Confessions of a Zealous Zebra- Keeping it Comfy

Ehlers Danlos SyndromeFibromyalgiaInvisible Illness

May 2

Confessions of a Zealous Zebra- Keeping Comfy

confessions of a zealous zebra keeping it comfy

Introduction-

I get a lot of compliments on how creative I am despite the fact that EDS makes buying clothes that are both stylish and comfortable a bit of a challenge. So, for this week’s confession I thought I’d reveal which clothes I love, why, and where you can grab them too! Hang on to your sparkly pants Zebra’s!

Leggings

I’ve never bought LulaRoe or any leggings from them as I can never seem to find a rep in the UK, but I am a big fan of the buttery soft feel of these types of leggings. My favourite brand at the moment is Fringoo. This is because I not only love how they fit, and how they feel because the seams don’t itch, but because the patterns they have available are SUPER magical! I have ordered unicorn and mermaid leggings from this company and the colours are SOOOO vibrant!

Check out Fringoo Leggings right here by clicking on the images below!

SHOES
I usually have some seriously amazing shoes in terms of comfort, but it’s taken me a while to find them. My shoes generally come in two types-

Pumps, or Trainers.

PUMPS

My favourite shoes for going out in are pumps from Butterfly Twists! Their pumps come with memory foam soles and vegan leather in a variety of modern and chic styles. Check out their beautiful range of shoes here- https://butterflytwists.com/

I currently own three pairs of Butterfly Twists and they wear fabulously as I’ve had mine for three years and they’re still going strong! I have also found that if you don’t want to pay full price for these that sometimes you can find them for a serious discount at your local TK (or if you’re in the US TJ) MAXX! There are tons of styles of flat pumps to choose from, and they even do ankle boots and sneaker type shoes, as well as sandals.

TRAINERS

When it comes to trainers, these are the shoes i spend almost everyday in and also the shoes i wear with my orthotic insoles to correct my tilted hip and scoliosis. They are also the shoes i look to most for comfort and wearing for long periods, and for me, one brand has constantly reigned supreme. Check out New Balance trainers and get your comfy on @ https://www.newbalance.co.uk

I love New Balance trainers because they are not only seriously diverse in the range of shoes they have to choose from, but give a level of comfort I’ve never found in more popular brands such as Nike, or Skechers.

A note about Skechers- When i went to my bio-mechanics specialist, he told me never to wear Skechers because the split sole puts people with EDS at a higher risk for ankle dislocations and falls due to our often crappy balance. You want a solid sole in your walking shoe, which is one of the reasons New Balance were the next best choice for me. They have an extremely solid sole, but the comfort isn’t compromised by this as i found it to be in some more popular brands such as Converse.

PYJAMAS

If you follow me on social media you know i am the self proclaimed Queen of Pyjamas. I spend almost all my time at home in pyjamas, and own far too many pairs for one single person, and yet can’t seem to help myself when it comes to buying more. Pyjamas are perfect for the chronic pain warrior because they are soft enough to not cause the pain that comes from being restricted by other fabrics such as denim, or embroidered cotton for long periods of time. I buy my Pyjamas from a variety of places, and am also a big fan of layering pyjamas by using garments such as bed jackets and cardigans.

Here are a few of my favourite retailers!

BRAS

This one took me a while and a whole bunch of money to figure out. I have a really large bra size cup-wise, so i resisted going without an underwire for as long as i could manage. The main problem was, the metal in the wire would often protrude through in the middle of my cleavage and leave me not only slightly impaled, but also with a rash from the metal. After trying every retailer i could think of that did bras which fit my small back and large bust, i eventually gave in, and you know what, going wireless was the best decision i ever made. Wireless bras still give me support, but they don’t cause me pain and leave me with rashes after wear. I recommend getting a bra that is wireless BUT has great quality elastic under the bust if you are heavy chested like me, especially because people with EDS typically have stretchier skin than what is considered normal.

I don’t have any specific brand recommendations for wireless bras, but i usually buy mine from supermarkets rather than specialist stores due to the fact they have a surprisingly diverse range at a lower price point.

Anyway, that’s it from me on keeping it comfy! I hope you love my recommendations as it’s taken me a few years to find the brands that work for me and my condition. If you have any recommendations for Shoes, Leggings, Bras, or Pyjamas that haven’t been listed above, leave me a comment and tell me what’s keeping you comfy!

Zealous Zebra x

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I have this issue with my author career and general life called chronic pain, so I thought I’d start doing these little update posts because so many people ask me how I juggle my health, writing, and running my author business without having some kind of mental/physical breakdown. The truth is, it’s not easy, and more often than not I DO end up having some kind of breakdown. November 2020 has been a prime example of this, with me having to be benched from author work for two whole weeks due to some serious health problems (I mean what else do you call over thirty shoulder dislocations in 2 weeks?). It’s frustrating as all hell, especially if you ask Mark, who will tell you I’m a total and complete nightmare when I can’t work. So, I thought I’d fill you guys in on what I’ve been doing for the last two weeks (besides pulling my goddamn hair out- it’s super long now too by the way and I need a haircut so bad- thank you lockdown!) So uh, without further rambling ado, I present… my life lately.

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I’m writing this letter because recently I’ve realised that despite having you in my life for the last five years, there’s still a lot of things I haven’t managed to let go of from before you came. I never expected you to come into my life, and when you did, I was in no way prepared…

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One of the best parts of my new schedule, in my opinion, is my evening routine, which has managed to seriously increase the amount of sleep i’m getting as well as the quality. Everyday still isn’t perfect of course, but i’m finding that waking up is alot less of a challenge than it used to be, so i thought i’d share my routine, and the products that make it so amazing, with you!

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I think, and most of the Chronic Pain and Invisible Illness community will definitely agree with me here, that perhaps the most painful part of living with invisible diseases like Ehlers Danlos Syndome, isn’t the physical pain at all.

Instead, it’s the pain that comes with the social side of this condition that takes the biggest toll.

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It’s been a long five weeks since I last wrote on my current WIP project or published anything on my blog. To be honest, I have been burned out, and everything I was writing I hated.

The last three years have been insane for me, culminating in nothing short of 1,500,000 words published and a handful of brand new and equally terrifying diagnoses. It’s been a lot, and I can’t deny that my mental state has thoroughly suffered, to the point where only one month ago I couldn’t bear to look at Indigo Dusk, the current book I’m working on.

When I consider it all, it’s no wonder I’ve been so depressed and anxious, with authors pumping out books left right and centre, and me trying to keep up while battling Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I suffered pretty badly with externalising my self-worth, and this ultimately left me feeling like nothing I did was good enough. That even on my best days, success with my conditions and the hand of cards I’ve been dealt is nothing short of impossible.

So, I took some time, reset, read some amazing books, and honestly just let my brain recover from the utter trauma that is publishing eleven books in only 36 months.

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One of the biggest obstacles for me when i was learning to live with my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome diagnosis was working out what i was now allergic to in terms of skin and hair care. Many of the staple products i had relied on for years were suddenly leaving me with awful flaky scalp, itchy rashes, or dry skin, so I realised it was time to go back to the drawing board and change the products i was using. Please bear in mind every single person is different when it comes to work for them, but these are recommendations and it might give you a place to start.

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Online, people see my life as magical, where I never have to go to work, have an incredible boyfriend and a crazy cat called Moo. Where books seem to flow out of me in a torrent of unstoppable words. But what aren’t you seeing?

Well… I’ll tell you.

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I talk to a lot of chronic pain sufferers, whether that’s because I’m looking for advice, or they’re looking for advice from me. However, I always seem to end up seeing the same thing both externally and internally and it got me thinking.

Chronic pain sufferers struggle with self-worth.

Why is that?

Is it because we are worthless?

Is it because we lose our worth to these diseases?

No.

Absolutely not.

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“100 out of 100 relationships that involve caregiving fail.”

-Dr Phil

It’s very rare these days that I see something which makes me irritated enough to write a blog post about it. But here we are. I came across this little pearl of wisdom from Dr Phil via my friend @Queenof_thebookworms who is also a fellow chronic pain sufferer on Instagram. (Side note- she’s really cool- you should definitely go follow her if health related positivity and book love is your thing.) And I was stunned.

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