A friend sent me this quote the other day about how this strange time is an amazing opportunity to press pause on our lives and do nothing. I know she meant well, but it sort of rubbed me the wrong way. Pressing pause isn’t really possible for everyone right now. Between homeschooling, working, finishing my next book (on endometriosis!), and making sure all the people in my life are fed, loved, and have something to wipe their butts with… I don’t feel like I have a lot of time to hit pause (or learn an instrument or bake bread or do all the other things people are telling us we should be doing right now).
I’ve also been grieving a lot. Grieving for our world and all that so many of us have lost. It’s a lot. All this alot-ness has made me be really deliberate with the extra time I have. Not to mention, stress and endo can be a very problematic duo. We need to really do our best to find calming support for our bodies and minds right now.
For me, this means using my extra time to do things I love. Things that lift me up. Things that make my brain happier. And things that just feel e-a-s-y for my mind and body to do.
So here are some of my easy favorites below...
Puzzles
I have been doing a lot of puzzles! I even started a virtual puzzle competition with some of my siblings. We all buy the same puzzle and then each get two hours a day to work on it whenever we can (everyone’s schedule is different with work and kids, so the flex two hours makes it fair!). We text a photo at the end of the day with our progress. Our little puzzle club is truly the highlight of my week.
Most puzzles are sold out online, but Inner Piece is fully stocked. Their Andrew Watch puzzle has been my favorite so far! I have my eye on this one too.
Books
Easy reads I’ve read/been reading:
Top pick: Daily Rituals (such a cool read and strangely comforting reading about other people’s routines and schedules)
Rom Com Type Books: Red, White, and Royal Blue, The Unhoneymooners, Class Mom
If you are looking for a deeper and supportive book during this time, I highly recommend Dr. Elizabeth Stanley’s Widen The Window: Training Your Body and Brain To Thrive During Stress and Recover From Trauma more. Such a powerful book!
Food
I also cannot recommend Good Food Cooking School enough if you want to learn how to cook and add more veggies to your diet. All of the recipes in this school are super endo diet-friendly. And GFCS has reduced their next class rate by more than half to help with everyone’s budgets right now!
Easy things I’ve been making:
Broccoli Coconut Soup (so simple and healing)
Quick Green Curry (I sub out the chicken with chickpeas and use whatever veggies I have)
Creamy Pasta Bake (if you can’t get brussels, sub kale or whatever hearty green you have)
Creamy Mushroom Lasagna (makes me feel like I’m having a party)
Basil Pesto (I skip the nutritional yeast and it’s still perfect!)
Chilling (but also moving)
I have been trying to make moving my body less of a “thing” I have to do and more of this special time I get to chill and have time by myself.
Easy moves I’ve been doing:
Glo offers a collection of FREE yoga/pilates/meditations each week (no ads either!)
Lots of Youtube classes too: a dance class I love, Jessica Valant’s (fellow endoer) pilates, Kundalini vibes, and foam rolling.
Other random things that are making me happy...
Lego Masters (like Great British Baking Show but with Lego, 100% kid-friendly, too!)
Franklin + Whitman Filter Face Scrub (just magic and smells good too)
The Inky Phoenix (Kathryn Budig’s new book club)
The Great Lake Goods Wall Charms (literally adding some sunshine and rainbows to your home)
You can sign up for The Know Your Endo monthly letter for more endo resources and things we love. Wishing you love, hope, and lots of easy comfort right now. I’m excited for when we can all be together again.
Jessica Murnane is the author of the One Part Plant Cookbook, host of the One Part Podcast, and founder of Know Your Endo, the endometriosis awareness platform (and soon to be a book in Spring 2021).
