Put an End to the Energy Drain
Do you find yourself struggling to do small tasks or stopping what you were doing to sit down or go to bed to rest? The good news is...
you're not alone! It took me a total of 4 weeks to clean my kitchen when I first moved to my studio in NYC back in January 2011.
I, also, remember bursting into tears and stopping to have a conversation with God every time I needed to open a water bottle because I neither had the energy nor the strength to twist the cap open.
For those living with a chronic illness, fatigue is just as common and, often, just as troublesome as the pain.
Many factors can contribute to that feeling of being drained of energy: 1.
Constant pain and inflammation in the joints and tissues does not only cause severe exhaustion but it also contributes to a general feeling of despair and hopelessness 2.
Medications may cause drowsiness and light-headedness.
Sometimes, the mere sight of the stacks of pills can get you down 3.
Lack of activity due to pain or joint problems can cause your muscles to become weak, so it takes more effort to make your joints work, resulting in fatigue 4.
Not sleeping at night, again due to the pain, stress, certain drugs such as corticosteroids (e.
g.
, prednisone, cortisone, etc.
), or, sometimes, sleeping too much can deplete your energy 5.
Not being able to do those fun activities that you truly enjoy can increase your feelings of isolation 6.
Being around people who don't quite get what you're going through and whose best attempt at helping you deal with your pain is to tell you that they're feeling the same pain as you or that "you'll be fine"can be a major let down 7.
Stress, anxiety about what tomorrow will be like and what the future may hold - when you're in this constant state of anxiety or stress, your body is constantly releasing adrenaline resulting in adrenal fatigue and a state of mental and physical exhaustion 8.
Poor diet is a huge contributor to low mood and energy levels.
When you're not feeling well or feeling down about how unwell you are, you may skip meals which keeps that cycle of low energy going 9.
Last but definitely not least...
even though you may not notice that you're doing it, you often speak or think so negatively of yourself that you, inevitably, end up becoming your own "energy vampire".
What you say to yourself can make you feel down about your life and who you are; and that can be SO draining! Several of these factors can combine and interact with each other to cause not only physical but also mental fatigue.
These factors can be different each day and for each person, e.
g.
, your fatigue may be a result of inflammation which also causes pain and disturbed sleep.
At other times you may be fatigued from a stressful situation at work, you take it personally and start blaming yourself, you work harder so you can 'deal' with the issue and end up grabbing a couple of snickers bars from the vending machine because you had to stay back late and couldn't get a proper meal.
Here are some tips to help you start feeling more energetic every day: 1.
Plan when to take your meds - you may have to discuss this with your doctor but if there is no set time of day and the medication makes you feel drowsy, you may want to explore taking it just before you go to bed 2.
Spring clean your cabinets and drawers - Go through your drawers and throw out those meds that you no longer need or take 3.
Re-discover what you love to do, what makes you feel alive and happy and start doing it.
Don't do it to the point of exhaustion.
A few minutes a day of doing what you love can be so uplifting 4.
Become aware of how you speak to yourself.
Catch those self-loathing comments and, instead, say something kind to yourself - like you would if your best friend were not feeling well 5.
Whenever you find yourself worrying about the past or feeling fearful about the future, take three deep breaths to bring yourself back to the here and now.
The pain you're dealing with in the here and now is more than enough 6.
Skip the coffee - it can interfere with your sleep especially if you have it in the evenings.
I know it smells great but whatever energy boost you get from it will quickly turn into an energy slump 7.
Get Support - asking for help is not a weakness.
I went through my life not asking for help, because I didn't want others to 'take pity on me'...
that was the tape that played in the back of my mind since the day I was diagnosed.
Don't feel guilty asking for help.
More often than not, people are more than willing to offer it.
you're not alone! It took me a total of 4 weeks to clean my kitchen when I first moved to my studio in NYC back in January 2011.
I, also, remember bursting into tears and stopping to have a conversation with God every time I needed to open a water bottle because I neither had the energy nor the strength to twist the cap open.
For those living with a chronic illness, fatigue is just as common and, often, just as troublesome as the pain.
Many factors can contribute to that feeling of being drained of energy: 1.
Constant pain and inflammation in the joints and tissues does not only cause severe exhaustion but it also contributes to a general feeling of despair and hopelessness 2.
Medications may cause drowsiness and light-headedness.
Sometimes, the mere sight of the stacks of pills can get you down 3.
Lack of activity due to pain or joint problems can cause your muscles to become weak, so it takes more effort to make your joints work, resulting in fatigue 4.
Not sleeping at night, again due to the pain, stress, certain drugs such as corticosteroids (e.
g.
, prednisone, cortisone, etc.
), or, sometimes, sleeping too much can deplete your energy 5.
Not being able to do those fun activities that you truly enjoy can increase your feelings of isolation 6.
Being around people who don't quite get what you're going through and whose best attempt at helping you deal with your pain is to tell you that they're feeling the same pain as you or that "you'll be fine"can be a major let down 7.
Stress, anxiety about what tomorrow will be like and what the future may hold - when you're in this constant state of anxiety or stress, your body is constantly releasing adrenaline resulting in adrenal fatigue and a state of mental and physical exhaustion 8.
Poor diet is a huge contributor to low mood and energy levels.
When you're not feeling well or feeling down about how unwell you are, you may skip meals which keeps that cycle of low energy going 9.
Last but definitely not least...
even though you may not notice that you're doing it, you often speak or think so negatively of yourself that you, inevitably, end up becoming your own "energy vampire".
What you say to yourself can make you feel down about your life and who you are; and that can be SO draining! Several of these factors can combine and interact with each other to cause not only physical but also mental fatigue.
These factors can be different each day and for each person, e.
g.
, your fatigue may be a result of inflammation which also causes pain and disturbed sleep.
At other times you may be fatigued from a stressful situation at work, you take it personally and start blaming yourself, you work harder so you can 'deal' with the issue and end up grabbing a couple of snickers bars from the vending machine because you had to stay back late and couldn't get a proper meal.
Here are some tips to help you start feeling more energetic every day: 1.
Plan when to take your meds - you may have to discuss this with your doctor but if there is no set time of day and the medication makes you feel drowsy, you may want to explore taking it just before you go to bed 2.
Spring clean your cabinets and drawers - Go through your drawers and throw out those meds that you no longer need or take 3.
Re-discover what you love to do, what makes you feel alive and happy and start doing it.
Don't do it to the point of exhaustion.
A few minutes a day of doing what you love can be so uplifting 4.
Become aware of how you speak to yourself.
Catch those self-loathing comments and, instead, say something kind to yourself - like you would if your best friend were not feeling well 5.
Whenever you find yourself worrying about the past or feeling fearful about the future, take three deep breaths to bring yourself back to the here and now.
The pain you're dealing with in the here and now is more than enough 6.
Skip the coffee - it can interfere with your sleep especially if you have it in the evenings.
I know it smells great but whatever energy boost you get from it will quickly turn into an energy slump 7.
Get Support - asking for help is not a weakness.
I went through my life not asking for help, because I didn't want others to 'take pity on me'...
that was the tape that played in the back of my mind since the day I was diagnosed.
Don't feel guilty asking for help.
More often than not, people are more than willing to offer it.
