Self employment.

Saraleanne

Just been reading a thread about someone who, having been diagnosed with RA, has realised that the only way to keep working (and earning!) is to become self employed.

It is such a shock, on top of everything else, to lose your job too. That's what happened to me in 2014 and I'm sure it's a scenario many can identify with. RA is such a difficult condition because you never know how you will feel from one day to the next - some days are relatively functional, others leave you helpless.

It's SO important to keep active, physically when you can and mentally too. Self employment has to be the solution becauseyou are the only 'employer' who could ever accommodate the highs and lows of RA.

We are fortunate, in that we have the internet and that it brings us endless opportunities to have an online business. Whatever you can do and enjoy doing, try making a business out of it. Even if all it does is break even, it keeps you mentally active and that's a HUGE part of coping with any condition.

For my part I am in the process of setting up a greetings card business - with a difference of course because it's a crowded market. If you'd like to try starting a craft based business online, talk to me! We can share tips, hints, advice, encouragement, support and anything else that might lead us all to a more interesting and productive future, despite the highs and lows of RA!

Lilymary

Being self employed has been a real blessing through my OA journey, and I was lucky that the worst of it was during lockdown when I couldn't work much anyway. It's meant I've mostly been able to self-manage my workload and turn away work that was too physically demanding.

I've never worked for an employer who would have tolerated my unpredictable energy, mobility and pain levels and the impact it had on my availability for work. It would have been so much more stressful, on top of the OA itself. I can only sympathise with people who are fighting this battle with their employers.