, long-covid and myofascial pain syndrome.
In the second part I offer treatments, symptoms and coexisting conditions. Starting with the most important part of my healing journey – calming the nervous system, managing perpetuating factors/other conditions, sleep, low dose Naltrexone and Yoga Nidra. From there we move to practical advice for treating key symptoms. Other conditions and symptoms mentioned are endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, orthostatic intolerance and POTS, headaches and migraine, heat intolerance and more.
Part three shares chapters on living with chronic illness such as adapting our lives to achieve what we want, self-care, finding joy, having children and working.
I finish with a quick start guide and a recommended reading list.
This is not a textbook. It is meant to give you a start in your own research and to share my journey so that you can see the real ups and downs of an improvement story.
The writing journey
As at February 2024, the book is 34 chapters long. The first draft is nearly complete. I aim to go through it chapter by chapter to complete each one. Some of the chapters are literally in action experiments so I need to complete the experiment to complete the chapter.
But I want to do it mindfully. And I want you to come on the journey with me.
Join the Support Crew by Pre-Ordering the Book
I want to give you a behind the scenes look at writing a book with chronic illness (pacing principles apply!) And share some bonus content with you along the way.
- Sneak peek at (some) chapters
- First look at the cover
- Video podcasts based on (some of) the chapters
- Get to give me feedback
- Extra resources as I create them
- FIRST access to a digital copy of the book before it’s released to the public
JOIN THE CREW HERE
Affiliate notice: Please note that some of my links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
If you can’t wait, you can grab Fibromyalgia Won’t Win my most recent published book here.
