How To Not Drive Yourself Mad When You're Off Sick!

First of all...I would like to apologise for my absence as I have been on bed rest for four weeks feeling quite different on codeine! 

About 6 weeks ago I was at a party and intended to slide into the splits but instead my leg impaled the floor before I had the chance to show off my dramatic skillset: this resulted in a traumatic fracture to my knee and a patella dislocation. Ouch!

For me this was really bad timing as it was the day before I was due to start my dream role on Harley Street! Luckily, they were really kind about the whole situation and unfortunately six weeks later I'm still on unpaid sick leave...but my job is waiting for me when I get back on my feet.

I had reconstructive surgery four weeks ago to repair the damage and in true Chantal fashion: this is genuinely the second time in ten years that I've done this so I'm a bit of a professional now.

I have found that I've been going slightly mad not knowing what to do with myself over the past four weeks, especially as I'm so physically disabled and quite frankly in a lot of pain.

So I thought I'd compile a list of things to do that are achievable when you're long term off sick...

1: Look at my sweet little pained face! I got up a bit prematurely here but baking is a really great way to creatively exert yourself and pass the time. I got the supermarket to deliver all my baking goods and used a bar stool to sit on whilst I baked. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the easiest idea and I left the mess for someone else to deal with, but it felt like a big achievement which is what recovery is all about. #SmallAchieveableGoals

2: Sort out all of your finances from the comfort of your phone or laptop. This was really overdue for me: I had a lot of accounts that I wasn't using that needed to be closed so I took an afternoon to write letters and emails to my bank to sort them out. I also checked all my direct debits and even opened up a high interest savings (1.5%) account called Marcus, as every penny counts when you are off sick!

3: Catch up on a good book: I've always been massively into my reading regardless, but I decided to try some new genres and delved into some Anthropology. Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan was a brilliant read if you're interested in human relationships, interesting facts and anatomy. Also Animal by Sara Pascoe had me belly laughing.

4: Start a new series on a streaming service: I am only 23 years old and I still have a developing taste in comedy and media so I decided to try The Peep Show on Netflix and my God my whole life has changed. If you like a bit of satire then I'd recommend: Fleabag, Crashing, I am Alan Partridge and Derry Girls.

5: Sort your phone and media out: dig out your USB and get your photos backed up onto your computer and then delete them off your phone to get some space back. Also, go through your Instagram and start unfollowing accounts you're no longer interested in and begin to follow some new faces; I personally love @mrshinchhome. Don't be afraid to have a really good refresh of your social media, a lot of accounts have become about showing off a fake life, this isn't a healthy following! Try adding some cooking accounts, cute babies or comedians onto your timeline! 

6: Get a really good rest!

By 2020 I am aiming to have raised £5000 for The Brain Tumour Charity to help #FindACureSooner and ensure continued support and readily available resources for patients and families of those who have Brain Tumours. Please click on the link and donate, if all of my readers donated £1 I would have met my target already! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/moneyforbrains