Surviving the Holidays: Lessons from the Darkness Ebook Offers Hope

The free Lessons from the Darkness ebook from Linden Botanicals is a guide to surviving the holidays. The ebook offers hope to those struggling during the holidays. The ebook provides guidance to those suffering from chronic illness and highlights eight intentional, positive steps people can take to optimize their physical, mental, and emotional health.

Self-Awareness, Self-Care, and Self-Love

While the ebook chronicles Linden Botanicals owner Michael Van der Linden’s four-year battle with Lyme disease, it also highlights step-by-step strategies to help readers cultivate a healthier way of living and a deeper sense of the importance of self-awareness, self-care, and self-love.

Linden Botanicals owner Michael Van der Linden was inspired to write the ebook after receiving a Lyme disease diagnosis and then struggling with chronic Lyme disease for almost four years. In addition, his experience with Lyme disease inspired him to open Linden Botanicals, an online store that sells a small, highly curated product line of healthy herbal teas and extracts that support physical, mental, and emotional health.

“People suffering from chronic illnesses such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lyme disease, or Bartonella henselea know how pernicious such illnesses can be to their physical and mental health,” Michael says. “The challenges often get worse during the fall season each year, as many people shift their focus to surviving the holidays so they can start a new year with a fresh mindset. During the four years I battled Lyme disease, I fell into all the common traps. I sought advice from strangers in health-related online groups. Doctors prescribed one expensive medicine after another. On top of health complications, chronic illness took a toll on my bank account, my ability to hold down a job, my social life, and even my sense of self-worth. It became my life.”

One of the worst symptoms Michael experienced during the four years he had Lyme disease was brain fog. Brain fog is a cognitive impairment often described as slow thinking, difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, or a haziness in thought processes. Many chronic illness sufferers report that brain fog, constant pain, migraines, anxiety, swollen joints, and constant doctors’ visits leave them feeling hopeless. Losing hope can lead to problematic lifestyle changes that keep people unhealthy for the long term.

Surviving the Holidays One Step at a Time

The ebook includes sections on paying attention to chronic illness warning signs, taking a holistic approach to wellness, healing with the right foods and support from herbal teas and extracts, recognizing the benefits of meditation, eliminating health-disrupting chemicals and toxins, seeking community support, and building a healthier inner voice.

These lessons are important any time of year. They’re especially critical during the holiday season, which is a stressful and painful time for many people whose main objective is simply surviving the holidays. (Read the Mayo Clinic’s tips for coping with stress and depression during the holidays.)

“My struggle was real,” Michael says. “As I discovered, a debilitating disease that brings about our darkest moments can also lead to the path of awareness and recovery. The ebook describes my highly intentional eight-step journey from chasing sickness to pursuing health. The journey isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.”

About Linden Botanicals: Linden Botanicals sell the world’s healthiest teas and extracts, including ShieldsUp! Immune Support Kits, Phyllanthus niruri, Cistus incanus, Rosa rugosa (Rose Hips), and Cryptolepis sanguinolenta. These looseleaf teas and extracts provide support for immune health, stress relief, energy, memory, mood, kidney health, joint health, digestive health, inflammation, hormonal balance, and detox/cleanse.