Chronic Illness
Mary J. Yerkes
Mary J. Yerkes is a Professional Life Coach who provides transformational coaching to the chronically ill, established and emerging women leaders, and new and aspiring nonfiction writers. She brings a passion for transformed living to every relationship through her coaching, writing, and speaking.
Like many of her clients, Mary lives with multiple chronic illnesses, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankloysing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis. Mary brings extensive experience as professional communicator and leader to her writing, speaking, and coaching business focused on helping individuals find their purpose and live their passion.
A widely published author, Mary is currently working on two books, When Life Hurts: Ten Transforming Choices Every Woman Can Make and Living Well with Chronic Illness. She is a frequent contributor to print and online publications, including Focus on the Family, Angel Dogs: Messengers of Love, Christian Coaching Magazine, The Journal of Biblical Counseling, Associations Now, and The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, to name a few. Her bylined and ghostwritten articles have also appeared in PayTech, Bank Systems & Technology, and Community Banker.
Mary is also a popular speaker for community and women's events. She covers diverse and multiple topics, including chronic illness management, personal development as a professional writer and speaker, calling and life purpose discovery, and more.
She is a member of the International Coach Federation, the Christian Coaches Networ, the International Association of Business Communicators, and the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mary and her husband Paul make their home in Virginia, about 40 miles outside of Washington, DC. Together, they have one son, Ricky, and a beautiful daughter-in-law, Diana. Learn more about Mary at maryyerkes.com.
The Gift of Presence
For many, the most distressing consequence of chronic illness is social isolation. Basic needs for intimacy, belonging, and acceptance remain unmet...and the onus rests on friends and family to take the initiative and begin to meet these unmet needs.
The Simple Life
Simple living can seem elusive. Despite the proliferation of products guaranteed to simplify, most of us continue to hurry through our lives, pursuing activities and making purchases that ultimately add to life’s clutter. There has to be a better way.
How to Bounce Back
When faced with chronic illness, do you rise to the challenge or fall apart? Resilience is the ability to roll with the punches, to bounce back. It involves adapting to change and addressing life’s problems constructively—and discovering opportunities.
Necessary Endings
Endings are a necessary part of life. Despite their inevitability, most of us face endings with a sense of regret, anger, and even fear. But to move forward, we sometimes have to give up relationships, businesses, and more to make room for the new.
How Being Tolerant Can Ruin Your Health
People sap their energy and increase their stress by putting up with things that bug them...and for the chronically ill, stress can translate into increased pain. Enhance your life by eliminating what depletes your energy and dampens your spirit.
Living Well with Chronic Illness
Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce your risk of most common chronic diseases by 80 percent. But what if you already have a chronic illness? There are still plenty of reasons to make healthy lifestyle choices—and it’s easier than you might think.
Chronic Illness and Loss
I’ve walked through process of recovering from loss probably hundreds of times; and if you’re living with chronic illness, you probably have too. While it never gets easier, there are things you can do to move through recovery in a healthy way.
Harnessing the Power of Place
Not long ago, during a time when stress and fatigue had taken their toll on my body, I booked a weekend away, and watched breathtaking sunsets, delighted the frolicking of in deer, and sat for hours in a red Adirondack chair. It was healing.
Rx for the Holidays: Cultivate Gratitude
Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season, and with it, festive times with friends and family. However, for those living with chronic illness, unrealistic expectations, travel difficulties, and busy schedules can add up to increased pain and fatigue.
Give Yourself the Gift of Self-Care
Chronic pain and illness can make any day a challenge, but throw in holiday stress and expectations, and it can push your already overburdened body to the limit. The good news is proper self-care can help you manage your pain and fatigue.
