Fatigue is a common by-product of a wide range of chronic conditions. No matter the diagnosis, you’re left feeling weak and de-energized for extended periods. While the illness itself may be the primary cause of fatigue, several secondary factors add to the exhaustion. Your medication–or more likely medications may treat your symptoms but can decrease energy levels. Couple that with the emotional wear and tear of feeling unwell and it’s no surprise that you’re feeling exhausted.
Intense fatigue from chronic illness reduces the quality of life for those experiencing it. In other words, life is all that much less sweet when you’ve not got the energy to savour it. For you, this may mean that you’ve struggled to sustain a meaningful career, been unable to keep participating in your favourite activity or not had much of social life. For many of us, this fatigue and exhaustion can be overwhelming.
We’re here for you. It doesn’t have to be this way. We’ve discovered that with the right mindset and planning, there are ways for you to navigate fatigue and feel more positive, thus boosting optimism and energy levels in the process.
7 Ideas for Managing Fatigue
Based upon our research–people we have worked with and personal experience–here are seven strategies for managing fatigue from chronic illness:
1. Rest
As obvious as it may seem, it is better to listen to your body and go to bed when it is telling you to rather than trying to fight fatigue and soldier on through the remainder of the day. By doing this you are more likely to have the energy needed during those hours when you are more functional.
2. Measure and Assesss
Write down the hours when you are awake and find yourself to be more functional. How many hours this is for? Is it the same each day? Are you seeing any regular patterns? In addition, try assessing your energy level using a 1 to 5 scale. This will enable you to set realistic expectations of yourself for that window of time. Doing so can help you achieve a succession of confidence-boosting “small wins” and avoid disappointment.
3. Timetable
Once you become more aware of the patterns and fluctuations of your energy levels you will be capable of determining which activities to include and when. For example, you may conclude you are usually at a 3 energy level between 10 am and 2 pm. Knowing this will allow you to factor in appropriate activities, which will enable you to be somewhat proactive without feeling overwhelmed.
4. Prioritise
In today’s culture, we glorify busyness. It is standard practice to flood our schedules with more tasks than we can handle. Some tasks may be unavoidable, but not all of them. By determining which of these tasks are most vital you can create a priority list for some and postpone the others. Doing so can help you use your time more strategically, thus conserving your energy for recuperation.
5. Minimise
Minimising is a proactive approach that reduces the odds of tasks coming up later. A classic example would be owning fewer possessions so that you have less to look after in the long run. Another example is telling friends that you are putting social arrangements on hold so that you are not pressured to give up vital rest hours.
6. Modify
This involves taking the tasks which you cannot avoid and finding a more manageable variation of them. Examples of this may include walking the dog for fifteen minutes instead of half an hour or using video chat to catch up with friends instead of going out to meet them.
7. Delegate
If you have the option, identify a core group of people who are closest to you and determine if any of them can take on chores that are currently too much for you to handle. Doing so will allow you to rest further and schedule your more functional hours for other priorities.
We invite you to share your feedback with us. Have you tried any of these before? Have you tried anything different? What has worked for you? What has not worked?
Is there anything else you would like for us to cover?
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Our website is www.illnesscoaching.com
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As always, if you are experiencing any severe medical or psychological symptoms, we always recommend you speak directly to a qualified professional.
Thank you for checking in with us and we’ll see you again soon.
