Help for Chronic Fatigue
“Living with Chronic Fatigue is like living half a life”.
This is how one of my clients described her struggle with Chronic Fatigue.
The symptoms of Chronic Fatigue are many and varied; they usually include malaise (particularly after exercising), fever, pain, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. And, there are good days, bad days, and flare ups.
Every day, people living with Chronic Fatigue struggle with:
feeling overwhelmed by the thought of doing anything, believing and feeling that everything will be a struggle
constant feelings of dread – sometimes specific and sometimes more general
the impact of living with fatigue on thoughts, emotions, and beliefs
difficulty in maintaining social networks and relationships, impacting on family, friends, and work colleagues
the unpredictability of Chronic Fatigue leading to feelings of being isolated and stigmatised
feelings of being defined by the illness, losing sight of oneself
Are you ready to find out more?
Sometimes it even feels that the amount of effort it takes to function ‘normally’ is just not worth it. That being ill enough to do nothing can feel preferable.
Certainly, Chronic Fatigue is a complex and complicated illness which has a profound impact on the lives of people who struggle with it. There seems to be little consensus as to its cause, its presentation, and its treatment.
Patients say they are often misunderstood, feel stigmatised and do not always receive the best possible care. It has been said that the quality of life for people living with Chronic Fatigue is worse than for people living with other chronic conditions.
It is likely that there is a triggering event which precipitates the illness and the body’s response. And then the immune response doesn’t get switched off, leading to continuing immune system activation. The brain remains on continual high alert, with a feeling that it’s not safe to relax, even when sleeping.
The good news though is that evidence suggests that yoga therapy offers an empowering, whole person approach to improving the quality of life for people living with this condition.
Help for Chronic Fatigue is a 4 session programme, rooted into the principles and practices of yoga, which works with the whole unique individual, not the illness. Throughout the programme we use breath practices, mindfulness and meditation, restorative yoga postures and deep relaxation techniques to:
explore into the day-to-day experience of living with Chronic Fatigue, without being defined by it
develop self-management skills to be better able to cope with fatigue on a day-by-day basis
learn to prioritise and plan what’s possible, allocating the body’s resources well
feel more confident about how the body is, and what is possible each day
deal with flare ups as and when they happen
so that the overall quality of your life improves, and you are able to cope better with the day to day.
If you have struggled with Chronic Fatigue for long enough, let’s talk
What my clients are saying:
“It’s the holistic aspect of yoga that has made it such a successful approach for me, allowing me to explore further and deeper into my life, attitudes and behaviours.
As well as the physical benefits, it’s the removal of the judgements, failure, battling, disappointment, etc., that allow you to continue to make real progress.
I have to share how fortunate I feel to have worked with Gail, so much so I hardly know how to express it. I have been able to sustain improvement for so much longer and continue to make progress to an extent I’d only dreamt of before.”
Jane R, Sheffield.
If you have struggled enough with Chronic Fatigue, let’s talk
