And on 9th Day, she rested and listened to her body!
When I embarked on the ambitious journey of writing 31 Days To A Better CFS Life in 31 consecutive days, I knew it would test my mental and physical energy levels.
It has!
Along with all the other projects I’m working on, plus being a Mum and householder who’s also had a cold recently – oh, and managing CFS and electrosensitivity pain 24/7, I’m a touch worn out.
My body is saying “Stop!”.
So, having finally learned to listen (more to my body than I used to anyway), I’m stopping – or slowing down – for a few days.
Listening to our body is one of the key aspects to managing CFS / ME, as is pacing.
I find that, personally, I need to find a balance between listening to my body and getting things done.
If I listened constantly to my body, as I’m in pain whenever I am even in the same house as a computer or TV, let alone in front of them, then I’d not be able to write this blog and support people with CFS / ME like I want to.
Frankly, if I listened to my body too carefully, I’d just curl up in a ball and do nothing all day, every day.
My body is always telling me in one way or another that it hurts or is tired.
But, just like when you’re getting into the swing of new motherhood and starting to distinguish between your baby’s hungry cry, unsettled cry and their “I’m in pain. I need attention immediately” cry, I now know there are different types of messages my body is telling me.
Sometimes, it’s just “I’m not feeling fantastic, but I’ll get you through, so just carry on”.
Sometimes, it’s “I’m doing it hard here. You need to give me more nurturing if you want to continue in this vein”.
And sometimes, it’s “STOP! I really, really need to rest for a while unless you want to deal with the consequences of complete wipe-out!”.
The third message is what I’m getting today.
And guess what?
I started to write this post to say that I wouldn’t be writing one today. I was going to say that you should stay tuned for the next instalment of 31 Days To A Better CFS Life in a day or two.
But, although this may not be in the digestible format I try to write in (giving points, steps, lists etc), and it doesn’t have different coloured font or different-sized headings, I’ve still written a post (and even gone back & added a few coloured fonts and headings).
(Sometimes when we take the overwhelm out of a situation, accept our circumstances, just as they are and just as they’re not, we find that, without overwhelm, what we see before us doesn’t seem so hard anymore.)
And it’s a message worth sending too, because probably the most important lesson a person with CFS / ME can learn is to listen to the different signs their body is giving them, and to know how to interpret them.
That doesn’t always mean resting constantly.
AND it doesn’t always mean pushing on constantly.
It’s about finding a balance. YOUR balance. And then sticking to it.
For me, I balance all the computer work (and all the pain that comes with it) with daily meditation, yoga, eating well, baths, gentle exercise, supplements, massages, resting in the afternoon, and many more things.
Today, I realise, I haven’t got that balance right, so I need to adjust the scales.
That will be in the form of a massage in the next hour, and as little time spent on the computer as possible today and tomorrow.
It will mean resting this afternoon, meditating, doing a little yoga, reading my book, having a bath, and generally nurturing myself (and doing my Mum duties as required!)
I’ll probably listen to a podcast or my current audiobook (Mario Martinez’s – The Mind-Body Code: How The Mind Wounds and Heals the Body – loving it!), and if I feel sufficiently rested later on, I’ll possibly do a little bit of work like handwriting a blog for next week (because I really love my work and it uplifts me when I’m not worn out!).
So, that’s my Day 9.
The message: Listen to YOUR body. Start to know it’s signals to you to slow down. Start to know it’s signals to you that it needs a little more stimulation. Start to know when it’s telling you all the different things our body tells us.
When we learn to listen and act on the wisdom our body is sending us, our CFS / ME symptoms often improve greatly.
Today’s Action Step
Listen to you body. What is it telling you? You might not like what you hear, but if you’ve lived with the consequences of ignoring its messages in the past, you’ll be more likely to listen. And do one thing to nurture it. Have a bath/shower. Cuddle a heat pack in bed. Put on beautiful music while you lay in bed. Put on a calming meditation. Listen to a podcast or audiobook. Read your most uplifting book – again! 🙂
May your spirits be lifted even if your body is struggling today.
Hasta mañana (Spanish for Until Tomorrow – for you Laureano!)
Keep Smiling 🙂
Louise
Related Posts
Day 1: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 3 Myths of Acceptance That Hold Us Back
Day 2: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – It Is As It Is. Choose It!
Day 3: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 5 Ways To Control Our Thoughts When In Overwhelm & Despair
Day 4: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 6 Things You Can ALWAYS Do Despite CFS / ME
Day 5: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 7 Ways To Focus Your Thoughts On Something Uplifting
Day 6: 31 Day To A Better CFS Life – Being Present – 7 Simple Mindfulness Techniques To Help Manage CFS
Day 7: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – Learning To Ask For Help – 5 Simple Tasks You Can ‘Outsource’ To Help Manage CFS
Day 8: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – Discover Podcasts – 5 Steps To Finding & Listening To Good Podcasts
Day 10: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 10 Ways To Nurture Yourself & Fill Your Bucket
Day 11: 31 Day To A Better CFS Life – 5 Ways To Combat Spoonie Mother Guilt on Mother’s Day!
Day 12: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – My 5 Fave Ways To Connect With The Online CFS / ME Community
Day 13: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – How & Why Audiobooks Are A Great Illness-Management Tool
Day 14: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life -10 Top Audiobooks I Recommend
Day 15: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life: 5 Tips For Getting Tasks Done When You Have CFS / ME
Day 16: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – What Are You Struggling With Most Right Now?
Day 17: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life: What Are You Doing WELL In Managing CFS / ME / Fibro? What Are You NOT Struggling With?
Day 18: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 3 Things I Struggle With At The Moment & How I Manage Them
Day 19: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 101 Ways I Manage CFS / ME & Electrosensitivity Pain
Day 20: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 5 Benefits Of Writing To Help Manage CFS / ME
Day 21: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – Gratitude is Healing – 5 Ways To Practise Gratitude
Day 22: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – A Letter To Partners Of People With CFS / ME
Day 23: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – 7 Healthy, Safe Ways To Release Emotions
Day 24: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – Letter To The General Public From Those With CFS / ME / FM – Part 1
Day 25: 31 Days To A Better CFS Life – Letter To The General Public Pt 2 – How You Can Support Someone Who Has CFS / ME / FM
Rebecca Sullivan says
Well done for still getting a post out Lou! I hope you do listen and give that body the rest it needs xx
Louise Bibby says
Thanks Bec! I DID listen to my body, have a massage, and take it easy last night. Am doing similar today. Have only allocated an hour to get the blog up. Otherwise it’ll have to wait until tomorrow :-). Thanks for all your support. You are a very special friend 🙂
Love Lou xx