Toni Bernhard on Living with Chronic Illness

Mar 23, 2021

Toni Bernhard, a former law professor and practicing Buddhist, returns to discuss her profound insights on living with chronic illness. She shares valuable strategies for navigating pain, emphasizing the importance of self-compassion and kindness. Toni explains how to embrace emotions without letting them overpower us and highlights the liberating teachings of Buddhism. From coping techniques to the significance of mindful choices, her conversation offers a compassionate roadmap for anyone facing the challenges of long-term health issues.

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ADVICE

Feed the Good Wolf

Feed the "good wolf" within by acting with kindness, bravery, and love.
Repeated kind actions strengthen positive habits, making it easier to be kind in the future.

INSIGHT

The Nuance of Emotions

Repressing emotions intensifies them; allow yourself to feel them without necessarily feeding them.
Practice self-compassion for the pain these emotions cause to facilitate change.

ADVICE

Three Components of Pain

Recognize that pain has three components: physical sensation, emotional reaction, and the stories we tell ourselves.
Address each component separately to manage pain effectively.

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This is Toni Bernhard’s second time as a guest on the show and we’re so glad to have her back. She is a former law professor at the University of California, a practicing Buddhist for 25 years, and the author of many books including the one she and Eric discuss in this episode, How to Be Sick: Your Pocket Companion.

Eric and Toni talk about her experience living with chronic illness, what she has learned and what she now has to teach others about how they might suffer less amidst their own experience with chronic pain and other long term health conditions.

But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!

In This Interview, Toni Bernhard and I Discuss Living with Chronic Illness and…

Her book, How to Be Sick: Your Pocket Companion
How we can feel our emotions without necessarily feeding them
That pushing feelings away in aversion just makes them stronger
Repressing emotions intensifies them
Her own experience with chronic illness
The three components of pain
Examining the meanings that we give things
The liberating Zen teaching of “Don’t know mind”
What to do when things don’t go our way
Why it can be so hard to be kind to ourselves
That being sick is part of being alive, not because you’re not doing something wrong

Toni Bernhard Links:

Toni's Website

Facebook

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If you enjoyed this conversation with Toni Bernhard on Living with Chronic Illness, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

Toni Bernhard (2016 Episode)

Living with Chronic Pain with Sarah Shockle y

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