Inspiration, guidance and support to create freedom, peace and purpose.
As I’ve been dipping my toes into the ME/CFS online community I’ve noticed how there seems to be a bit of a division between ‘cure campaigners’ and ‘self-helpers’. I guess the most balanced writers have as foot in each camp, but with limited energy it’s understandable that some of us choose one camp to focus … Read more
This isn’t another book review as promised. I’m writing this on the day before my holiday and I haven’t got done what I’d hoped to get done by now. Mainly because I’ve not been doing very well for the last 3 weeks, I’ve been experiencing a bit of a relapse. I’ve decided the book review … Read more
It never fails to amaze me just how wound up I can still get by people who claim to be experts completely ignoring the fact that ME/CFS is an illness with a physical cause. (I think I may still need to work on my non-defensive attitude!). The authors try to mask their obvious assumption that … Read more
Completing the theme of sleep disturbance there is one more tool that I have found useful: Essential oils. I have successfully used a variety of essential oils in my battle to tackle sleep disturbance. They can be used in various ways. A few drops can be added to water in an oil burner for a … Read more
When I first had this condition it took me a while to accept the idea of taking medication, as I worried that I would just be poisoning myself and giving my body another load to carry. However I eventually came around to the idea, realising that I really wasn’t going to get anywhere unless I … Read more
The sort of things that we can do to tackle sleep disturbance require a regular on-going commitment to make a difference. It can be worth it though. I take the view that any kind of medication can add an extra load to our struggling immune system. It might be needed in the short term to … Read more
Sleep disturbance is a very common symptom of ME and can take various different forms. It can mean struggling to get off to sleep, waking up regularly in the night, having vivid disturbing dreams or waking up feeling un-refreshed. Unfortunately it is a symptom that helps to perpetuate the illness. It is during deep sleep … Read more
I like to consider my efforts at self-help as falling into 3 broad categories, each of which needs daily attention. · Avoiding making things worse · Giving my immune system the best chance possible through a healthy lifestyle · Cultivating happiness and fulfilment and dealing with the emotional impact of the illness The first is all about recognising … Read more
I believe that the single most crucial step to being able to manage this condition and hopefully make a complete recovery is acceptance. Once we accept that life is going to be different for a while we can focus on how to make the most of that difference. With acceptance we can learn how to … Read more
If you’ve just come to this blog for the first time, then you’ll probably want to read part one first. Hopefully you’ll still be interested in the second part of my story, If not try me again next week when I start with the nitty-gritty of self-help. I’m planning on starting with the theme of … Read more
