UPDATED FEB 2020. It’s not travel-related, but I recently opened up about having Endometriosis here on the blog. If you saw the post on adventuring with Endometriosis, you know why I think it so important to not let Endometriosis stop me living a full life. Sure it slows me down a little, but I refuse to let it stop me doing things I love. In today’s post, I wanted to talk about Endo again. This time to share everyday tips for living with Endometriosis. These are just some tips that have helped me so hopefully, they can help some of you too.
Tips For Living With Endometriosis – 5 Tips To Overcome The Challenges
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1. Wear loose fitting clothing
If your bloating is extreme like mine, you know you can swell up to look 6 months pregnant at a moment’s notice.
Previously, I didn’t wear flowy clothing because it doesn’t really suit my hourglass body shape.
Since dealing with Endometriosis though, I have found it to be more and more helpful in providing a little bit of comfort.
Sometimes you can swell so severely that your clothes leave deep welts in your skin. This has happened to me many times and it’s the worst. You already feel the pain and bloating, then you feel the tightness of your clothes as well.
My first tip for living with Endometriosis is to wear loose-fitting clothing as much as you can.
It doesn’t get rid of the bloated look, but it will prevent the uncomfortably restrictive feeling of pants about to explode.
2. Find an Endometriosis diet that works for you
The more I have looked into Endometriosis diets and trigger foods over the years, the more I begin to think there’s not one answer for everyone.
There is such a thing as the ‘Endo diet’ where you cut out caffeine, dairy, sugar, processed foods and stick to a paleo-style diet.
I’ve seen a lot of different variations of this where some women can still tolerate some of the foods. Many women have found reducing or removing these things to be helpful in relieving their symptoms.
Everyone is different though so my second tip for living with Endometriosis is to find out which foods are worst for you. Listen to your body and learn what foods are triggering flare-ups. Then avoid them like the plague!
You already have enough pain in your life without adding in more.
For me personally, I have found that removing sugar and living on a lower carb diet has made a dramatic difference to my daily life.
3. Know your limits
One of the tricky aspects of living with Endometriosis is that it’s an invisible illness. As you probably already know, this means you look normal on the outside while your body is waging war on itself on the inside.
Since you don’t have any obvious signs of illness, people see you just like any other able-bodied woman. This can put more pressure on you to keep up with others.
I really want you to remember that your body needs extra TLC at times when the pain you have is enough to give Freddy Kruger nightmares.
It’s not to say that you use Endometriosis as a crutch to become a victim of life. That’s not what I’m about at all.
Your pain will *usually* be cyclical though. The worst pain is usually around your period so remember to give yourself a break during that time.
Rest when you need and don’t make too many plans for this time. Then plan your adventures for the weeks where you get a little more relief.
4. Read as much as you can
Since there is still a lot of confusion and misinformation about Endometriosis, I think it’s important to read as much as you can about it. Learn from others who live with the disease – like me!
This has been the most helpful thing for me in terms of understanding how to manage it.
That’s why I have begun to share my own story and tips for living with Endometriosis as well.
I think that best of all, it reminds you that you are not alone.
It’s not nice to think of others in the same pain as you. But, at the same time, it is a comfort to know that you can connect with others who understand what you are going through and can offer advice.
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5. Don’t let Endometriosis stop you living
I truly believe that life is what you make it. Living with Endometriosis is hard. I get that, I really do. But, it’s up to you to take the life you’ve been given and make the most of it.
Maybe it’s not what you would have pictured, or maybe you can’t do as much as you want to, but you can still live a full life.
I talked more about this is my last post on Endometriosis, but I think it’s so important to fill life with things you love.
Remember, you already go through enough.
You deserve to make time for the things that make you happy.
Prioritize them as much as you can and make sure they are part of your life.
Living with Endometriosis can still be fun and adventurous
Other posts to help you navigate life with Endometriosis
Adventuring With Endometriosis – Because It Doesn’t Have To Stop You!
Traveling With Endometriosis – How To Have Chronically Awesome Vacations
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I’ll keep in mind your tip about how reading a lot of articles and information about endometriosis can help a person manage it. Recently, one of my closest friends was diagnosed with endometriosis, and she is scheduled to undergo surgery before her birthday. We want to make sure that she’ll go in the operation room 100% prepared, that’s why we scheduled a simple getaway with the meal diet plan that we got for her to condition her body while we’re away.