Let's talk about #pacing. When I got sick with #longCOVID I spoke to a rehab physio who told me I had to pace. I thought this meant "slow down" but I was so very wrong.
Pacing, true pacing, means breaking up your day into bit sized chunks and actively scheduling rest periods
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When I was worse than I am now, I learnt that cooking a meal may take hours. I would have to sit to peel the veg, then lie down, then go back and chop it, then lie down, then go back & cook it. Before I would just do it all v slowly whilst feeling terrible-that's not pacing
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Planning and prioritising are paramount when it comes to pacing. When you plan something, i.e. a meeting- make sure you plan rest breaks around it. If you know you are going to pick up your kid from school, ensure you haven't been running around the supermarket prior to this
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Pacing means you can still enjoy things in life, you just need to organise yourself. You might not be able to do things for long periods like you used to, you might have to cancel on folk if you feel too exhausted. But done well, it allows you to function
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Here are some resources I've found helpful:
https://www.jenniejacques.com/post/purely-pacing
gives a good overview of how to do this. You may find getting help from a physio or OT could be benficial to do it properly, especially if your symptoms are severe
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This is an excellent book which goes into it in a lot more detail but is so helpful
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Pacing-Better-Life-ME/dp/1999641809/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
If you keep "pushing through" you will make yourself more ill & you won't recover. Adequate pacing will allow the body to heal. We've learnt this from #MECFS patients
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