Living for The Good Days, with Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a fan of the element of surprise. It likes to pop up in the form of disruptive flare-ups, runs to the emergency room, or periods that last for weeks. Living with this illness means appreciating the good days when they happen, especially if it's the last for a while.

For an endometriosis patient, a good day can be a more or less pain-free one, or it involves no heavy bleeding or nausea, and energy levels are on the rise. To me, those days are like gifts sent from above. I can’t say they make me forget about this illness, but it feels like anything is possible, like I got my life back. Sometimes, the good days are thinly spread-out, and the bad days seem to take over. But it’s during those better times that it's especially important to do as much as possible.

Below are some of the things that help me maximize the good days:

Waking up early

I’ve never been the kind of morning person that gets up with a grin on her face (I probably don’t crack a smile until midday). However, my energy levels are at their highest an hour after I wake up. They tend to remain more or less high, until they take a dive in the afternoon. Since I work from home, I try to get as much done as I can early morning, answering emails and writing all of my drafts. Like this, my responsibilities are out of the way sooner than later.

Exercising

Just like I am not a morning person, I am also not the most active of individuals. I suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome and shooting leg pains that easily turn any form of exercise into a pity party for one. However, exercise is the one thing that helps me keep my anxiety at bay. It makes me stronger, healthier and happier. My fitness regime includes running very slowly, yoga, and long walks with my dogs.

Exercise is something that I have to manage depending on my energy levels, and these go up and down sometimes so randomly, that many times is a case of “have the energy, drop everything, and go for a run”.

Journaling

Keeping a diary is useful especially when it comes to tracking my cycle. This sort of information can help me plan ahead, by foreseeing some bad days. Some people use apps to do this, but I prefer a good old fashion paper planner, like that I can see everything in front of me clearly.

To-do-lists

There's nothing more satisfying that ticking off completed tasks. If you use to-do lists, it’s important not to get hung up on what doesn’t get done. As soon as you feel better, just get back to the list and get stuff done.

Whether it’s making last minute plans to see your friends, or using those days to improvise a trip to the countryside, endometriosis doesn’t always have the upper hand. Your life is still yours to live. Your life may involve changing everything last minute when flare-ups occur, but the good days always come back to remind you that you are the master of your own destiny.