How is it the end of January already?! I mean,
seriously, wasn’t it just Christmas yesterday?! I know I say this an awful lot,
but I really don’t know where the last month has gone. It’s definitely true
what they say, that as you get older time goes more quickly. I’m sure when I
was a child the days and weeks went on forever! I’ve not been feeling too great
this week. I’ve been even more tired than usual and I think I’ve picked up a
virus or something, so all I’ve really wanted to do is sleep! But it’s been
pretty hectic, so getting some proper rest hasn’t really happened.
Last Sunday was actually a really nice, chilled
out day. I had a long lie in and a quiet morning not doing very much at all. I
then managed to get two blog posts written (scheduled one of them) and edited
some photos using my new Lightroom software. I was quite pleased with myself,
as I managed to figure out the basics quite quickly – pretty good for someone
who’s terrible with technology! In the evening I decided to treat myself to
some pampering, so I ran myself a hot, bubbly Lush bath and enjoyed a facemask
from ESPA.
Monday was another fairly quiet day. It started
with a reflexology session, which is always so lovely and relaxing (I didn’t
fall asleep this time!) My reflexologist said I should go for a facial, as my
sinuses have been so painful recently and she said they could do drainage ones,
which might help the pain. So I’m going to book myself one and see if it helps.
For the rest of the day I just did lots of odd jobs like sorting, tidying,
organising and catching up on my Uni e-mails. I’m one of those strange people
who actually enjoy tidying, so it’s been nice to have time to actually do some
and start to get my room looking organised! I was really happy on Monday, as my
new tea infuser arrived, which meant I could finally try my new teas from
Bluebird Tea Co.
Tuesday was the complete opposite to Sunday and
Monday; crazily busy! I had an appointment with my physio first thing, and he
did some more acupuncture with me. I think it’s making a bit of a difference
for my lower back, as I’ve found the pain seems to get worse as the week goes
on, but it doesn’t seem to be helping my neck. My Dad and I then made our way
to another hospital for a family therapy appointment with my Mum and sister. We
managed to drop in at home for about half an hour before my Mum and I had to
head to my friend, Katy’s, house. While
my Mum had her nails done I managed to get some Uni work done, then it was time
for me to relax with a full body massage – bliss! When I got home I found this
adorable zebra card had arrived from my lovely friend Hanna. Those of you who
don’t know, people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome are often referred to as zebras!
Wednesday was relatively quiet, which was good
after Tuesday’s antics! Although I love to have things to look forward to like
seeing friends or going out somewhere (preferably not a hospital though!),
sometimes I just love it when I look in my diary and a date is completely clear
because it means I can actually listen to my body and rest. I spend most of my
life trying to pretend I’m not ill, by pushing myself to my absolute limits to
do all the things healthy people do. But the fact is, I am ill, and those days
where I can just be how I feel are such a relief sometimes. In the morning I
had a lie in and did a bit more tidying in my bedroom. Then in the afternoon I
did some Uni work, contacted everyone about their Happy Box Swap match and
replied to some blog e-mails. As you can probably see, I’m still not very good
at just having a day of proper rest! I finally put these new bedroom boots on,
after throwing out my old ones that were falling to pieces! These are so warm
and snuggly!
On Thursday I had Uni all day, which was tiring
but good fun. We started the morning doing some planning for our news packages
and then had a guest speaker, who graduated from our Uni, come to speak to us
about what she’s been up to. At lunch I headed to Starbucks with a few friends,
and decided to treat myself to their new Rose and Pistachio Mocha, made with
coconut milk. I couldn’t drink much, and probably shouldn’t have had the cream,
but it was so worth it! I mean, who could say no to pastel pink cream?! In the
afternoon my friend Amber and I went into the town to a park, where we tried to
film some footage of dogs, as we’re putting together a piece about the opening
of a new dog grooming salon. We waited for ages and no dogs turned up (which is
so typical, as there are usually loads there!) but finally three arrived at
once and we managed to get some good footage.
Friday was a little less busy than Thursday,
but still quite tiring. I had to make sure I got up reasonably early, as the
Professor I see in London was due to call me. He actually rang half an hour
early, so it was a good job I woke up on time! We mainly chatted about this new
diet he wants me to try, which has been proposed by a doctor called Heidi
Collins. It’s taken my Dad and I a long time to get our heads around it,
especially as I also have to cut out red meat and stick to low FODMAP foods,
but I think we’re getting there! It seems to have a lot of similarities with
the Paleo diet, so I’ve been looking at lots of recipes that I can make a few
adaptations to. I then made a few more medical related phone calls, but mainly
got the answerphones. In the afternoon I had an appointment with my Learning
Mentor at Uni, followed by a lecture. By the time I got home I was absolutely
shattered. I won this book in a competition, so it was nice to open that in the
evening, and I settled down with another Bluebird tea, this time ‘Dozy Girl.’
Yesterday was really quiet, which was exactly
what I needed after a fairly busy week. I got up a lot later than I planned,
but all my body seems to want to do at the moment is sleep! I stop taking my
iron tablets next week and will then have a blood test in a few weeks, so it
will be interesting to see what my iron levels are doing. I spent some time
trying to do some sorting/tidying in my bedroom, but it was just one of those
days where it feels impossible to do anything. I then spent ages editing a
video for my YouTube channel (the first one in over nine months!) and getting
to grips with Final Cut Pro. I’m so happy to have got it edited, and it’s
currently uploading as I type (although is taking it’s time, so don’t expect
anything very quickly!) I’m hoping now that I feel a little more confident with
the editing I can film some more videos and make it a regular thing. All I need
now is a dedicated filming space so I can put some lights up and leave my
camera set up!
If you haven’t read my blog before, I just
wanted to let you know that I have a second blog, which mainly focuses on my
health in more depth than I talk about it here. It’s largely for friends and
family to follow and keep up with what’s going on, but if it’s something you
would be interested in reading as well, you are more than welcome to follow me
over there. It’s called Unicorns and Floral Crowns and you can find it by
clicking here. I haven’t updated it for a while, but I hope to get into a
routine soon. I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more, so if you fancy
following me, my username is Jennycole44.
What have you been up to this week? I always
enjoy hearing about your news and adventures!
Ooh Jenny that drink looks so pretty, I can see why you couldn't resist! I think it's really important to take days out and practice self care. The hardest part is trying not to feel guilty about not doing work or jobs! xxx
ReplyDeleteIt tasted amazing! And having it made with coconut milk meant I could tolerate it a bit better. I totally agree that it is so hard not to feel bad about relaxing and not getting on with all the jobs on your to do list! But I'm really trying to make myself do more self-care things, as it's so important to take care of our mental and physical health :) xx
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