© 2011 TSM
Two months ago Hurricane Irene knocked out our power for five days. This week it was a heavy, Fall snow storm that put us in the dark for three days. We just got our power back Tuesday evening and we’ve been busy since then getting our household and our lives back to normalcy.
During the outage, I was thinking about how we often take for granted the watts that invisibly supply the energy we have come to depend on to power our lights, heat, refrigeration and cooking. We don’t really think about the mechanics of how it’s produced, delivered and consumed. It reminded me of how I lived before I was sick with ME/CFS. I gave little thought to how my body generated energy, delivered it to my cells and how I, at times, recklessly consumed it as if there was no limit. My type A personality was go, go, go even when I had colds or the flu. That changed abruptly when I came down with CFS.
Now that I am well, my first thoughts are still focused on whether or not I have the energy to take on what has been set before me. Sometimes it’s a choice. Often it’s a responsibility. And I am cautious to evaluate what I can handle and under what conditions I can do it. I’m especially clued into looking for partners to help get something done. I had learned the hard way when I was recovering from CFS that the final task of simply carrying the heavy bags into the kitchen from the car and putting the food away could be the tipping point that turned an otherwise successful trip to the grocery store into a CFS setback.
What have you learned about your ‘energy envelope’? How do you keep your urge to go, go, go in check? What strategies have you developed? Please COMMENT or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net.
Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.
Be Well Again,
Martha
During the outage, I was thinking about how we often take for granted the watts that invisibly supply the energy we have come to depend on to power our lights, heat, refrigeration and cooking. We don’t really think about the mechanics of how it’s produced, delivered and consumed. It reminded me of how I lived before I was sick with ME/CFS. I gave little thought to how my body generated energy, delivered it to my cells and how I, at times, recklessly consumed it as if there was no limit. My type A personality was go, go, go even when I had colds or the flu. That changed abruptly when I came down with CFS.
Now that I am well, my first thoughts are still focused on whether or not I have the energy to take on what has been set before me. Sometimes it’s a choice. Often it’s a responsibility. And I am cautious to evaluate what I can handle and under what conditions I can do it. I’m especially clued into looking for partners to help get something done. I had learned the hard way when I was recovering from CFS that the final task of simply carrying the heavy bags into the kitchen from the car and putting the food away could be the tipping point that turned an otherwise successful trip to the grocery store into a CFS setback.
What have you learned about your ‘energy envelope’? How do you keep your urge to go, go, go in check? What strategies have you developed? Please COMMENT or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net.
Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.
Be Well Again,
Martha
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