Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is one of those illnesses that its effects aren’t truly appreciated by people who do not suffer from it. I have heard more than once “what, you are tired again? You already slept so much!”. It doesn’t help to remind that I suffer from a condition and I’m not just being lazy.
The fact is, suffering from this condition and still leading an ordinary life requires changes to one’s routine. Moreover, at times this might even be impossible. The following suggestions may help.
I can’t claim that I found the best solution to dealing with this, but here are a number of tips that have been greatly helpful to me. Also, although this book – “Stop Tiredness Today” – was not written specifically to people who suffer from CFS, I found several of the tips to be quite useful.
- Avoid pushing myself. One of the things that makes me particularly tired – and I know it is a known factor – is exercise. At times even mild exercise can really have a serious effect. In this case, as well as other aspects that cause my condition to worsen, I simply factor that into my routine and expect being tired. By doing so at least I am prepared and can avoid my plans from being disrupted.
- Live in a central location. This might not be possible for everyone, particularly if you own the place you live in, but if you rent an apartment or a house, it might be worthwhile to live close to where your main activities take place even if it means sacrificing some things. Not only this prevents wasting valuable time on commute but it also conserves energy. My own example: a while ago I made the mistake of renting an apartment which was about 15 minutes from the train station. These 30 extra minutes of walking every day have had a much more pronounced effect on me than they should’ve… but that’s how it is. I now know that it is better for me to live in a smaller and more cramped place but at least know I have more time and energy every day to do what I need.
- Be efficient. This is easier said than done, particularly for a procrastinator like myself, but I’ve learned that when I have energy – I should use it. It is very frustrating to spend time doing nothing of value, only to finally begin my chores and feel myself falling asleep or have brain fog emerge.
- Taking naps. At times during the middle of the day I feel tired and/or brain fog sets in. I find that an hour or two can really – at least temporarily – alleviate these symptoms. It’s not a cure, but it helps. I’m not sure this will affect everyone the same way, but at least in my case it does.
Mail this post
Thankyou for these tips, ive been trying to work out what helps but the only thinkg ive found is by doing as little as possible, but with university and work it is very hard. Most people around me just think im lazy. Its just so hard some days to deal with
Hey, I read some of your tips and they are similar to what I am already doing, or trying to do. I have had chronic fatigue for 5 years now, im 18. I have tried to go to school and would only make it untill the first month or two, then I would be too tired too continue. I’d end up having to take days off to rest and the time I would need to rest would keep growing as I tried to continue to go back in to school. I’m not in school at the moment and am not being given homeschooling for free because i’m no longer erolled in a school course.
There are many more details of what im going through but the main thing I believe that has affected me is the loss of my motivation to do anything. I don’t know when it happened. Probably gradually over the 5 year period. I don’t have any goals, or dreams. I don’t even care about getting better that much anymore. I think I’ve given up. This is the first time I ever looked in to chronic fatigue myself. I think I used to underestimate it and try to push myself and ignore it. That didn’t work out so great though. My doctor tells me I need to push myself for so long each day and try to get in to some kind of routine. But there is no such thing as building a physical routine while having this disease. The only routine I had was a part time job I had at the theatres, cleaning. I was able to do it for about 2 or 3 months but I had to quit because school was starting.
The only tip i haven’t already tried to a full extent would be #3. So I’ll give that a try, thanks.