Living Fully with Illness | Jan/Feb 2025 (Specific dates to be announced soon.)

This program takes a wholehearted approach to living with cancer and all other illnesses.  Newly diagnosed; treatment; active treatment and caregivers – you are all welcome! It is an opportunity to step back, ask questions, learn new skills, meet new people, and take a fresh look at what it means to co-exist with illness and still flourish.

When we are ill, our energy can be in short supply as well as our attention. Yes, there will be things to read, to learn, and to apply but you will not be bombarded. And restfulness and making space for your life will be encouraged.

My style of teaching is to also incorporate poetry, beauty, music, storytelling,  humor, and what we can do to improve the quality of our everyday living. I make myself available to you for the month, so don’t hesitate to call on me.

The heart of the program will be weekly live webinars, which will be recorded. ( There may be exceptions) The truth is, to get the most out of this work you will want to attend the webinars. It makes a difference to be there in person. These will be supplemented with digital resources, invitations for you to do home practice, and communications, hosted on the ToDo Institute course site (distancelearningpsychology.org).

Themes:

• Play an active role in the management of your illness.
• Explore Ikigai. Consider who and what matters most. What are the tiny and ordinary things of daily life that lift your spirits? What do you love doing? Take daily action on short-term purposes related to your reflections– things you can do now, with things as they are.
• Everyday find a way to do something for someone else.
• Learn life-long skills for co-existing with anxiety, uncertainty, fears, and other feelings we don’t like. Consider death as a natural part of living and realistically prepare for it. (Not because you are ill but because you are a human being)
• You will be gently nudged to explore creativity, humor, learn new things, and engage in meaningful activities. And always, to use your attention to take in the wonders of nature, small joys, and the people in your daily life. We take nothing for granted.

Your program leader: Trudy Boyle, author of the book, Ikigai and Illness: A Guide to Living Fully with Purpose, Meaning, and Joyful Moments has been studying, writing, and teaching the principles of Living with Illness, for three decades. Current Director of the ToDo Institute’s initiative on Living Fully with Illness, she continues to serve a broad digital community of people living with illness through weekly webinars and blog posts, online and residential programs, and as a regular contributor to the Thirty Thousand Days Quarterly. She is a former program director of Wellspring Alberta, a large community-based Cancer Resource Centre, and continues to play an active role in this community. The love and joy of this work along with her many adventures with her grandchildren is her ikigai – a reason to get up in the morning.  Trudy loves cycling, photography, learning, exploring, celebrations, and being useful. She lives in Ottawa, Canada.