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ME/CFS Guest Blog - Energy Management by Tim Boland

9/9/2014

5 Comments

 
Picture© 2014 TSM
Donna’s recent sharing from a woman who has lupus and spoke of managing her energy got me thinking about my own experience in my life with illness.   As a youth, I had chicken pox, measles and the mumps over a period of years.   Like many of us, I’ve also had bad colds from time to time and the flu.   Fortunately for me, my health overall was very good until my late fifties with the onset of CFS.

As I was enjoying the afternoon in my lawn chair today, my body started feeling relaxed and good.   Not free of all pain or some numbness, but definitely better.   I love to photograph and saw a most beautiful white puffy cloud and was tempted to get up and make a picture.

It occurred to me that when many of us become ill, we often do our best to rest, to become well, and it is also a common refrain for many to start feeling better, and to jump right back into our routine, or at least to start doing more than our bodies are ready for and then have a relapse.   Just as with this illness, it is hard sometimes when I am feeling better and want to get more done to feel the after effects of too much activity until the next day.

As when we have much milder illnesses, whether a cold, the flu or the mumps, there is a temptation to start doing too much too quickly.    Sometimes we hear of someone who just ‘can’t shake this cold’ but do eventually become better.   So in that sense, a more serious illness shares this cycle of truly needing rest and recuperation and not overdoing in order to get better.   


It is vital especially now to not do too much, even though on an afternoon or upon arising in the morning, we feel much better.   It’s natural to want to use some of that energy.   It’s hard to pace, to not do too much.   So I was thinking to myself, wouldn’t I rather have an excess of energy today, to even store up a little extra energy?     Would my body like this better, even though the temptation to create or do more house work seems so appealing?    My sense is that though it is fun and even life affirming to want to be truly active, I know my body needs this extra energy, even little bits from time to time, to heal and to recover.

Tim



Thanks Tim!  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


5 Comments
Donna
9/11/2014 08:42:46 pm

Great blog, Tim!! What you spoke of continues to be my most difficult challenge while living with ME/CFS. I try to keep an energy reserve that I have begun to call, "healing energy" most of the time since beginning the protocol outlined in Martha's book. Now and then, I veer off course. A few days ago, that occurred. My mom's 85th birthday is on Sunday, and I am planning a small celebration for her. My son is also visiting to attend and spend some time with us. There are extra things to do in preparation. I began adding a few tasks to each day, but was becoming overwhelmed and began skipping naps. Two days ago I had a mini meltdown due to the fatigue and worry. In hindsight it was probably pretty funny! There I was, all whimpery, stressed, and exhausted, I turned to my husband and cried out, "Cheaters never win." Immediately afterward my perspective returned, and I'm back on protocol again. It's so easy to slip into the old bad habits when I hit a few bumps in the road. Awareness is the key!

Reply
Martha
9/12/2014 01:38:23 am

Sometimes laughter IS the best medicine. Maybe we now have a group motto, "Cheaters never win." You made me smile even while understanding your total frustration with ME/CFS. Thanks Donna!

Reply
Tim Boland
9/13/2014 11:17:38 am

Thanks, Donna!! I like your term ‘healing energy’ as that fits so well. I have the same issue that you do, veering off course from time to time. So sometimes on my walk, I think about all of this and am reminded of how my mother used to read to me from Aesop’s Fables, The Tortoise and The Hare. I loved the hare, he was energetic, funny, had lots of friends and made everyone laugh until their sides ached. The tortoise was a kind of uninteresting fellow but he had a way of just keeping going. I knew there was trouble ahead when the hare took a long nap and before long, the tortoise had won the race. So sometimes I’ll think of that fable, and remind myself that ‘slow but sure wins the race’. As you say, ‘awareness is the key!’

Reply
Tim Boland
9/15/2014 10:56:00 am

Good day Martha, I was just curious today about the number of people who are living in chronic pain in America, according to WebMd, it states 100 million people, though I imagine with some this pain eventually may subside or go away gradually. I found a good related article which has common sense ways to care for ourselves, several of which are similar to what you advise. The first one though with fairly vigorous exercise seems to me to be a real risk to those with CFS, as I have found that my body can only tolerate moderate movement and 'easy does it', walking at a slow to moderate speed in as relaxed a way as I can seems best for in my own situation.

PS I am also reading your book again, I had forgotten some truly important aspects, and how difficult your road to recovery was. It inspires as it shows that it is possible to become better and to heal.

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/chronic-pain-11/slideshow-pain-tips

Reply
Martha
9/15/2014 03:48:14 pm

Thanks Tim!

Reply

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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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