Pacing the Things; Shaking Up the Things

We all know we need to pace. To moderate. To stay within our limitations.

Exceeding our limitations happens from time to time for many reasons. Accidentally and intentionally. It becomes a problem when we consistently exceed them. It can cause burn out. Fast. It can cause entering survival mode which is difficult to get out of and even harder to recover from.

So we know we have to avoid the boom and bust cycle. We know we have to pace.

Do the Things but pace the Things. Find ways to do the Things that work for us. Find times of the day that work for us. Find times when we can insert down times and rest. Or naps if you can. I have to nap with my level of fatigue these days. I have to rest after activities. I have to take care in how I do things. Learning how to do specific things because my body just doesn’t function like I want it to.

Shake up the Things

I am all for staying within my limitations knowing what my limitations are. Limitations are a tricky pickle though. They change from day to day. Which is enough to drive anyone mad. One day, I can do all my Thinging (chores, daily routines, Daily hygiene, an added hobby, added mild exercise). Other days I can do the Basic Things and even those I have to seriously pace and rest through. And other times, I miss the line. Do too much and I am laid out for two or more days.

But I have a caveat for staying within my limitations. I think strongly nudging my limits is vital from my mental, physical and emotional growth and well-being. I think its essential really. I don’t want to jump way the hell over the line and exceed my limits all the time. Been there. Done that. Not a fun idea.

But nudge them. I sort of have to. I think it is just beneficial for growth and coping overall.

Physically

My doctor and I both know for my continued care I am going to need some extensive physiotherapy and occupational therapy and those are both really nudging your limits. Essential to functionality. And a very good example.

We want to maintain functionality. And I do not know all the exercises I need to do in order to maintain my functionality. I try to do stretches. I try to use my exercise bike. I try to go for walks. And all of these do not do anything for the goals I need to use my legs better. Use my hands better. Crouch and stand better. Get up if I fall better. Walk further. Have more endurance. All the things you sort of want. Or at least maintain what I have.

So I have to find a place that can handle my needs. And soon. And this will be a lot of nudging the limits.

It is a delicate one to nudge our limits physically. Really tricky. Slow and steady. And never really fun. But can be essential. Motion is the lotion and all that stuff. But this is a careful venture. No physio or exercise routine is going to be all in and cause you to flare constantly. It is going to be careful. It is going to be concise. It is is going to take into consideration your body and limitations. It is going to be nudges.

Mentally

I think with isolation and lack of work it is important to engage myself mentally and intellectually as well. It is difficult to not have the constant socialization from work. The constant mental engagement.

So I think trying to find ways to nudge those limits is also important. In the ways I can given levels of concentration and fatigue on any given day. And pain limitations.

There is the go-to reading. Fiction being an easier read for harder days. And non-fiction for days when I am a little more able to focus. Or maybe just working on a puzzle on the phone. Puzzle are great for mental stimulation. Writing is also a great one- in a journal can be great. Watching documentaries is another go-to on days when I have less focus because then you do not have to actually mentally focus on words but can still be engaged in something pretty fascinating. Sometimes I take a deep dive into something that fascinates me like something in quantum physics or organoids or something else. Deep dive into anything really. And then pick up books on it. And get right into it.

But we have to pace ourselves mentally as well. Mental energy is energy. And mental fatigue is definitely a thing. We only have to much energy in a day to use and use wisely. Or unwisely, as the case may be on some days. Anyway, if we do not pace that it can lead to some immense fatigue. Or in my case also migraine attacks. And just a sort of worn out drained feeling. And more lack of focus. As my brain says, okay, enough braining today.

Socially

I would love to nudge my limits socially but I have been doing some pretty extreme pacing lately due to fatigue. It is hard to socialize when you have to get to the place, stay at the place for an extended time, use social energy to engage with people, and then get back from the place on a limited energetic battery. Not when I have used all my energy just doing the Things in the day (daily chores, daily hygiene, daily health routines).

But I have to work it in there because I am pretty isolated right now. And it isn’t healthy. Not for overall life satisfaction. People need people. Even introverts. Just have to work out the logistics of it and maybe start of with a very short social time. I do visit family and that is some social time.

But I haven’t seen my friends in some time. Not since the summer and I discover how MS and heat are a big deal. And I found I had real trouble getting around and functioning. We needed to get a portable air-conditioner just so I could start to cool down enough to move about properly. The fatigue since then has been insane. And it wasn’t awesome before that, but I made time, once a month or two for socialization. Not a lot but some. Then that dropped to nill. Haven’t figured out how to work with the fatigue yet. And socializing in the evening? I have NO oomph left in the tank, man.

Another tricky pickle.

But worth the effort to try. Just needs a lot of planning.

Pin it

I don’t have to tell you guys this

We all do this. Every routine we change we do this. Every exercise routine. Every health routine. Every mental routine even hobbies. Every social relationship routine. Every one of them starts with us nudging those limits. And pacing. Both. And always trying to find that infinite balance between the two. Pace. Nudge. Pace. Nudge. So that we adapt and do not exceed our limits.

And its damn hard, man. Establishing all these routines we try to build for ourselves to try and improve some area is difficult with pain, fatigue, symptoms, low energy, and a lot of the time difficultly with motivation due to all of the above.

We can’t really take on more than one large routine change at one time. And little tweaks still take a lot of effort to any routine we are establishing. Everything takes energy. And energy is in short supply. We can get chronic illness burn out when we try too many things at once for too long. It can be exhausting. Draining and make us hopeless. So just take it slow. Often routine building isn’t every day. It is three times a week or so. Or even twice a week. And we work it into our routine.

But I like to remind myself of this. I wake up. I assess my body’s pain. It’s fatigue. It’s mental energy. It’s emotional energy. And I decide can I nudge those limits today and go for a walk? Today was a yes, and so I did. It was short because my legs didn’t want to go far- just weakness. But maybe tomorrow it will be different. Maybe I will be able to go for another. And walk a little further. Or just my exercise bike if I can’t get out and about. Fall is a beautiful time of year to get out and I want to enjoy it while it lasts- not long here.

I remind myself maybe there is one thing to do that is a little nudge a day. In some way. That might help improve my day in some way. And I think, maybe this is an idea that I should pursue while I am looking for a physiotherapist.

So I will shake up my day a bit, I think. Just a little. In some way, or another. Or maybe every other day. It is hard to say with immense fatigue the days where I can nudge those limits and the days where limits are a Firm Line. But I know from doing physio, not to push ourselves. Not every single day. I just want to work some things in. Thread them in a bit. Carefully.

Feeling a bit optimistically inclined.

The Boom & Bust cycle of chronic pain