When you first get a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Disorder, it can seem like a hammer blow to the head. There could have been many reasons for your constant tiredness, but some of your worst fears are now a part of your life. There’ll be a long road to recovery so you won’t be dancing the night away or running for miles anytime in the near future. You won’t even be living a life that is reminiscent of what you used to call normal for quite some time. In the meantime, you’ve got to knuckle down and get to work on overcoming this condition.
Advice on coping with chronic fatigue
You’ll have been prescribed by your doctor Graded Exercise Therapy and/or Counselling, which will eradicate your chronic fatigue. But, they take time to get results. While you’re working at these I’m going to be taking you through some hints and strategies that’ll help you cope with chronic fatigue. They’ll improve your symptoms and aid your recovery. One day not too far into the future, you’ll be marching out at a fast pace into a brand new morning, ready to take on the world. Your lack of energy will be a thing of the past. It all starts here.
Take Advantage of the Good Times
You have to be realistic. You’re not always going to be able to do your job or do household tasks as you used to. So try to make your schedule as fluid as possible. Keep a diary and write down all the points in the day when you feel good and all the points when you feel constantly tired. Score them from one to ten with 10 meaning you feel amazing and 0 meaning you feel tired and sleepy. Now you can predict when you’ll be feeling good and how good you’ll feel. So if you have some important things that need doing, plan to do them when you’re feeling good.
IMPORTANT TIP
When you’re coping with chronic fatigue – Don’t overdo it!!!!!! It’s tempting when you’re feeling good to go all out and enjoy yourself or take on too much. Pacing yourself is vital, otherwise, you’ll be recovering for days.
Your New Best Friend
For coping with chronic fatigue your best friend is Iron. Iron will make the good times last longer and the bad times shorter. It carries Oxygen along through the body. Imagine it like a bunch of little men with Oxygen on their backs. They’re making sure the maximum amount of it goes all around the body at high speed so it can use the sugars, fats, carbs, nutrients, and proteins to make energy. You’ve got to max out that Iron by eating iron-rich foods like red meats, seafood, beans, raisins, and apricots. Iron is your best bet to stop tiredness and stop fatigue.
Experiment
Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Disorder is very much in the early stages. It’s very good, but it’s not an exact science. There’s still a lot of unknowns. It’s widely agreed upon that a balanced diet full of Iron and vegetables providing antioxidants and vitamins is appropriate. This promotes maximum efficiency in the body’s energy production. However, studies have shown that patients have experienced improvements by experimenting with their diet. Stop eating sugars and wheat but other than that try a range of foods to find out what works best for you and your lack of energy.
Look after your Heart
Physically yes, by eating the right foods but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m referring to your emotional state. You must maintain an even emotional keel. Your success in coping with chronic fatigue will be quicker and easier if you cut out any relationships that cause you emotional stress. Cut out any activities that cause you emotional discomfort like sad movies or thoughts about your past. You must concentrate on the future and building a life around your condition. Anger, distress, and fear will all sap your energy and set back anything positive you’re doing to help yourself.
Watch your Sleep Pattern
Your body has to get on a schedule. It has to know when you’ll be sleeping and when you’re going to be awake. Predictable sleep schedules allow your body to have maximum repair times. We’re talking energy production times here folks. A good sleep pattern will also help you learn to manage your day.
Swapping Duties with the Family
Everybody has a role in the house. For coping with chronic fatigue, you need to identify all the things you do at home and perhaps call a family meeting where you’ll swap duties with some else. Duties that you can’t do for the time being. Stuff that involves more energy. Not only will this aid your family in getting all the chores done despite your condition, but it’ll also make you feel like your family is on your side and willing to help. That’ll make you happy and guess what? Happiness releases chemicals in the brain that give you more energy. Chemicals like Dopamine and Serotonin.
Avoid Humidity
For coping with chronic fatigue avoiding humidity is vital. Patients over the years have experienced a huge amount of physical discomfort in humid weather. It’s highly likely that your symptoms will become more exaggerated. If you live in a hot country then this is going to be a difficult one. But at least take a fan with you so you’ll have some means a stabilising your temperature.
Believe in Yourself
Tell yourself you can do it. It sounds like some crazy new age logic but it works as good as any medical cure. Try writing a letter to yourself once a week re-affirming your desire to beat your condition. It’s great for coping with chronic fatigue because you can read the letter every time you lose faith in yourself. A positive attitude is your fuel to recovery.
Final Thoughts
I know it’s hard. but to stop tiredness and stop fatigue you need to practice these hints and tips. They work and they’ve been proven to work across thousands of cases to help those with a chronic lack of energy. This is not the end of your world and you can live a wonderful and fruitful life beyond this condition. You just have to be a little more strict on yourself than other people are. Most importantly, take it one day at a time. Thank you for reading.