Pacing - Huge part of recovery

Pacing is vital for improved health and recovery from ME/CFS, it sounds simple but it really involves more then I first realised.

Its like a transaction process you have with your body, bartering for precious moments to do natural activities within your day.  For example see here body I respect you need rest but hows about I give you three hours of rest for a chance to cook a tea, or have a bath and get dressed (joggers) and so on. 

The rest must be just what that says REST!! Peace and quiet, a comfortable spot with maybe some sleep or deep mediation included.

Activities which count and must be considered when bartering with said body are as follows ( you cannot rest and do any of these activities at the same time, as it is counter productive, not allowing your body time to recharge your cells with vital energy)

Watching Television

Listening to music or story books

Reading

Perusing and typing on a computer, Ipod 

House Work

Walking

Getting washed and Ready

Having Friends and Family visit

Chatting via person or phone

Driving 

Exercising

and now your probably catching my drift, basically pacing is resting your body and that rest must be complete rest you may use a guided MP3 or CD to get you relaxed but no more then that.  This gives your body time to charge up your cells therefore giving back to you the chance to gage what activity you can do and not run the newly charged cells down to which you can then build upon.

I started like this, get up move to front room, lay on sofa, get up and go bed, this was a routine for quite some time until it changed to get up make bed, have bath get ready, go to front room lay down, go to bed.

These were my Zombie times, each day I learnt my pacing abilities and gently pushed and begin to add new bits to the routine this along with my food changes became the main foundation I have been building my health with.

If you overdo your level of pacing you will crash for a few days, weeks, months so it is not to be taken lightly, your bodies needs must come above anything else important in your life.  For me I had no choice I could not get up and get to work physically impossible therefore I took a year out to put my health and body first.

Family get upset when I have to cancel plans but I'm sure they would rather have me well maybe the next time then to go backwards and be bed bound.

Friends who are truly important and real friends will support you but you will lose friends along the way, its just important to put yourself first no one else will make your choices which will get you better it is a solitude that only you can face and decide but you will get support from the most unlikely places and that really helps.