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Pacing 101How to better understand and build a relationship with your body and how you move when living with chronic illness.
One stumbling block that many people with chronic illness have identified is their inability to honestly reflect on and acknowledge their current situation.
It is difficult to rebuild a relationship with your body and how you see yourself, especially if you’ve only really known decline and not had the support that you need.
A good place to start is by noticing what you experience when you do movements that bother you, and recognising what your daily levels of activity actually are, not what you think you could or should be doing in a day.
So, here are some questions!
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, you’re just trying to get some honest insights to give you a place to start from.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, you’re just trying to get some honest insights to give you a place to start from.
1. Do you check in with what you are experiencing during the day?
2. Do you notice what thoughts or sensations come up when you are doing, or think about doing, certain activities?
2. Do you notice what thoughts or sensations come up when you are doing, or think about doing, certain activities?
3. Have you changed the way you move because of your pain?
4. Do you adjust your breath when you do certain movements?
5. Do you notice your daily intentional and unintentional activity?
6. How do you manage essential and important activities?
4. Do you adjust your breath when you do certain movements?
5. Do you notice your daily intentional and unintentional activity?
6. How do you manage essential and important activities?
7. Do you engage in more activity at certain times, and are you then less active at others to control your symptoms?
8. Do you keep busy to distract from the pain, but struggle to rest and sleep because of your symptoms?
8. Do you keep busy to distract from the pain, but struggle to rest and sleep because of your symptoms?
I made a free interactive and printable worksheet in collaboration with @ClaireC_PT that digs into all of these questions in more detail: https://natashalipman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/My-Relationship-With-Movement-Worksheet.pdf
