Fatigue and Energy Management
Why is energy management important?
If like me, you are suffering from Autoimmune conditions, then you will most likely know all about the frustrations of limited energy or more extreme fatigue. In this modern world where we all seem to be pushing ourselves to the limit and beyond, energy management is a great tool for everyone.
How is fatigue impacting sufferers of auto-immune disease?
Here are some of the major findings of a new online survey of autoimmune disease patients conducted by the American Autoimmune Disease Related Diseases Association (AARDA), to examine the connection between autoimmune disease and fatigue.
● Nine-in-10 (89 percent) say it is a “major issue” for them and six-in-10 (59 percent) say it is “probably the most debilitating symptom of having an Auto-immune disease.”
● Three-quarters (75 percent) say their fatigue has impacted their ability to work; nearly four-in-10 (37 percent) say they are in financial distress because of it; one-in-five (21 percent) say it has caused them to lose their jobs; while the same number (21 percent) report they have filed for disability as a result of their fatigue.
● Fatigue impacts nearly every aspect of AD patients’ lives including overall quality of life (89 percent), career/ability to work (78 percent), romantic (78 percent), family (74 percent) and professional relationships (65 percent) and their self esteem (69 percent), among others.
“In this busy, busy world, it’s normal to be tired, but the kind of fatigue autoimmune disease patients suffer from is anything but normal,” said Virginia T. Ladd, President and Executive Director of AARDA.
Time and energy management for fatigue:
Time management is, of course, a sensible and helpful practice. It can be incredibly useful for a busy person to see where they are wasting time, and work out how to use it more effectively. The problem is that time is finite and comparatively irrelevant if you don’t have the energy to do anything in that time. This is where energy management comes in. If we can track the ups and downs of our day then we can start to see some correlations between the time of day and the energy available. This makes it possible to then plan our day around these peaks and troughs which will help conserve energy and avoid over-exertion.
So what can you do to manage your energy?
I consider this to be divided into three areas: Building energy, Storing energy and Using it wisely.
Building energy stores:
If you are suffering from chronic illness I suggest the following ideas. However, it depends of course on your condition and situation as to what are the most helpful tips to implement.
Physical:
- Rest as much as possible.
- Healthy diet: (Follow a protocol that will be most suitable for maximising your energy production. eg. AIP, Wahls, GAPS, Paleo, Paddisons etc. It is important to get professional help with this decision.)
- Reduce caffeine and sugar as this can lead to crashes in energy.
- Make sure you are well hydrated with good quality water.
- Gentle exercise: if your condition allows it can help boost energy levels.
- Deep breathing: making sure that you are breathing to full capacity so that you receive the maximum amount of oxygen.
- Energy Medicine Routine: follow a video of the energy routine here.
- Practicing gratitude: try writing a list of gratitudes in a journal each day.
- Practicing forgiveness.
- Energy practices to help release dense energy eg. EFT, Emotion Code, Theta Healing etc. See my other post for more ideas on options for energy healing.
- Letting go of stress and tension and accepting what is.
- Meditation: Even 10 minutes a day will allow for a “reset” of your system.
- Avoid disturbing programmes/ films that have a negative affect on you.
- Follow your heart and do what you love or you will be running yourself into the ground.
- Make a list of activities that feed your soul and leave you feeling energised. Try to do one every day.
Storing energy:
- Get some help if you have anxiety issues as that type of nervous energy is very draining.
- Follow The Four Agreements and you will avoid needless over-thinking and rumination on past actions which decreases energy.
- Rest some more!!
Using energy wisely:
- Pacing your activity so that you don’t overdo it on a good day.
- Track when you have most clarity in the day and schedule your most mentally demanding tasks for that time.
- Track when you have energy highs and lows over a week so that you can plan accordingly.
- Track your sleep patterns so that you see the connection between amount of sleep and energy the next day.
- Also for women it is very important to reduce energy usage around the time of menstruation. Doing too much at this time just adds to fatigue and PMS symptoms.
- Use a planner or Bullet journal to plan and prioritise your days wisely.
- In the same way, as we have cycles of sleep we also have daytime circadian cycles of 90mins. So it is important to schedule breaks in any period of work or activity. Ideally for 20/ 30 minutes every 90 minutes.
- Focus rather than multi-task so that you are using your energy in an optimal way.
- Rest ..again!
“I’m not lazy, I’m on energy saving mode”
Please comment with any other tips for managing energy levels!
wow! thank you for all the great information! I especially liked the link to the energy routine.
You are welcome. Yes, the energy routine is amazing. It really uplifts and energies and can be one even while the kettle is boiling!
A very helpful and useful post, with great strategies. Please can I print this page out? Thanks
Of course Cheryl..no need to ask. 🙂
Thank you so much for this article. Energy management is something I am still learning, even though I have been living with fibromyalgia for almost a decade now. The diet and exercise parts are some of the most important in my life. I’ll go through your tips to check if anything else could be done to help <3
Me too Nolwenn, I find I do things for a while and then stop again. It is good to review and see where things can be tweaked to help again. Thanks for reading.
Energy drains are indeed tiring. You have a good list there. I use Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT tapping) to help with anxiety. It is one of the most helpful for releasing stress that I have ever found. If you are interested Brad Yates has a lot of free tapping videos on You Tube and I’m sure he has some for energy drains and lots on stress.
Yes I love EFT, it’s amazing for so many areas of life. We are so lucky to have these tools.
I love the “I’m in energy-saving mode” quote.
I feel this post…I have Fibro and I am hypothyroid. I suspect the possibility of Hashimoto’s.
My doctor said I wasn’t (at the time of the labs) but many symptoms and some of the numbers
I found out say otherwise. Either way, there I days where I know I slept somewhat decent but still
wake up exhausted. (like the last 4 or 5 days). I tried folding a rather small load of laundry last night
and I had pain running up and down my spine and was wore out in moments. I’ve had people tell me
that I just need to move more, exercise, be more active and then I won’t feel like that. I try to tell them
that’s not how it works, but it falls on deaf ears.
Yes the doctors seem to measure the levels for disease but the parameters should be wider to promote health! It is so hard to get friends and family to understand sometimes and it is forgivable as if you have never felt extreme fatigue you just don’t get it. In fact, if your energies are “running backwards” as they often are in people with chronic conditions, exercising will actually deplete you further. That energy routine I included a link to is designed to encourage the bodies energies to flow correctly. It really helps as it is gentle but effective. Find out more from Donna Eden the originator if you are interested. Thanks for reading.
When I went to the doctor and finally got my diagnosis. More like confirming what I knew as far as having Fibro goes. We talked some about different things and then he asked me about exercise no matter how gentle and how I felt afterwards. I told him and he said I was what they call exercise intolerant. I never heard of it before, so I had to look it up and it does fit.
I have days where I feel drained just waking up, so then I feel like I’m dragging all day. I will have to look her up and see.
What an excellent and comprehensive post. Thanks so much!