Whether you do it for 23 hours a day, just
half an hour, or most likely somewhere in between, one thing is for sure: if
you have Chronic Fatigue, you rest.
I’ve consulted over 30 practitioners over
the last two and a half years, and it’s the only thing they all agree on: if
you have Chronic Fatigue, you need to rest.
Resting is not watching TV, not going
online, not reading; it’s simply lying down and zoning out. In a condition with no easy fix, resting
adequately and effectively is our most powerful strategy to manage our energy
levels. It helps us prepare and recover,
and it gives our body time to heal.
In the early stages of Chronic Fatigue,
working with a Fatigue Specialist really helped me to add structure to my day,
and I learnt all about the trials and tribulations of pacing. I don’t pace incredibly strictly but I do
find it helpful to have an approximate plan for the day, which I then alter if
I need to. At the moment, I get up
between 8-9am and go to bed about 9.30pm.
Almost every day, I rest between 2-4pm, sometimes sleeping for part of
that time. I then rest for one further
hour broken up into 10 to 20 minute pit stops throughout the day. This is just the pure resting; I spend other
time on more cognitive activities such as reading, e-mails, even
watching TV, which can look like resting to the untrained eye!
If I do a ‘big’ outing I will usually need
to rest more for the following few days.
This can be tricky for people to understand and it is actually one of
the symptoms that differentiates Chronic Fatigue from normal tiredness - a
pathological slow recovery after physical and mental function. It is explained in full here. This
topic can be a difficult one to explain and while most people are sympathetic,
it is the area where you can receive some unhelpful responses (“Oh, lucky you,
you get to curl up on the sofa today” “Tiredness? just push through, everyone
else does”). My advice is unless the
person really wants to know (and this does happen!) talk about it with people
who understand, perhaps a Fatigue Specialist or someone you know with a similar
condition. If you don’t have either –
comment below and we’ll get chatting!
Resting can be boring but it’s essential.
Of course only resting is not good either – we need to strike that magic
balance between rest and suitable activity levels for your stage of recovery. It’s an individual balancing act: too much rest
will throw you, not enough and you will end up doing a whole lot more resting
when you inevitably crash. I often feel
guilty about resting and can’t resist the human urge to compare. When people my age are working hard, playing
hard, raising children… I just want to be doing something more useful than
lying on a bed. So in my quest to let go
of my resistance to resting, knowing deep down as I do that when done properly
and in balance with activity it is really powerful, I have created a list to
help with horizontal hours and days.
Before your rest:
* Create an environment you want to be in: ensure there is
plenty of natural light and air; depending on chemical sensitivities, you might
like to light a scented candle or pamper yourself with some lovely hand cream!
* Look at something that makes you smile and remind yourself why
you’re resting: I have an album in iPhoto of photos and quotes that I
often look through before I rest. I also
remind myself why I am resting at that time, particularly if I am noticing
resistance eg. “Resting is the most effective tool I have to help me manage my
energy levels” “Resting now will help me
enjoy this evening more”
* Resting can feel lonely and
isolating. Social media does NOT remedy
this, but I’ll save that can of worms for another day! What can help is before
you rest, reading saved texts from friends, and cards
are even better. (If you’re a friend of
someone with CF reading this – know that a text/card/e-mail/letter might be the
only contact they have with another person that day, it will be appreciated so
much more than you imagine).
During your rest:
* You may notice a lot of negative thoughts
coming up. This is
partly because you are quiet enough to hear them, but it also means that your
rest is not going to be particularly effective, remember we’re trying to lessen
the load on your mind and body… Horizontal stressing is
not resting! Do what works for you – perhaps journaling, EFT, meditation
or simply noticing the thoughts and letting them go OR….
* Yoga Nidra. I
can’t recommend this highly enough! It’s a simple and very effective way of
relaxing your mind and body, and you don’t move a muscle. Some versions include breathing awareness as
well. I do one everyday in my afternoon
rest, and find it particularly useful when I feel wired but tired and need to
relax before I can rest properly. There are plenty available on YouTube, try
different ones until you find one with a voice you like – it makes all the
difference!
* At the end of my rest I often listen to
some music – usually classical at that time of
day, but sometimes other favourites.
Check out Tuesday Tunes!
I hope that these tips might help you when
it comes to resting, and I’d love to hear what you do to make horizontal hours
and days easier. Sometimes the smallest ideas can have a big impact…
How do you approach resting? Do you have
any tips to share?
Great tips, thanks
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