Hello I’m Chrys

About the Book

No matter what our health challenges, we all need to be able to take charge of our lives. But what we need even more is a practical way to gain insight into our health issues and then gauge how our lives are really going.
Chrystal Benson is a nurse who relies on her own life experiences and those of her clients to share a three-month diary that will help anyone track daily life activities, discover what is missing, recognize patterns that both serve and disrupt health and life, and then develop a plan to get back on track to better health, improve well-being, and maximize quality of life.
Through a comprehensive diary, Chrystal guides others to accurately measure five aspects of living—diet, sleep quality, exercise, mood, and social contacts—and then ultimately repair or repeat patterns and habits accordingly.
Included are Keeping Well and Relapse Prevention Plans that encourage others to ensure that their voices, beliefs, opinions, and attitudes are heard not just by themselves, but also by others.
My Complete Diary is a self-directed tool that encourages anyone to develop insight into how health issues impact their lives and then readjust behaviors, habits, and patterns to improve well-being.

To purchase the book go to Balboa Press or your favourite bookseller

About the Author

My mother died of breast cancer (aged 42) when I was eight and our family splintered. This made me a great observer of others and I used reading, drawing, artwork and writing (poetry) as a coping mechanism and to express myself. My father remarried when I was 12.

The two years my father spent in post-WW2 Japan caring for POWs and managing their recovery before they returned home scarred him for life. He actively discouraged me from becoming a nurse after Year 12, and I went on to have a fabulous career as an engineering draftsman.

I married at 32, and was a mother at 35 to a beautiful, kind and precious son, Angus.

I walked the Portuguese Camino with my husband of 25 years, David, in October 2017, and the deep discussions with him led me to publish my first book:

My Complete Diary
Five Aspects of Living.

I have lived in Brisbane, Sydney, Dallas (Texas), Sydney (again), Bundaberg, Canberra, Darwin. Currently I again live in Brisbane, after a gap of 33 years, with David who encourages me to do what seems to be impossible, study and change careers late in life, study for my Master of Nursing (from JCU) and to create and publish this book to share what I know and to keep going always.

Chrystal V Benson RN, MACMHN, MACN

For any questions please contact me.

How to use the Book

LiveLighter - helping you live a healthier Lifestyle

The LiveLighter website includes information, tips, advice and recipes as well as a free app to help people maintain a healthy weight through healthy eating and physical activity. This website is owned and operated by the Cancer Council Western Australia in Partnership with the Government of Western Australia.

It is free to use and includes facts about toxic fat and sugary drinks and the risks they present to our heath, plus tips on how to live lighter. Among the many useful tools and resources provided the 3-2-1 Meal Plan stands out. The LiveLighter 3-2-1 Plan is an online weekly plan of healthy dinners. You can go with their suggested menu or mix it up by swapping in other recipes from their bank of healthy recipes to create a plan that works for you. And when you have finished your menu for the week, you can generate a shopping list of all the ingredients that you will need.