How to pace with chronic illness

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."-

-Henry David Thoreau

Ever since my diagnosis I've tried to keep pace. I have always tried to be a step ahead and fit into the mold. Getting sick changed that. It took a hot minute for me to realize that pushing myself as hard as I was doing was actually making me sicker. I just had to slow my pace. I had to take a step back and come to terms that my pace was okay, even if others around me were going at a different pace.

Prioritize

Something you learn as a child is prioritization skills. Except when you're me and want to do it all. Since I've been sick this has been a challenge for me. The challenge isn't that I have to prioritize, it's that the prioritization is because I simply can't just do it all. This makes me feel inadequate as hell. I want to go above and beyond every time. Doing it all for me makes me feel normal. Makes me feel not sick. I want to clean my whole house then be Suzy home maker with homemade pies and meals. I want to climb mount Everest and then some. Being told I just can't do something makes me want to do it more. Silly right? This is where prioritizing when chronically ill comes in. I need to know what needs to get done versus what I want to get done. This have found to be a very thin line in my case. Every day I make a list of about five things that I want to accomplish. Then I prioritize and see what actually needs done. If by the end of the day I get the top three done (remember these are needs not wants) then maybe tomorrow I can add a want in because I didn't push myself to hard today.

Short Activity

One thing I learned early on was that I tolerated activities much better in short duration bursts. Even when I think I'm feeling good, I make sure to schedule activities in shorter periods so I can do more. I found that the quality of what I did was better off this way. I try not to do anything strenuous for more than ten minutes maximum.That lucky ten minute mark is when my POTS likes to show off. If I start to feel ill during the activity I call it quit earlier. This used to bother me. ALOT. Before I got sick I could push myself and push myself some more. Now even pushing myself to the minimum requirements can make me ill quick. Thanks dysautonomia! I developed a plan. Let's call it my 50% goal. That means I figure out what I think I can get done (respectfully), then do at least fifty percent. That way even if I overestimate my goal, I still get accomplishments done.

Rest

Rest. I hate that word. I've never been good at rest. Hell even septic I was teaching CPR classes and dispatching EMS calls. Smart I know. Getting sick taught me to at least slow down. Through out my day I make sure to schedule breaks. Rest makes the world slow down. It allows me time to catch up with the world whizzing by me. A world I used to run with, without cares. I've accepted rest is to be taken. I know now that rest is a good thing .I have learned to cherish naps. I know rest will keep me going in the long run.

Overall this has season of life has taught me patience. I always thought I was a patient person but boy oh boy was I wrong. Keeping up with the Jones' used to be a priority , now I've learned they may not have it as good as they portray. Remember this is a learning curve, for all involved. Your health isn't worth the status quo. Keep your body and mind happy. In return, it will keep you going and love you fiercely.