7 reasons to try Audiobooks if you have a chronic illness.

Photo taken from above. A lady wearing big overear audio headphones sits cross legged on a parquet floor holding an mp3 player.  She has long brown hair and is wearing a grey tshirt and jeans.

Living with a chronic illness mean your symptoms can make it harder to to do a lot of everyday activities challenging that other people usually take for granted like reading, getting out of the house and being physically active. Because of this you may find you have a lot of time where you can use audiobooks to make that part of the day more enjoyable and less focused on your symptoms.  I try and not worry if I only absorb what feels like a fraction of it and figure it is more than if I didn’t listen.  Try listening in shorter bursts if you want to give the book more attention.

Below are some reasons I think audiobooks are a great resource when you have a chronic illness.

1. Audiobooks give you an opportunity to finish books when you probably wouldn’t even start if you had to physically read it.  It can also be easier to listen to non-fiction than read it allowing you to learn while you listen.  You might want to listen to the same book again to help take in the information.

2. You can access audiobooks online so you have immediate access without going to library, book shop, or waiting for them to arrive in the mail.

3. Audiobooks are a fairly affordable form of entertainment from Audible or another online source for other titles or free if you source some titles from the library.  Follow this link to read about Free eBooks and eAudiobooks from your local library.

4. You could share the audiobooks you buy with a friend or family member and they might pay half or share something in return like their Netflix account or monthly magazine they purchase.

5. You can listen to audiobooks with someone else as a low energy activity.  Maybe with your kids or grandkids when you don’t feel up to reading aloud.  Or with your partner on long car rides or while doing the dishes or cooking or snuggled on the couch.  Follow this link to read about Reading aloud and other ways to connect with books.

6. Listening to audiobooks is an activity that can fill hours when you are housebound, bedbound, or resting.

7. You can listen to audiobooks with your eyes closed so you might be able to enjoy them when you don’t feel well enough to read or look at screens.

Audible link is an affiliate link and if you click through and buy within 24 hours of clicking I will earn a small commission that helps support the costs of this site.

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