The road to recovery.

Recovery is different for anyone with CFS or M.E, for some it can be quite simple, for some its a long and extremely tough road and for some it might not be possible but I am happy to report that it can happen. I am currently doing better than ever with improvements and successes everyday. There were many factors which led me to believe I can make a full recovery, I am young, ambitious and motivated and I've had long spells of minimal symptoms and most importantly I wasn't going to give up. I've been really concentrating and working on my health and fitness over the last few months, I decided that I can recover from CFS and tried everything I could. I am happy to say that my recovery is going really well, there was no 'quick fix' and it is a long and hard road but so worth it when you realise you can live your life the way you want to despte having an illness. There were many things I did to contribute to my new found health, I will let you know a few of them and I hope they will inspire you to try some yourself. I am aware that everyone is different and everyone's illnesses are different so you will need to find what works for you, but here's what I did

- I went back to counselling - I believe you really need to be the right mind-set to achieve health, this was so useful and kick-started my positivity.
- Alongside this I started on a low dose of anti-depressants - this gave me the pick-me-up which I needed to start the journey and it helped me to get out of a downward spiral, I hope to come off them very soon.
- I had my Implanon (contraceptive rod in your arm) taken out and started taking the pill as it is less intense on your body and easier to stop if your body doesn't agree with it.
- I do Yoga everyday. I follow a dvd in my pj's in my livingroom, I didn't fancy going to a group and prefer to do it at home in my own time. I started with 10 minutes a day and am not doing 30 to 40 minutes a day. I love it, I feel so light and free after doing it and it's made a huge difference to my fitness already.
- regulating my sleep. I set an alarm to make sure I wake up at the same time everyday, this has got earlier and earlier over time as I used to sleep till nearly lunchtime, now I am naturally waking up at 9, which is a huge improvement for me and I find I get to sleep alot easier.
- I started taking Bio-Glucan. It is said to improve you immune system and since taking it I have only had a few bugs. This is very strange for me as I used to get a bug or virus every week/fourtnight. however I can't judge exactly how accurate it is as I also have a flu jab yearly which helps to keep those pesky bugs away.
- this one is pretty obvious, but watching what you eat and drink can make a massive difference to how you feel, I will admit i'm not too good at this one, but I have made an effort to drink less alcohol and eat more fruit and veg. It all helps towards a healthy life.

- Quitting smoking - I'm not going to lie to you, I really struggle with this one. I still havn't cut them out of my life completely but i've more than halved my usual daily amount and do manage some days without one atall. It is something I am still working on. 

 -I completed the Lightning Process, I wont say too much more about this as I know it is controversial method of recovery. I also think it isnt right for everyone and also isn't avalable to some people. I however was very lucky to be given the chance to do the programme and found it very useful and helpful. If this is something you would like to do then I advise you look into it yourself and dont make your decision dependant on other people's opinions of it. 

- Lastly, I have a very positive attitude and believe in myself, this is so important and might put a stop to your recovery if you dont.

I hope that my story can help others who have been through what I have to realise that there is hope and you need to always be hopefull and never give up. I dont know what the future holds for me and I dont really want to know, because i'm doing so well today and thats what I am living right now. Good luck to anyone who starts their own journey and congratulations to you if you achieve something today that you couldn't do yesterday.

Things are on the up!!!

What a dramatic turnaround my year has taken, since my slightly depressing blog post in January, my life has completely changed for the good and I'm happier than ever. The 2 main factors which have relieved so much stress and worry are the jobs and my health.

My health and general fitness is getting better in leaps and bounds, I will put up a post soon about my journey to recovery and all the many, many things I did to get my body to work for me and to no longer hold me back. Because of my new found health, I managed to get a job, well not just one job........ 4 jobs!!!! Thats right i'm going to be doing 4 jobs. A few months ago I didn't think I was capable of doing one, now I fully believe I can do all these jobs and to the best of my ability.

I was devastated (in January) to find out that I no longer qualified for disability benefits and was terrified for what the future would hold but I managed to find jobs which suit me and wouldn't result in a relapse to the bed-bound version of me from a few years ago. So here are the jobs, job 1 - is running photography workshops for children in local schools, I'm so excited about this as I get to do photography, which I am passionate about and its regular work, which is rare in the photography world. I also love working with children and can't wait to teach them photography. Job 2 - is working 2 days a week in a gorgeous clothes boutique. Job 3 - Is running craft workshops for children, this is teaching them to make soft toys and other cute things, job 4 - My freelance photography. It is really picking up and i'm getting bookings for weddings and portraits for all throughout the year, i'm very excited. I will also be doing the gig photography alongside this, its not paid, just for fun because I love it.

So yeah.... basically things are without a doubt looking up. I'm so excited to be starting such great jobs, all in areas that I love. Photography, crafts and fashion. I couldn't have dreamed 3 months ago that I would be able to do such a thing.

Anyway, thats enough about me, here are some macro photos I took of the random little flurry of snow we had, I hope you enjoy them and that 2013 is turning out pretty good for you too :)