Inspiration, guidance and support to create freedom, peace and purpose.
With illnesses like ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia it can be very difficult to relax. One of the illness mechanisms seems to be an overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and an inability to engage the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). This is often a lot worse if we’ve over-done it in any way. It can be … Read more
This is a post I wrote especially for ProHealth’s Inspirational Corner and first appeared there about 5 weeks ago With illness such as Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS and Lyme disease one of the most important things we need to learn is how to live within our energy envelope. Most of us at least try not to overreach ourselves … Read more
When we have so little energy it’s really important that we learn how to use it carefully. One particularly difficult challenge is when others place demands on our energy. We need to be able to say ‘no’ when others are demanding something from us that will push us into that ‘too much’ zone. I’ve recently … Read more
There is nothing new in this statement. There is even specific ME/CFS terminology for it: staying within our ‘energy envelope’! But the fact is that it’s extraordinarily difficult to achieve. However I believe that if we were only to focus on one illness management goal, this would have to be the one. The more we can … Read more
Finding a baseline of sustainable activity is an important strategy for learning how to live within your ‘energy envelope’. Making sure that we only use the energy that is easily available to us is the most reliable way of stabilising our condition. Saving some of that energy for the body to work on healing can … Read more
If I had to specify one thing that got me over this illness the first time, I would say it was learning how to approach life with relaxed effortlessness. For me, there is an awful lot of meaning contained in those two words so I’ll break it down a bit. Not forcing or exerting. … Read more
The way I manage my energy nowadays has become pretty unconscious. If you count both episodes of this illness I’ve had over 8 years of practise. But it all comes down to a few guiding principles. 1. Awareness of energy level Because of the way my energy level can change on a daily basis, … Read more
