Self-Employment and Endometriosis: Part 1

Jessica and Chris are both self-employed. Jessica went self-employed two years ago to better manage her endometriosis and anxiety, and is a writer and podcaster full-time over at her blog ThisEndoLife. Chris followed shortly after and together they’ve been navigating self-employment for the past 18 or so months. Whilst there have been some huge advantages to self-employed life, there’s also some pretty rocky bumps in the road.

In this two-part series, the couple discuss the benefits of being self-employed, the challenges and their advice for anyone considering going self-employed to help manage endometriosis.

What were the benefits of going self-employed on your endometriosis symptoms or management?

Jessica: More than anything, it’s about the ability to create a work environment and work style that actually supports me with endometriosis.

In the beginning, one of my key drivers for going freelance was so I didn’t have to wake up so early and stress about getting in on time when I was so fatigued, I wanted the ability to have slower mornings. I don’t really need that so much anymore, as my energy levels are much better and I now get up early pretty much every day, unless I’ve had a bad night with my interstitial cystitis pain. But what I still really value, is being able to do everything I need to do in order to perform well at work.

That means being able to cook the right foods to support my body with endo, to be able to snack when I want in order to keep stable and healthy blood sugar levels (and therefore hormones), to be able to exercise for 10 minutes at a time during breaks in order to keep my energy levels up, to be able to sit all day with headphones in listening to concentration music so brain fog doesn’t get the better of me. I’ve created a work style that is really effective, but probably wouldn’t suit most work places!

Chris: Having more flexibility with my work means that I’ve been able to support Jess more when she needs it. I can be around to help during a flare-up, or run some errands when she is unable. It has also freed up our flexibility with things like when we can take holidays and when we can do to certain things, which has a beneficial impact on our finances - very important when taking a chronic illness in to consideration.

In the second installment of this two-part series, Jessica and Chris explore the challenges they've encountered with being self-employed and their advice for anyone considering the change. Read Part 2 here.