Laura, Author at Live Minimal

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by Laura

HEALTH

The importance of tracking your bowel movements

One common symptom of chronic illness or dysautonomia involves having digestive problems. You may find yourself continually swinging between moments of rapid gastric emptying and delayed gastric emptying. There are times where I’ve had to literally run to the bathroom ...

by Laura

How to use task batching to create an efficient cleaning schedule

Organising an efficient cleaning schedule can be difficult. One day you’re on top of all your cleaning tasks. Then the next day is spent attending appointments or work, and the chores start to build up, leaving you overwhelmed and not ...

by Laura

HEALTH LIFESTYLE

Remember this the next time you’re feeling stuck

There are so many things that make chronic illness tough. The pain, the exhaustion, brain fog. They’re just a few of the physical symptoms that make daily tasks challenging. Then there are the mental frustrations that go along with having ...

by Laura

HEALTH LIFESTYLE

Christmas gift guide for people with chronic illness

How is it that time of year again? I can't believe Christmas is already around the corner! Have you already started the shopping process? I try and start as early as October so that I'm not wading amongst crowds. If ...

by Laura

HEALTH LIFESTYLE

Why you should consider minimalism if you have chronic illness

If someone had told me four years ago that I would need to part with a few of my belongings to reduce my stress, I would have laughed. There was no way I could part with anything - everything was ...

by Laura

HEALTH MY AUTOIMMUNE JOURNEY

What to bring to your specialist appointments if you have a chronic illness

Having a chronic illness means frequent attendance at doctor and specialist appointments. Often you feel like most of your days are spent meeting with them while trying to keep on top of all of your other commitments. Specialist appointments can ...

by Laura

HEALTH MY AUTOIMMUNE JOURNEY

8 questions I asked myself after my chronic illness diagnosis

If you like, you can read about my story with autoimmunity here. Prior to my diagnosis, doctors would tell me my symptoms were due to stress. So when my specialists figured out the conditions I had (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, undifferentiated connective ...

by Laura

LIFESTYLE MY AUTOIMMUNE JOURNEY

Tips for managing symptoms of painsomnia

Painsomnia is an inability to sleep (insomnia) due to chronic pain. And when cyclical, can exacerbate symptoms of chronic illness. When dealing with an entire night of pain, I feel exhausted and my heart tends to work harder the next ...

by Laura

How to start meal prepping with chronic illness

I started meal prepping before I had chronic illness. It helped a lot when I was working full time and didn’t have the energy to cook when I returned home. Since being diagnosed, it’s helped even more. Spending extra time ...

by Laura

HEALTH LIFESTYLE

Tips for student teachers with chronic illness

The time was fast approaching and I was about to start my 4-week practicum. I was extremely nervous. For the last two years, I had struggled to stand for long periods of time without my heart rate increasing and causing ...

by Laura

HEALTH MY AUTOIMMUNE JOURNEY

4 ways to effectively monitor your chronic illness

Specialist appointments started to become overwhelming, I was tired of taking supplements multiple times a day, and I was over having my blood drawn. I just wanted to feel normal. So I shifted my health issues to the back of ...

by Laura

HEALTH MY AUTOIMMUNE JOURNEY

Tips for balancing college with chronic illness

I was worried about whether or not I would have the physical and mental stamina to make it through a semester. I contemplated whether it was worth spending money on a degree that I may not be able to finish. ...

by Laura

Nightshade-free ‘nomato’ beetroot marinara

I don’t think I’ve eaten a tomato-based pasta sauce for over a year. I find them highly acidic and I’m often left with acid reflux hours after enjoying a bowl. For me, the aftermath just isn’t worth it. Don’t get ...

by Laura

APPETIZERS DINNER LUNCH RECIPES

Chickpea flour crust pizza

Unfortunately, it’s not just the crust that can cause complications. It can also be what’s used as a base and the combination of toppings. You can’t always ensure your order won’t be cross-contaminated with allergens. And when you go through ...

by Laura

HEALTH LIFESTYLE

When dysautonomia makes you fear going out in public

When I experience these symptoms, I know I’m close to fainting. I suffer from inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST), a type of cardiac arrhythmia and a form of dysautonomia. The “inappropriateness” means it can be activated out of nowhere. IST creates ...

by Laura

DESSERTS RECIPES

Raspberry chia jam oat slices

So when it comes to deciding on a fruit jam to pair with an oat slice - I immediately reach for raspberry. If you’re not a lover of raspberries like me, you can switch the ingredients to make an alternative, ...

by Laura

FINANCE

Reduce stress & save money this holiday season

I was one of those people that would wait until the last minute to shop for gifts and then battle against the crowds. After one particularly stressful year, I decided it was the last time I was going to put ...

by Laura

DINNER RECIPES SIDE DISHES

Easy curried fried rice with vegetables

As soon as I had my first bite, I was trying to guess what he had used to season his rice. Growing up with him as a chef has influenced how I see food today. My father has 14 children ...

by Laura

FINANCE LIFESTYLE

A gift guide for those with chronic illness

And if you’re suffering from chronic illness, receiving gifts you're unable to use can be just as daunting. You're left feeling terrible. Too terrible to admit to the buyer that you can’t make use of the gift due to allergies ...

by Laura

FINANCE

How we saved with a courthouse wedding – recommendations & regrets

I wanted a rustic wedding. You know the ones you see outdoors with the mismatched wooden chairs? We planned to have a drink station with a selected range of infused fruit waters for our 80 guests. The vegan buffet at ...

by Laura

HEALTH LIFESTYLE

How to avoid exhaustion when cleaning with chronic illness

Creating a daily routine has allowed me to maintain balance in the cleanliness of my home, all without depleting my energy. Before implementing my cleaning routine, I would often find myself not knowing where to start. I would glance at ...

by Laura

DESSERTS

Healthy cacao brownies with sweet potato frosting

Why Laura? Why would you ruin a good thing by adding vegetables to a dessert? Crazy right? But before you decide that’s too odd a combination for you, I really recommend you give these a go! There’s a saying ...

by Laura

30 Things to do before you turn 30

Why did I create this list? Basically it was to expose myself to life changing experiences - for myself and to share with my husband. With chronic illness it’s so easy to focus on the pain or the fact that ...

by Laura

DESSERTS RECIPES

Chia jam drop cookies

The ratio of recipe wins to losses all contributes to the fun behind recipe testing. Of course, there are more losses than there are wins for me. But when there’s a winner, it almost feels like the whole dynamic shifts ...

by Laura

DESSERTS RECIPES

Cacao brownie-cookies

You all know the struggle. The last two weeks have been spent submitting a bunch of assignments and sitting exams. It sounded like I was on track but really I wasn’t. There’s one assignment I’m avoiding - a 1,750 ...

by Laura

HEALTH MY AUTOIMMUNE JOURNEY

11 early warning signs pointing to my autoimmune disease

It’s a common assumption that any bodily changes are just a result of getting older. I know I thought that way. Whenever a new issue arose, I’d push it in the back of my head not wanting to come across as ...

by Laura

DINNER LUNCH RECIPES

Roasted sweet potato & chickpea curry

I wanted to let you know in advance - there’s something different to this curry and yes it means an extra step and just a little extra time but it is 110% worth it! The variation with this curry is ...

by Laura

DESSERTS RECIPES

Coconut banana bread

I’ve loved banana bread for as long as I can remember. The only problem was - I had no clue how to cook it! I’d always have my sister go down to the local fruit store and purchase a loaf that ...

by Laura

Anti-inflammatory noodle soup

To be honest, at times I find it difficult to say no when I’m offered food containing gluten/soy. I’m very shy about having to explain to someone, no sorry I can’t eat that, I have an autoimmune disease. In ...

by Laura

Mediterranean quinoa salad

I spent the last week recipe testing and to sum up the experience in one word, I’d say it was “difficult”. That’s probably too nice a word to explain it all, but lets just stick with “difficult” haha. Everything I ...