Chronic Illness
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What I mean when I say ‘I’m Fine’
“How are you?” “Oh yeah, I’m good, thank you. I’m doing just fine.” A common, every day exchange between two people. It may be someone you know well, or someone you’ve just met. Telling people you’re ‘fine’ is so common nowadays that I don’t think any of us know what it really means. Whenever people ask me how I am, there is a lot that happens in my mind. How honest should I be today? If I did answer that question honestly, can I talk about it openly without crying (usually no)? Would they understand, or even care? Can I actually put into words how I’m feeling right now? How…
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Why is pacing so gosh darn difficult?
If you didn’t know, pacing is the single, most important way of managing your symptoms when you have a chronic illness like Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. It involves spreading high-energy activities over a long period of time, to stop your body over-exerting and inducing those horrible, energy limiting symptoms. ‘High energy’ is defined differently from person to person, depending on the severity of their condition. For me it is anything that involves standing up, but for someone with a more severe condition this could be as small as processing daylight. It takes a lot of planning, and a lot of practice, to be really efficient at it. However I do know people…
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How to manage an energy crash
I’ve been trying and failing to write this afternoon. Started things, stopping half way through, taking breaks to stare off into the distance, starting again. Nothing really seemed to be working. The problem I am having is that I am in the midst of an energy crash, and I just do not have the mental capacity to form sentences and write. I love to write, but I do need some sort of energy to be able to do it. I can’t just fumble through it – no one wants to read a half-assed post from someone who is struggling to keep their eyes open. While I sat there, resting in…
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Post Exertional Malaise and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS)
Post Exertional Malaise (or PEM) is one of the most common symptoms of many chronic illnesses, and is one of the defining symptoms of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). This very limiting symptom is something that likes to rear its ugly head even when you think you’ve been so careful. And can come in many forms – sometimes I don’t even realise it’s what I am experiencing until my husband reminds me I have overdone it and what I am experiencing is the result of that. The dreaded PEM. As it’s such an important part of my life with ME/CFS, I thought it was high time I shared a bit more about…
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Being Diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS)
I’ve had this blog for many years, and written so much about my life and my experience with chronic illness, but have never actually talked about being diagnosed with Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and what that looked like. I will be honest here, I was diagnosed nearly 10 years ago now so my memory is not great on the details, but I do remember the main bits which includes a lot of the really important stuff. If you are undergoing testing, or about to start the process, this may give you an idea of what to expect. However, depending on where you are based, and who your doctor is, as well…
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Simple tips for getting through the tough days
I try my best to be a relatively positive person, to not to let the negativity of life consume me, but even I struggle with getting through the tough days. General life in itself is hard – no one has a life free of negativity. But when you live with a chronic illness, or mental health condition (or both), it can feel like the bad outweighs the good, and getting through each day can feel impossible. I’ve had my fair share of tough days, and have spent a lot of my life figuring out how best to get through them. I’ve not got it perfect by any means, but I…
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My Last 5 Years in a Nutshell
Welcome back to my blog, after what was a much longer hiatus than I intended – 5 years to be exact. First of all let me address the elephant in the room: I am very aware that my last post was all about my blogging hiatus, why I took a break and how I hope to come back. That post was written in 2022 and I haven’t touched this blog since, oh the irony. So, instead of writing more on what you already know, why I took a break and how I hope to come back, I thought I’d do something different and talk about what has happened in my…
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Sleep With Me Podcast: My Secret Weapon for Sleep
Sleep is such an important part of our lives, it’s essential. Yet so many of us struggle with it. I myself find it really hard to fall asleep, and to stay asleep. If you’ve tried many of the tips for a good night’s sleep that are out there, and found nothing that works, I’m here to introduce you to my secret weapon: the Sleep With Me Podcast. My main issue when I am trying to sleep is that I just cannot shut off my brain. Sometimes I am thinking so quickly when I try to sleep that I actually get dizzy and light headed. I think about absolutely everything –…
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YWA Breath: What I learned doing 30 days of yoga
Before I get into this I am fully aware the yoga is one of those things that is unhelpfully recommended for people with both chronic illnesses and mental illness. I also know many people are sick of it. I am not here to tell you that yoga will solve all your problems or make your life easier, I am just here to tell you my experience of YWA Breath. So no pressure here. You know your own body better than me. But, for me personally, yoga has been a great help – a way for me to get the excercise my body needs without putting me completely out of action…
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5 Ways to Support Someone With a Chronic Illness
Living with a chronic illness doesn’t only affect you, but it has a massive impact on those around you who you love and care about. It is really tough to support someone with a chronic illness, and I do think it’s important to acknowledge that. As someone who has lived with people supporting someone with a chronic illness for years (see what I did there?) , I know the struggle. You want to be there for them, but you also want your own life. And balancing the two can seem impossible at times. You know how tough their life is, and how hard they find things that you find simple,…
