What is pacing?
Pacing is about learning what your body can cope with without causing a relapse or a set back.
Pacing is what many people with M.E. learn to do.
Pacing is about learning what you really can do.
Pacing is about not expecting or doing too much.
Pacing is about staying positive about getting better and working sensibly towards that aim.
Pacing is about not harming yourself by trying too hard.
Some ideas on how to pace yourself
1. Keep a simple diary of everything you do for at least two weeks. Write down how you felt at mid-day, at tea-time and at bed-time. You can get someone to help you do this if you find it hard to remember or if you feel too tired.
2. After two weeks, read over it to find out what things you did easily without getting tired. You may find you ought to start doing less!
3. Carry on keeping your diary.
4. When you read your diary you may spot that certain things you did made you very tired, like having to do a lot of talking. Could it be that phone calls are a real problem for you? Check.
5. Mental tasks, like talking and listening, can be very tiring. So, when thinking about things to do, it's important to include thinking tasks, such as reading and writing, as well as those that are physical, such as brushing your teeth or getting dressed. Most of the things we do need to use both brain and muscle power.
6. Quite often the full effect of something you did won't be felt for up to 3 days afterwards. A diary can be really helpful in spotting these sorts of patterns.
7. Don't just do things the way you have always done them. For example, if you get up in the morning and eat your breakfast, maybe have a rest before you get dressed.
8. If you get tired in the middle of doing something - STOP! Go back to it later in the day or week.
9. As the days and weeks go by, try to build up slowly. Little by little you do more and more. You may have set-backs and off-days, but that is normal. Don't push yourself too hard.
10. Your muscles may ache at times. This is normal if you haven't used those muscles for a while. But watch out! Really bad aches or pain mean you are pushing too hard. Don't do it. Pace yourself! You have to become an expert at reading your body.
11. Do more of the sort of things you enjoy and are good at, so that you are less likely to get fed up or bored and give up.
12. It can really help to switch between brain activities, like reading and listening, and moving about, physical activities.
13. Make sure you make time to rest and relax. Resting means just that - doing nothing! Reading and watching TV may be relaxing, but your brain will still be active. Sit in a comfy chair or lie down. Why not listen to a CD or tape that is especially made to help people relax?
14. Don't be tempted to compare what you can do now with what you used to do before you got ill. It will make you really fed up and it gets you nowhere!
15. Many people find that they begin to feel better as soon as they stop fighting the illness. Do what you can. Build up gently. In the end the illness will have run its course and you will have helped yourself to get strong again.
Information produced July 2003
Updated June 2004
