In 2023, life as I knew it changed, forever.
After my optician suddenly sent me for comprehensive blood tests due to my dry eyes and deteriorating eye health, I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that affects the entire body called Sjögren’s Syndrome.
Sjögren’s has a number of symptoms, including dry eyes and mouth, fatigue, and muscle and joint pain, and is a long-term condition which can be partly managed with medication and lifestyle changes. Left untreated, it can have serious implications for your sight and overall health.
When I was diagnosed, one of the key things I was told was that I had to significantly reduce my screentime in order to protect my sight. Now, as a director of a social media agency and an online training platform, this obviously came as quite a shock. I had so much to consider going forward, both professionally and personally.
I’ve had my fair share of plot twists during my time as an entrepreneur, but this time I had to rethink everything.
Let’s start with screentime. When you run a social media agency, everything is on a screen. From the endless emails, virtual meetings and the mountain of business admin through to content creation, writing presentations for events and creating social media advertising campaigns, there’s very little that doesn’t involve a device.
Despite this, I have managed to dramatically reduce my screentime. I hired a PA to help with my admin, and I use voice-to-text software to dictate my emails. I am strict with my screen breaks and plan my day to ensure I don’t exceed my screentime limits. Thanks to my awesome team who have taken on more of my workload, I can finally practice what I preach and focus on my own work/life balance. No more working over hours, no more sneaking in one last meeting.
For Oh So Social, my diagnosis meant a shift in how the agency ran. Although I am the entrepreneurial leader driving the agency forward, I have now taken on a Creative Director role, working behind-the-scenes creating ad strategies, offering advice and developing the team to help ensure client success. I also spend time training entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes and sharing my expert knowledge speaking at events across the country.
My Sjögren’s journey has really only just begun, and every day is a different challenge. From the pain of Reynaud’s symptoms to the side effects of medication, you can find a truly honest account of life and work with Sjögren’s Syndrome over on my TikTok.