Written by: Nicola Hunt, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
If you’re tired, making a few early nights a priority or having a couple of power naps in the day stops you from feeling tired. Fatigue is much deeper. Fatigue is an overwhelming sensation that is not improved by sleep.
The number of people living with fatigue has increased due to COVID-19 and long COVID.
If you are one of the many people living with fatigue, what can you do to help manage this debilitating symptom?
With fatigue, it is important to manage your energy levels. Pacing is vital. Pacing is a word you will frequently hear when talking about managing fatigue, but what exactly is pacing.
This means conserving energy on tasks that you do. It means planning so that all activities match your energy levels. It means avoiding the boom or bust - doing too much on a good day, that you are in bed for the next three.
Think of energy as an energy pie, and the pie needs to last a full week before you get a new energy pie.
You can divide that pie into seven equal pieces, making sure you only use the same amount of energy each day. But sometimes, life is not predictable, and you may have a day that requires more than one slice of the energy pie. Planning your week rather than your day helps to manage energy. If you have a busy day planned, rest the day before and the day after, having a bit extra pie from both those days.
You also need to consider different types of energy the task requires, mental energy, physical energy, or emotional energy. Everything you do requires energy, but identifying physical or mental tasks most draining makes your planning more effective.
Plan your day and week to not use too much of one type of energy. Give yourself time to recover from emotionally challenging events.
Pacing is much easier to talk about than put into practice. When your energy levels are high, it can be difficult to hold yourself back and not do too much, but this usually leads to an energy crash the following days.
Keeping a diary and labeling tasks physical, mental, or emotional energy tasks can help plan your week and let you see which tasks drain you the most. Make sure to plan the things that give you joy, not just the things you feel you ‘should do.’
And if self-help isn’t enough, reach out to a professional experienced in helping people with fatigue.
Find Nicola at Physiocare for physiotherapy or follow us on Facebook and for coaching. Find us here!
Nicola Hunt, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Nicola Hunt is a Chartered Physiotherapist and an Executive Coach, dedicated to helping people reach their full potential, whether with their physical recovery after injury or helping people be resilient, reach their goals and live their most fulfilling life. Nicola held a leadership role within the NHS and the position of Allied Health Professional Executive alongside developing her own physiotherapy business. Nicola specializes in the prevention and treatment of concussion and brain injury, is a CCMI affiliated concussion clinic, and has a Diploma in Professional Coaching and Mentoring and a Diploma in Stress Management. After combining a successful career with the NHS with her own businesses, she now focuses solely on her Physiotherapy and Coaching businesses.
