Why Self-Employment Can Be a Great Option For People Living with a Long Term Health Condition
When my chronic illness was at its worst, I struggled to get into work every day. I was working for a big corporate organisation and was finding it increasingly difficult to get up on time and sit at my desk for 8 hours a day, not to mention the commute and all the meetings. The exhaustion and the brain fog made thinking almost impossible and the pain from sitting at a desk all day became unbearable. In the end, it was no longer an option, but how else could I make money?
What I needed was a job where I could set my own hours, work where I wanted and when I wanted, get snacks and water when I needed them, work less on a bad day and work a bit more when I was feeling well. Despite my ill health, I still had ambition and I desperately wanted to use my brain. It took a while to get there, but in the end, I realised that self-employment looked like an interesting option.
There are downsides to self-employment: your wages aren’t guaranteed plus there is no sick pay or holiday pay. There is always work to do, so if you aren’t strict with yourself, you can push yourself too hard. However, for me and for many other people with chronic illnesses, the benefits outweigh the negatives.
I eventually set up two businesses, the first one, a handmade skincare business and the second one, helping other business owners with chronic illnesses to run a successful business while looking after their health. I can honestly say, it is the best thing I ever did.
The freedom to work when you want and where you want is immense. On a good day, you can work from a desk, kitchen table or from a café or a shared work environment. However, on a bad day you can work from the sofa or your bed and still make some progress. There is no one counting how many times you get up to make a snack, do some stretches or have a little nap. You can wear what you want, eat when you like and take breaks whenever you need them.
There are no set hours, so you can work around your own needs. I recommend keeping a journal and rating how you are feeling at various points in the day. You can note when you are more energetic, more focused or feeling sleepy and then you can schedule your work around the times that you are more productive. If you try and do detailed focused work when you have no energy it will take a long time, yet if you do it when you have a little more energy, you can get it done in half the time.
It is also much easier to look after yourself. Finding time to do a gentle exercise class, going to hospital appointments and preparing food that is good for your condition, all help. When I was employed, I was just going through the motions until I could get home and relax and look after myself. Now, relaxing and looking after myself is the focus, in fact it is what I need to do to support my dream. It is no longer the end goal, but is now the means to success. As a result my health has benefited greatly.
The biggest gift that being self-employed has given me and the other business owners I work with, is hope. Instead of being constrained by our illness and just trying to get through another day, we are building our futures. It has encouraged me to stop focussing on what I’m unable to do and instead, look at what I am able to do. With the correct support, self-employment can be a great option for people with chronic illnesses.