Since beating Lyme disease, singer Avril Lavigne wants to take the positives from everything in her life and her battle with the illness has even inspired her to write a Christmas album.

The 30-year-old contracted the illness, which is caused by tick bites and causes pain in the sufferer's skin and joints and problems with the heart and nervous system, last October and was left bedridden for five months, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Lavigne is now "80 percent" back to full health and insists the traumatic illness has given her a new focus in life.

"Moving forward, I'm really clear on what I want in life... I've always wanted to make a Christmas album, but I've never had the time. But now it's like, 'You know what, just do it.' Because that's something I really want to do, so that's going to be next for me...

"I really want to enjoy everything, because life is good. I think there are a lot of positives with it. I'm definitely choosing to view it that way," she told Billboard magazine.

The pop star, whose mother moved into her home in Ontario, Canada, to care for her, has even written a song about her battle with Lyme disease.