On this episode, we discuss living with chronic health challenges, be it physical or mental health. Jenny Ohrstrom, who has been seeking treatment for Lyme disease for nearly 8 years, shares her story of learning how to find happiness despite living with painful, unpredictable symptoms.
While everyone’s experience with illness is different, for chronic illness, the battle is as much about managing the symptoms and seeking treatment as it about finding a way to value your life on daily basis, especially when you feel no hope.
Key takeaway: Tapping into Buddhability can simply mean tapping into real, deep, courageous happiness, in the face of pain. Unlike positivity, sustainable happiness comes from cultivating a life state that enables us to never give up or give in to hopelessness.
(You can also listen to Buddhability on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.)
Cheat Sheet
1:38 Introduction to Jenny and her Buddhist practice
4:28 How she found out she had Lyme
14:40 Why it was so bad
17:07 How chanting helped her navigate the journey
23:32 What the doctors told her
24:38 How she defines recovery
27:18 What happiness means on a daily basis
33:02 Advice for anyone feeling defeated by chronic or long-term illness