Ideas for managing fatigue

[AutumnFires]

Hi, does anyone have any advice or tips on managing fatigue? I feel so tired I can't be bothered. I am shocked by my change, my body just feels like I have flu. Advice on working with fibro, running a home etc, looking remotely human! I was once a lipstick and hair done girl. These days I think high five for getting in a shower.

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

Pacing activities, resting as much as you can, mindfulness are what I do to help manage fatigue

Although often it doesn't matter what I do, I just fall asleep

[LhasaMomma]

I remember my high heeled, hair done, make up days with much fondness. Today, I count myself lucky if I also manage to get a shower ... And bring on the cheerleaders if I wash my hair! I would love to give you a magic wand but I have never managed to find one.

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

The fatigue can be hard and I understand the flu like feeling as I have CFS/Fibro combined, there are days I go to get up and wham , so those days will be just the essential s ,lots of rest and sometimes sleep, but in general better days I take lots of mini breaks and pacing is key. Yep days I don’t go out or see anybody hair is in a pony tail a slap of moisturizer job done, xx

[jules6 in reply to Yassytina]

Lol. The ponytail and moisturiser is all I have ever done.

[Painny]

👋 5 to what u said 🍀☘️🪴🎋

[Patdoyle]

As the others have said pace yourself and on bad days do the minimum. Have to say on good days I tend to go berserk to catch up but my standards are now a bit lower. I slap on the lipstick and a touch of blush (so people know I’m alive) and hair in ponytail and off I go. The fatigue for me is the hardest think to deal with an comes out of nowhere. Oh and I get bathed before I get into bed now so I’m not wiped out in the mornings. You’ll find your own coping strategies.

[CheetieCat]

Hi AutumnFires

Sorry I don't have any ground breaking advice for you other than try to pace yourself as much as you can and you will find your own way of coping.

On the days I'm working that's usually all I can manage and sometimes have to sleep for a couple of hours straight after when I come home, not so easy if you have a family though.

Housework standard has dropped dramatically and I used to feel so guilty, still do at times but remind myself how much effort it takes to hold down my job and to give myself a break.

It's took me a long time to get to this stage though, stupid really. Now I'm relatively calm as long as the kitchen & bathroom are clean & tidy I don't stress myself so much about the rest.

I do it when I can. I was actually cleaning the kitchen at 3am the other morning as like most of us on here I don't sleep well.

As for hair done, lippy on. I cut my hair really short a good few years ago as it was such an effort and my temperature control is set to wonky so I'm forever in overheat mode!

Best advice I can give you is when you need to sleep or just lie down if you're able to then do it.

[Mac333]

Hi,. I know exactly how you feel. Just so tired all the time can't motivate myself to do anything. I haven't washed my hair for three weeks because my arms hurt so much and then I have to brush it. I know I will do it but it's hard.

[Jaycee18]

For housework I do things in bursts of just 5-10 minutes then rest before tackling the next job (or not) I find I can get much more done this way than if I tried to do too much at once.

If you live with others make sure they do their share. I stopped cleaning my children’s bedrooms years ago, there was a phase when I wouldn’t open my sons door because I couldn’t bear to see the mess but they soon got the hang of it. As they got older I also encouraged them to cook dinner once a week. I call it teaching them life skills. It meant that when they went off to uni they were better equipped to look after themselves.

I used to shower, wash and blow dry my hair and do my make up every morning before work. Now when I shower I need time to recover afterwards, I lie on the bed and put any moisturiser, body lotions etc on and tell myself I am multi tasking.

My hair goes into a pony tail or twisted up into a clip, for me long hair has been easier to look after than short, but I haven’t been able to blow dry it for years, because of lifting my arms above my head. I have recently bought one of those brushes that is also a dryer. You don’t have to hold it as high as a dryer and also can either move it from hand to hand or use both hands to hold it because you aren’t trying to manage a separate dryer and brush. It still only gets done occasionally but I do feel good when I make the effort.

If I am just at home I generally don’t bother with make up, I do like to wear a little when I go out, but it’s a pared back look that only takes a couple of minutes.

I do think some self care is good for the soul, but do what makes you feel good. Don’t waste your precious energy on worrying about what other people will think or expect.

[Midori]

Oh how I remember being smartly dressed, hair done and made up, high heels et al.

Now it's jeans and teeshirts with silly slogans, no make up at all.

Current teeshirt has a dragon on it and a slogan that says' It's not my fault you didn't read the small print; I came with a warning label.' 🤣

Pacing is important, look up The Spoon Theory on the net; it will help you understand how your energy depletes during the day, why you don't have the energy to go out in the evening, and how to explain it to your family and friends.

I find the best way to do things is to work for about 10 to 15 minutes, then sit and rest for about the same time, then have another go. Breaking it up into manageable chunks makes it less strain on your body, but don't sit too long, or you will stiffen, making it worse to carry on.

It is possible to 'borrow' from the next day's energy, but don't do it too often, as the backlash is severe. Think of it as a bank overdraft; It has to be paid back and the interest rate is high.

Hope this helps,

Cheers, Midori

[Adlon57]

I remember smartly dressed up, hair cut, I don't know about the makeup, or high heels et al?Right enough its jeans, unshaven, teeshirts, with silly slogans. titanic teeshirt "made by Irishmen sunk by an English man" GRR!

😤😆😆🙃

[Fatball]

Hello AutumnFires, you certainly are getting lots of advice, but pacing is so hard, do not feel tempted to do something extra if you are feeling good. Don't use up your reserves then feel whacked out again. It's sort out your priorities only do them slowly, gradually bit by bit day after day. I now have a cleaner she comes once a fortnight. So I can do a bit of gardening which I love. Its is so hard but in the end it can be very rewarding, when you have got something done and feel good about it after. I saw a CFS nurse which really helped.