Spoonie Pyjama Party

Are you stuck in that “boom and bust” cycle of doing an activity, any activity, and then spending a week in bed recovering? Do you want to find a bit more balance in your life with chronic health problems? If so, this episode on pacing is for you.Occupational Therapist Jo Southall shares her tips on how to introduce pacing into your life in a way that’s both manageable and sustainable.She offers helpful advice on what pacing actually is and how people with chronic illness can use the concept as a self-management tool. We also learn how to scale the idea of pacing to suit you and your lifestyle.Thanks to our episode sponsor, Careco. The UK's leading mobility retailer offers a huge range of equipment, from mobility scooters to electric wheelchairs, to daily living aids that can help make your life easier. For 10% off your first order with them, visit careco.co.uk and use the code RESTROOM at checkout. You can read the episode transcript here: https://natashalipman.com/how-to-pace-chronic-

If you live with chronic illness or chronic pain, chances are you’ll experience a flare-up of your symptoms from time to time.Those flare-ups will look and feel different for each person, but whatever a flare up means for you, we hope this episode will provide you with some valuable tips and tricks to help you navigate them better.Pain management physiotherapist Claire Campbell helps us understand what flare-ups are, what causes them and what we can do to mitigate and manage symptoms. She offers helpful advice on everything from managing external stressors, learning to put your health first and asking for help during a flare-up.Thanks to our episode sponsor, YuYu Bottle. To get your very own long, hot water bottle with 15% off, visit YuYubottle.com and enter the code RESTROOM15.You can read the episode transcript here: http://natashalipman.com/chronic-illness-pain-flare-up-managementCheck out this Instagram post to learn more about ‘No Zero Days’: https://www.instagram.com/natashalipman/p/CN

Many theatres were built hundreds of years ago, without accessibility in mind. It’s true that a lot has changed in recent years, but disabled people still face many barriers both off and on stage.In this episode, we speak to access consultant and activist Shona Louise about the work she’s doing to drive real change in the industry. We also hear from actor, singer and radio presenter Sandra Gayer about her experience of accessibility as a performer.So whether you’re a disabled person who wishes trips to the theatre were easier, or you work in the industry and want to know what changes you can make to improve accessibility, this episode is for you.You can read the transcript here: www.natashalipman.com/theatre-accessibility-disabilityRead Shona’s Open Letter here: https://bit.ly/3FyvMw2Here’s more information about Sandra’s work: www.sandragayer.comAnd here’s where you can catch her in the TV series Inside No. 9: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000g1b2/inside-no-

How often do you see chronic illness or disability portrayed on your screens? The answer is, sadly not as often as we should. In fact, disabled people are the most under-represented group in television, both on and off screen.In this episode, we explore how accessible the industry is as we speak to screenwriter Charlotte Paradise. She’s behind the short film ‘Chronic’ which follows a chronically ill woman as she moves in with her boyfriend for the first time. Charlotte herself lives with chronic illness, so we spoke about the highs and lows of the industry, what it's like to tell such a personal story on screen, and how they endeavoured to make this an accessible process from start to finish.So whether you want to get into the industry, or you simply want to see more representation on your screens, we hope this episode will get the conversation started.You can read the transcript here: https://bit.ly/rest-room-chronic-filmLearn more about Chronic at: www.instagram.com/ChronicFilmThanks

Heading to university can be a rollercoaster of emotions – for many, it’s one of the most exciting experiences, but also one of the most overwhelming. And for someone living with a chronic illness, it can be a minefield. In today’s episode we aim to take the stress and uncertainty out of the university experience, so you can enjoy the ride. Author, blogger and psychology graduate Pippa Stacey has experienced this all first hand, and shares the lessons she learnt along the way. We’re also joined by Dr Melanie Thorley from the student wellbeing service at the University of Greenwich, who shares some great advice, as well as her insights on the impact of the pandemic on the university experience. So, whether you’re returning to uni, or heading off for the first time, this episode has a whole lotta info to help you make the most of it. You can read the transcript here: www.natashalipman.com/university-chronic-illness-podcastIf you'd like to dive deeper into any of the

In this (very belated) episode, I'm joined by the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of steamy, diverse romance, Talia Hibbert.Her latest book is "Act Your Age, Eve Brown", an autistic romance, and her first book "Get a Life, Chloe Brown" features a protagonist living with Fibromyalgia.Talia says she "lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate," and ooh is that relatable!We take a deep dive into how she became an author, the role her chronic illnesses play in how she works, what it's like writing characters inspired by your personal experiences, "incidental" diversity (inspired by Olivia Dade talking about incidental fat rep), and much more.Even if writing isn’t something you’re interested in as a career or hobby, we discuss many aspects of living and working with chronic illness that I'm sure will hit home for many!I really enjoyed this conversation, and I hope you do too!This episode couldn't

Struggling with reading is something that can be really upsetting to many people, so last year I took to my Instagram Stories to find out what your biggest challenges are when it comes to reading, and what has helped you find a way to make it more accessible. Helpfully, and perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the reading issues that people shared can be broken down into a handful of categories:🧠 Concentration and processing🌩️ Physical issues/pain😫 Energy🕰️ Making timeWe're going to cover a bunch of tips, tricks, and ways of thinking and approaching reading that I hope will help you!It’s worth remembering that everybody reads at a different pace. Some people are extremely quick readers and the only things they struggle with are the impact of specific chronic illness symptoms. Others may have bigger challenges on top of that. I am someone who is naturally an extremely quick reader and writer, and that’s something that I’m eternally grateful for. This g

I’m joined by one of my best friends in the world, Colin Gorrie. Or should I say Dr. Colin Gorrie.Colin is a linguist and lifelong language learner. These days he works on bringing knowledge of language and linguistics to a wider audience online. Colin also lives with EDS and experiences a lot of brain fog and fatigue, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to sit down and have a chat about some of the challenges of language learning when your brain doesn’t really retain information in the way that you’d like.You may know that about a month ago I started learning Yiddish. II honestly don’t think it would be happening or going as well as it is if Colin hadn’t spent hours blowing my mind with how the way we often approach language learning…is not…great.And that’s exactly what we’ll be discussing:🌟 How people currently learn languages🌟 Whether there is a better way (spoiler alert, there is!)🌟 Figuring out our motivations for langu

Welcome to Episode 3 of The Rest Room!In the last episode, we looked at ways to address the barriers that come up when figuring out how to start incorporating movement and exercise into your life.We learned that we need to throw the whole ‘workout’ mentality in the bin, especially if movement is new to you, but we didn’t cover how to get started in really practical, tangible ways.Whether you have little confidence in your body’s ability to do the things that you need (and want!) to do day-to-day, or you struggle to find a way to make movement a sustainable part of your life, this episode is for you!Our aim is to help you find a way to move that feels safe, and that you’re confident you can stick with, even if it needs to be adapted on more challenging days. There is no doubt that this work is hard. It takes courage, patience and persistence. I hope this will give you a really tangible place to start thinking about your own movement practice.

Changing behaviour can be really hard, even at the best of times.How many of you have embarked on a new fitness regime to help with your health condition, only to stop within a day, a week, or a month?That could be because of pain, fatigue, lack of confidence, lack of support, or one of many other reasons.We often underestimate the difficulties we’ll encounter when we try to break a habit or introduce something new into our lives.In today's episode we're focussing on all those barriers to movement, specifically:- The difference between a blip and an actual set back- How fixed thoughts can stand in our way- Celebrating small wins and setting realistic goals- Taking the first step towards building a movement habit- Understanding why dose matters- Thinking about movement in the wider context of your life- Planning for when things don't go to planThinking about movement and exercise can be particularly challenging when you don’t have access to the adequate care that you need.So, I’ve once again

The Rest Room is a podcast about living well with chronic illness.I'm Natasha Lipman, an award-winning chronic illness blogger and journalist from London.I've been working with experts to bring you evidence-based guides on a whole host of topics like pacing, exercise, and chronic pain.I'll also be talking to people who live with chronic illness and disability who are doing awesome things and learning how they make it work, as well as digging deep into the businesses and brands that are focussed on accessibility.Think fashion, theatre, film, work, and play - there's a whole lot coming up to explore. So why don't you get cozy, make yourself a cup of tea, and join me in The Rest Room?--In this episode, I'll share an introduction to my blog series written in collaboration with Claire Campbell from the Physiotherapy Pain Association.It will give you an insight into what physiotherapy is, how to reframe how we think about exercise and movement, and some ways to work through both the physical and mental barriers tha