Morning Meditation

My mum has worked in the holistic therapy field for almost 20 years, so you'd think I'm a daily practicer of meditation right? Well... no.

I have meditated and I sometimes quite enjoy the calm that comes after it, but I could never get my head into a daily situation where I set time aside for it. I usually stumble out of bed as late as possible with just enough time to be ready to leave for work. Then once I'm home I have just enough energy left to feed us, spend some low-energy time with Tom and then crawl back to bed. Sound familiar?

Well today my bladder woke me early (about 6.15 to be precise) and I just knew there'd be no going back to sleep. I had a headache already, my back was in knots and it was pretty light in the bedroom. Usually on these days I throw on the laptop and mooch about online until it's time to resume my normal routine, then lament the wasted time.

Today started similarly, but as the laptop was loading my head throbbed even more at the sight of the screen and my back ached painfully. I've seen a lot about meditation and mindfulness helping with pain and anger (something I'm becoming all too familiar with lately - thanks hormones!) so I figured "What's there to lose?"

Which is why when Tom came into the living room this morning he found me cross-legged on the floor quietly. I meditated for about 10 minutes, followed by slowly, gently stretching out my back and shoulders. Nothing fancy at all, just watching my breath and (trying) to gently let go of any thoughts, then some basic cat stretches.

And here I am at just before 7am feeling much calmer, my headache now almost gone (almost...) and my back is easing, if not completely better. Not only that, but I've almost finished writing a blog before my alarm has even gone off!

Thinking of how I felt when I first got up, I can't put this change down to anything but the meditation. So maybe I'll be trying it again very soon!

Recovering With Adult Colouring Books

Recently my sister got an adult colouring book and I was insanely jealous - especially as she had some brilliantly bright colours that brought the pages to life! I also saw this post from Three Little Buhos about them, which just furthered my need to have one in my life. While I was perusing Amazon and deciding which one to go with, my lovely mum bought me one as a treat for some of the work we've been doing together - I love my fam!

I'm not the only one with colouring envy - upon hearing that mine was on its way Tom said he wanted one, so now he has his own too. :)

I've had a number of people respond with skepticism, asking if it really is that relaxing and some have barely hidden their belief that it's a little childish (I know who you are! :p). But I've also had plenty of people asking where I got it and for recommendations so I knew it would make for a good blog!

In Annie's post (Three Little Buhos) she concentrated on how the books aid with managing stress and depression, but I've found them useful for helping with another health issue: recovering from surgery/chronic pain and fatigue.

As some of you will know I recently had my gallbladder out and it's been taking much long than anticipated to recover. Aside from working, I've not had the energy to do much and it can get very boring when your body can't do as much as your mind! Not only has the colouring been relaxing, it's also been perfect entertainment for when I wanted to do something but wasn't feeling up to a lot.

It's cheered me up to be creating something pretty and colourful when I've felt rubbish and I've been showing everyone my pictures with pride - a bit like a 5 year old really, haha!

We have 2 colouring books at the moment, both of which are nature/animal based as they're perfect for bright colours and creativity. Mine is Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom* which is full of exotic animals and patterns. The pictures in this blog are from this book. Tom's is Birds & Butterflies by Alice Chadwick* which is exactly what it says! I've been sneakily colouring in some of the butterflies in there and Tom's been working on a masterpiece of a mother bird with all her chicks.

The books are less than £10 each and offer hundreds of hours of entertainment (the tree took me the best part of an hour alone!) so they're well worth the money in my opinion.

Have you got any colouring books, or other hobbies that are similarly restful and relaxing? Let me know in the comments below - and feel free to share some pictures that you've been working on!

5 Ways To Make Money From Home With Chronic Pain

Although the pain aspect of my endometriosis is less of an issue in my life now I still struggle with daily energy levels, especially since my most recent op. I can spend the day sitting on the sofa getting minor work tasks done and streaming tv shows and still be ready for bed by 8pm. Even my 'active' days don't come close to a traditional day of work. So like almost every other chronic illness sufferer I've spent quite a lot of time thinking of and trying out ways to make an income from home. I've yet to crack it so that the bills get paid without my main job (or even close for that matter!), but I have the small beginnings of income that lessen the burden on my main job and I wanted to share these ideas so you can try them too. Some of them I've tried myself while others are ideas friends of mine have done. :)

All of these ideas will work for anyone - you don't have to be a chronic pain sufferer! But they are designed to take very little energy, or capitalise on the 'good days' where you can invest some time and effort for future benefit.

1. Etsy

First up, the most well-known way to make money from home. People often think of making craft items as the way to make money on Etsy, but you can sell a lot more than just handmade cards and headbands. You can sell your own prints, screensavers, mobile accessories, wedding supplies... the list is endless! The best way to get inspiration is to head over there and take a browse through existing items.

If you're selling physical items this option will require some energy investment on 'good days' to keep your shop stocked and ship items when they sell, or at least a willing friend who will help out. With digital products it's a little easier as you'll likely be spending time on the computer anyway.

2. Sell Your Graphic Designs

Are you talented on Photoshop or other design software? Ever wanted to see your designs come to life on t-shirts, mugs, tote bags etc? There are websites you can sign up with that will add your designs to any multitude of items to be sold to the public for a cut of the price. There are plenty of options to choose from! Why not check out this article on selling your graphic designs?

This is a great option as if you're interested in designing you probably already have a back catalogue of designs that you can get started with. Plus as mentioned above you'll also likely be spending time online anyway.

3. Amazon Associates

Got a bit of a reputation as the go-to person for tech advice, film suggestions or new books to read? Why not become an Amazon Associate? By signing up as an affiliate you can create your own unique links to products in their store and earn a percentage when someone buys through your link. The great thing is you get commission on everything that person buys within 24 hours of clicking, not just the product you sent them to. Commission rates vary from 5-9% depending on the items you recommend and how much you sell each month and minimum payout is £25.

The great thing about this idea is that you can create unique links in minutes and you get a generic link for the Amazon homepage too. Many of my sales have come from friends and family who have saved my link in place of going directly to the site and do all their usual shopping through that link.

4. Blogging

If you're passionate about a hobby or topic and pretty nifty with words (yes, I said nifty) then you could start your own blog - just like I've done! There are plenty of ways to monetise a blog from advertising (Google AdSense is the most common) to affiliate links and even selling your own e-books and products. Here's a great list of the top ways to make money from blogging. Focus on good quality, interesting content and promoting it in the right places rather than for profit though. Profits are usually a side-effect of having a well-run blog!

Blogging can take energy and creative thinking, so if you find yourself in a writing mood it's best to try and get ahead on the weeks' posts. That way when you're too tired to write you'll have something to post anyway. This is something I'm still trying to work on as you might tell!

5. Game Streaming

This is a new one I've been looking into over the last few weeks and something I'm about to start doing with Tom. Twitch gives gamers the capability of broadcasting their screens and audio/webcam for others to watch them play. There are a number of requirements to monetising these streams such as broadcasting regularly and having a large following, but that shouldn't be seen as a barrier if you're a serious gamer anyway.

The benefit to this idea is that if you're not feeling up to working/chores etc. people will often spend time playing games anyway, so why not make money from something you're already going to do?

All of these options require time and energy to build up - none are overnight money-makers. However with dedication and time they have the ability to completely replace a 9-5 income and they're a lot more flexible and understanding than a boss!

Have you tried any of the above methods for making money from home? Or do you have other methods you use that others could replicate? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments!

Things That Hurt In The Night: Back Pain Edition

As I write this it's currently 4.10am which means it's exactly one hour since I got up and also 6 hours since I went to bed. I'm functioning on a grand total of 5 hours sleep, which is ironic since earlier I was explaining to a friend that I don't function on less than 8 and preferably 9-10.

Sometimes this is all I'm good for...

Lately my back pain has been getting worse. I'm taking the hot water bottle to bed nightly now and even using it through the day. I wake up sore and stiff, like I slept funny, with all kinds of knots even though my sleeping habits haven't changed. Some days I can't even bend forwards without a huge protest from my back and I have to start the day slow, warming into anything that requires retrieving items from the floor or low drawers. The next step to this pain if I don't do something about it (and it's already starting to creep round) is pain in my ribs and chest, like a band where my bra would go if it wasn't too painful to wear.

I know it's the endo because it flares around my cycle and the pain is only eased by a scalding hot water bottle. By the time you can bear to have it on your skin for longer than 10 seconds it's too cool, so you'll often find my back covered in angry red patches.

You have a cure for back pain?

No amount of stretching will ease the pain, although it does give me a brief respite mid-stretch (and some insanely satisfying clicks and cracks) that I reach for ridiculously often even though I know it's only  fleeting. I used to see an osteopath regularly and that did help, but it was costing between £80-160/month and going any less than once a fortnight meant the effects didn't last between sessions. I also tried weekly hot stone massages - the painful remedial kind, not the relaxing ones - but the relief of those only lasted a few days at most and were similarly £100/month. Weekly personal training sessions meant that my back pain eased more long term too, but even those were coming in at £80-100/month and sometimes aggravated the pelvic pain to boot. Conclusion: back pain is expensive!

So I've established that stretching - the kind that comes with exercise and massage - is the key to reducing this pain. But here's where I'm stuck: how do you exercise when you're already in pain? Not just in your back but in your pelvis too? Even walking pulls at the pain in my abdomen and the stretching from yoga on the Wii Fit that I was finding helped my back does little for the other pains.

I'm going swimming with mum tomorrow, so perhaps that will offer me the gentle exercise I need to stretch everything without pulling. That would be a nice hobby to take up again, it's been years (and years and years... almost 15?) since I went regularly.

If that fails I'm just gonna have to live in exercise clothing and jump into exercise the moment I get any reprieve! Or create some kind of hot water bottle outfit on the suggestion of another friend. Either way, I need to find some way to get more quality sleep, because 5 hours is just not enough for a happy Ami!

Do you have pains that aren't typical endo but you know they're related? Or tricks that help with your pain? I'd love to hear your thoughts - I know it's not just me up at odd hours!