Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support Group

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) describes a sense of exhaustion and post-exertion malaise, even when you have gotten enough rest and sleep. The disease is characterized by six months of incapacitating fatigue experienced as profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina, and problems with concentration and short-term memory. The cause is unknown, but it is a...

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Energy Envelope Explained....Pacing

hollie9
hollie9
I've seen so many posts about "overdoing" or being in relapse, here is the link to Bruce Campbell's article detailing it. He recovered from CFS and coined the phrase "energy envelope".

http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org/library/finding-your-energy-envelope-part-1
Nina1959
Nina1959
Good stuff, thanks! I have used the spoon theory in the past to explain cfids to people. I found his user of time management a bit overdone, and noted that in his list of what he could handle were things i could not do at this point, at least not more than once a month on an exceptionally good day, like walking for 45 min, or standing for an hour. I do like the idea of pacing once an hour vs long naps, and find that works best for me as well. I do 20 min activity then 5 or 10 min rest at home but if I have been at the grocery store I will put away the cold things, then rest for 30 min to an hour and put the rest away later. I agree it's easier to be more productive this way. Btw I am at 30% on the scale and have been for years now, so using time differently hasn't helped with "healing" but it has helped quality of life.....
triunfadora
triunfadora
Thanks for the information. It was helpful. I often know when I am about to crash, but I need to value myself enough to say, "OK, I have to stop for a minute." I tend to not want to hold others back or be a burden, but I pay the consequences when I don't listen to my body. I keep thinking to myself, "It's not about me FIRST. It's about me TOO." I count too and I need to act like it.
LarkLaurie
LarkLaurie
His book is really excellent. SO many good ideas, and I like that his focus is on restoring quality of life and not focus on making CFIDS go away. I mean, I know it does for some people, and I hold out hope, but I've been sick for so long that I really need these ideas for coping. My quality of life has improved since discovering his website and writing.

Pacing is not flexible enough for me. I'm fortunate to be able to walk and work most days, at least for now, and I use a form of pacing, but not as described in his book.

They have an online e-mail class, too, which I took. It was wonderful to discuss these ideas and other peoples coping methods, I plan on taking it again, and I'd recommend it. There is an intro class, as well as an ongoing class for those who are familiar with the concepts.

Thanks for posting this, I'd actually lost track of the website, and I've been wanting to go back for more help.
hollie9
hollie9
I took the online course too and it helped. I keep having to re-read his articles though because I fall back into my old push-crash cycles.

I don't think the courses cost anything, if so, very little.