Copyright, Claire Williams, 2004-2005. All Rights Reserved.


In part I of this article, I discussed how the decisions that we make - about how much our bodies can and cannot take, really cannot be taken lightly. This is especially true when you have a chronic condition like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia.

It’s a sad fact that many of us can unintentionally *worsen* our condition by pushing ourselves too hard. Not knowing what else to do, many of us try our best to keep up with a demanding full-time, or even part-time job, that for some reason, is now running us into the ground. All of a sudden, you’re struggling to keep up with the most basic tasks and no matter how much you rest, you can feel your health spiraling out of control.

Faced with this nightmare, it is understandable why many of us might despair. What will we do for money? After all, we all need money to live on!

Well, thankfully you do have options. With a little careful planning, all is not lost...

Going part-time can be an option. But if you're not well enough to do that, then leaving work altogether (at least for a while) may be the only solution.

The very worst thing to do is to leave it to the very last minute - when you're so bad that you can't even get out of bed anymore. Believe me that can happen.

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State Benefits
You may be eligible for some state benefits. Try getting in touch with your national ME/CFS or Fibromyalgia Association - they should be able to give you some information about which state benefits you can apply for.

You could also try getting in touch with your local ME/CFS or FM group. If you ask at your local doctor's surgery, or if you type in your local area along with some keywords into Google or Yahoo (on the internet), you may be able to locate them. If you have ME/CFS, just remember that your local support group might use the term 'CFIDS', 'M.E.', or 'Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome' instead of 'CFS'.

Your local support group should be able to tell you about state benefits, the contact details of your national ME/CFS or FM association, and maybe even about good local doctors who are understanding about your condition.

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Working From Home
And of course, if you are unable to hold down any kind of job (but are well enough to do a couple of hours of work here and there), then I encourage you to consider working from home. I really believe that starting your own project from home can bring you happiness, accomplishment and independence - as well as financial stability. All YOU need to do is bring motivation and perseverance to the table.

Working from home is a possiblity if you feel well enough and ready enough to do so. But ME/CFS and FMS affects every individual
differently. If you are severely affected or have severe brain-fog for example, then working from home probably won't be for you.

But if you do feel well enough to work from home, and would like to find out more about the possibility of working from home, see the link below.

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Please don't take this article as my trying to discourage you from working a job - it is not my intention to scare you or to sound negative. In fact, if you are managing to successfully hold down a demanding job you have my full admiration!

The point of this article is to act as 'a warning beacon' to those of you who ARE struggling and stumbling blindly on with your job, well aware that you're on a downward spiral with no sign of getting better.

If that sounds like you then please do be careful - and constantly listen to your body! Just remember that without your health you cannot be of much use to anyone - even yourself - so take care of yourself first.

'Keep it real' so to speak...

Prevention is always best - and it's never truer than with CFS/FM.

Click here to learn more about working from home when you are chronically ill or disabled!

And if you're short on money but want to learn a little more about how you can earn money from home, check out the ‘free stuff’ section here!



Copyright, Claire Williams, 2004-2005. All Rights Reserved.