When I read the following I recognised it completely. ..."when symptoms are low, they push to get as much done as they can. But doing too much intensifies their symptoms and so they crash. The high level of symptoms leads them to rest in order to reduce discomfort. This is usually successful since rest reduces their pain, fatigue,and other symptoms. But then feeling frustrated at all they didn't accomplish while resting, they plunge into another round of overactivity to catch up. This in turn causes another intensification of symptoms, so they experience another crash......Living in response to symptoms, they are caught on a demoralising roller coaster in which high symptoms alternate with periods of extended rest, and they feel out of control."
As I know from personal experience this is NOT a good way to live!
So what's the alternative? Pacing. It offers an alternative to the repeated cycles of push and crash, a way to flatten out the the chronic illness roller coaster.
I have found the following links very helpful in explaining in detail how to go about devising your own individualised pacing routine, but be warned it takes time, commitment and self discipline. ....but hopefully the rewards make it all worthwhile!
This is a pattern that most of us can identify with as we feel better than crash back down - helpful advice from this post about pacing & gentle exercise.
After 30 years of cfids & 25 years of fms, I learned I had to pace myself. Sometimes I still push myself too hard, my husband telling me to "take a break," "pace yourself," "sit down for a while," etc., and end up needing longer rest periods than if I had paced myself to begin with. I know that living this "push and crash" cycle is very common, especially with ones who are "new" to cfids/fms, but even us "old-timers" fall into that cycle sometimes.
I'm very thankful to have a large supportive network of family & friends who help me pace myself. It does make a big difference!
Thank you for the links. I just looked over them quickly and they look like they will be a great addition to my data base on cfids/fms. I'm sure all of us will benefit from reading this info, as well as the post Mdaisy listed.
Always keen to hear of how others manage their Fibro. You are certainly blessed to have a supportive circle around you in friends and family. I have come to recognise that I haven't helped myself by acting as if I'm coping when every bit of my body and mind is involved in an internal monumental battle to keep going. On the outside all they saw was a tense, often irritable and over emotional person. I did myself no favours, I now realise. Isn't hindsight wonderful.......ggrrrrr!!
So now I am taking myself on a different 'pacing' journey. ... resisting the impulse to do more in my feeling normal moments! I know it will take time to make pacing second nature but it would be futile to continue push and crash in the full knowledge of what that is like......I can't plead ignorance!
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Push yourself
These are symptoms of...???
COULD MY FIBRO BE DOWN TO A CAR CRASH AT 17,OR 3 years of stress. dOCS SAY CAR CRASH I SAY STRESS????
Covid and fibromyalgia (lupus)
