Consequently, it is very important when you’re working to pace yourself. Here are just a few hints to help you:

• Don't sit at the desk or computer for more than about 50 minutes 

• Get up from your chair, perhaps make a cup of tea, or just walk round the house or garden, smell the flowers, have a stretch and generally get moving 

• After that, you can work for another 50 minutes

• But then take a longer, say half-hour, break

• It is important that you resist the temptation to 'just finish this page' or 'get that letter done now', as this will probably mean working for a longer period than you should 

If you work this way, with bite-size chunks, and you have a lot of work to do, it can enable you to keep going through the day and get the work finished. I know from experience that if I try to do it all in 3 or 4 hours, I end up in pain and unable to work the following day - there is nothing to be gained from that. 

The longer you work in one position, the longer the recovery period required. Remember, the best thing in the world for arthritis is exercise. I’m not talking here about running the next London marathon – I mean gentle walking, or if walking is not possible, how about sitting and conducting an imaginary orchestra to your favourite piece of music? Works wonders – all you need is a few minutes, which can be done in the breaks between work times.

One possible downside to working from home, if you live on your own as I do, is the lack of interaction with other people. Having the opportunity to get out of the rat race is fine, but becoming a recluse and talking to yourself, is not!  Be sure to make time for friends and family, and keep up to date with a gossip on the phone. 

Beware however – and this also applies to able-bodied work-at-homers – to discourage friends from dropping in or phoning just because you’re at home during the day. This also becomes difficult if you have not been able to start work in the morning and are now working into the evening, and you then find the whole world and his dog have decided to phone up for a chat! Be tactful and explain that you'll be free to talk when you are taking your break. 

Many of the points I’ve mentioned here - and in the previous article, Working from Home with Arthritis: Part I -  are commonsense. These articles are obviously not meant to replace professional advice about your medical condition, and it is important to keep in touch with your healthcare practitioner to see what help in terms of resources is available to you. But I want to stress that having arthritis does not mean the end of anything – in my case, it was the beginning of a brand new life. I live in a beautiful part of the country, my life is my own and I make my own decisions. Believe me, that goes a very long way to compensate for any pain or discomfort.

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