...DEFEAT Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: ...............................................................You don't have to live with it
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ME/CFS Gifts – Pace Yourself

10/16/2018

4 Comments

 
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I’ve been thinking a lot about pacing - for myself, for my family, for the seemingly swirling world around me.  Are we goal driven or just driven?  Are we actually going anywhere?  Do we arrive?  Are we missing the whole point of the journey itself by never slowing down?  When I was struggling with ME/CFS, I was forced to slow down.  For a time, I was forced to completely stop.
 
It wasn’t until I began to recover, slowly but surely, that I also began to understand the ‘gift’ of being forced to slow down.  Not that I recommend ME/CFS as a good path to gaining perspective on pacing your life but it was how I got the message.  Making choices and pacing have become part of my new way of being.  I do smell the roses now.
 
If you worry about what you’re missing as you struggle with ME/CFS, this quote will make you smile.

"Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.”     John De Paola
​
It reminds me of a Saturday morning cartoon where a dog is chasing a cat around in a circle.  The cat steps off to the side and just watches the dog who continues to run around the circle.  I can remember the road runner doing this to wile e coyote too.

 
Although ME/CFS is not the preferred method for receiving the ‘gift’ of pacing, it is the way we’ve received it.  Open it up and appreciate the message.  How are you pacing?  What are your strategies?  Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission.  You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net.  And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays.  And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,
Martha

4 Comments
Jaunny Luta link
10/16/2018 08:11:27 pm

Hi Martha, had I never gotten ME/CFS I would have always missed so much beauty right outside my window, the owl that swooped into the tree beside my bed, the birds, the woodpeckers,and the butterflies that sit often in this very same tree. I would not be learning lettering and keeping a healing journal. I definitely miss all the things I did, but I definitely love the joy that having to stop has brought me.

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Martha
10/16/2018 10:37:21 pm

Your tree sounds wonderful. I had a special one outside my window too. Nature is beautiful. Thanks Jaunny!

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Tim Boland
10/20/2018 12:36:53 am

Yesterday I had a very good day, mainly due to pacing. It felt good to be active in gentle ways, whether some mild house work, watching videos or talking with friends online. I tuned into the necessity as you have outlined Martha, of rest, then some activity, and then rest, then if I am feeling rested, a little more activity.

It is so easy to get drawn into wanting to do 'just a little more', perhaps when my body starts getting more tired and sore, the tendency to want to push through this. Pacing can be hard because it is not the usual. I think a little like children who fight the idea of having to take a nap when they are practically falling asleep, it is hard for us to take an approach where we alternate with being active and then resting. On some days, for me, that means a lot of resting.

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Martha
10/20/2018 09:25:25 pm

We hear you. It's such a difficult challenge to get the balance right between activity and rest. And what works one day can be a failure the next. All we can do is keep at it, day to day. Thanks Tim!

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    Hello,  I'm
    Martha Kilcoyne

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    After struggling with CFS for four years I am fortunate now to be fully well and making choices about how I want to live my healthy life.  One choice is to be an active part of the CFS community and to offer one voice from the fully recoverd to the dialogue.  I'm glad you're here!   For more about me, here's my Bio.

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