How To Make New Year Great – With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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Why Making A Different Type Of Resolution This New Year Is Important

how to make new year greatBefore chronic fatigue syndrome the New Year was always a time when I’d set my resolutions for the coming year. With a new notebook I’d start to jot down what I wanted to achieve during the coming year.

My list of resolutions was typically pretty long and usually included ‘A Type Personality’ stuff like:

  • Lose lots of weight.
  • Get Fitter and work out more often.
  • Save money for some item I felt I really really needed (read ‘wanted’).
  • Complete a professional goal or challenge to further climb the ladder.
  • Work harder.

My New Year resolution list was always about pushing and shoving to attain or achieve something.

But with chronic fatigue syndrome my resolution list changed, mainly because I was no longer able to exercise, work long hours or earn the income I was previously capable of.

Those behavior patterns were what led me to my time suffering chronic fatigue syndrome. So it was time to really let them go.

If you have chronic fatigue syndrome, it’s likely you may not feel like you have the energy to even think about making any New Year resolutions at all.

However, you can still do it, just ease up on the number of resolutions on your list, make it short and sweet. And change the focus of your resolutions to your health rather than the hard charging type you normally include on your list. Make sure your resolutions are firmly based on self care.

Self Care is a bit of a buzz word at the moment, but it’s very relevant for anyone suffering with chronic fatigue syndrome. Now more than ever, you need to practice self care to manage your current energy expenditure and take responsibility into your own hands to finally get well.

Perhaps you no longer have enough energy to ring in the New Year with a big noisy and boisterous party. But you can still celebrate the start of the New Year in a quiet and reflective way, looking forward with renewed positivity to changes the coming year can bring for your health.

How To Make New Year Great With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Use this time of year as a chance to review your current health situation and make a different type of resolution for the coming year. Here are some suggestions for making sure you get this year off to a great start even with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Resolution # 1 – Decide To Accept Your Current Health Condition

how to make new year greatAccepting you have an illness can be a major turning point to both accepting you are sick and realizing you need to do something about getting better.

Whether you’re newly diagnosed, or have been sick for some time fighting against accepting your illness is futile. Until you find acceptance for your current situation, it’s difficult to make a plan to get better.

There’s no point getting frustrated with your current health condition. It might be that you’ve reached the point were you know that you can no longer work full time. Your health may have declined to the point were you realize things need to change.

Part-time work could be an option for you and a frank conversation with your employer could be on the cards. Or a change to another way of working and earning income could be helpful.

You may need to ask for help from your family to complete household chores and set up a roster for family members so they can take some of the household burden from you.

It can be very difficult to accept that things need to change in your life. However by accepting your current health condition you can then start restructuring your daily life to better suit your current level of energy for the year ahead.

Resolution # 2 – Give In To Crashes When They Happen

how to make new year greatIt’s an unfortunate fact that crashes are pretty much inevitable. When you push yourself outside of your energy envelope and you experience a crash, allow yourself to give in to the crash.

Rest completely until you recover your energy. You may have been telling yourself to ‘push through’, but this is the wrong action to take.

Load up your Kindle with some light reading, make yourself comfortable in bed or on the sofa and do nothing but REST. I always found this the quickest way to recover enough energy to function semi normally again.

Resolution # 3 – Believe You Can Get Better

how to make new year greatI recovered from chronic fatigue syndrome using natural therapies and so can you. However, the right positive mindset is important to enable recovery to happen.

Are you unconsciously creating obstacles to your recovery?

When you are suffering and in the midst of yet another major crash and your energy is low, it’s difficult to be positive.

But it is important to hold on to the belief that you can get better and ultimately recover. Each small setback is just that – a setback. The road to recovery can be long but you can get there.

If you like to meditate, use this time to tune in to this positive belief. Guided healing meditations can be very helpful. Or write some positive affirmations and stick them on your fridge, your bathroom mirror, kitchen cabinets, or wherever you’ll see them regularly.

Resolution # 4 – Take Steps To Find The Right Health Professional

how to make new year greatI think it’s unlikely that you can recover completely on your own. Recovery requires that you get to the root of what is causing your particular form of chronic fatigue syndrome. The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is different for everyone.

An experienced professional naturopath or functional medicine practitioner can guide you through the process.

Firstly they’ll take a complete medical history. Then by carrying out various testing you’ll find out what is causing your illness.

However, patience and perseverance is needed as it can take quite some time to complete tests. Once they have helped you discover the reason for your chronic fatigue syndrome, they will then formulate a plan to help you recover.

Many health professionals can arrange consultations by Skype if you are unable to visit their office. Make this year the one were you will seek out the right help to get you on the road to recovery.

Putting It All Together

Give that long list of “A Type Personality” New Year Resolutions the flick. Focus on gentler resolutions that are manageable within your current available energy.

I’d love to hear what some of your New Year Resolutions are for managing your chronic fatigue syndrome in the coming year, so please leave a comment below.

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comments

  1. I have always wondered if I, myself, suffer from this.. I do suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis and perhaps the symptoms can be quite similar. I do get exhausted from time to time where I feel I could just fall asleep standing, but I always push myself not to and then I end up spending a few days just sleeping pretty much. Same with exercise, although I do feel that it does really help my energy levels.Great reading that definitely gives you a small insight of how it is to be living with a condition that does get you exhausted from time to time and you can´t really explain why.

    Reply
    • Hi Alexandra thanks for leaving a comment and sorry to hear you suffer from arthritis. With chronic fatigue syndrome the fatigue is unrelenting. It doesn’t come and go., only sometimes it gets worse and you experience a complete crash. I think in this way it differs.

      Reply
  2. I found this article to be very helpful and informative. My dad was diagnosed this syndrome and what is the worst is that he find it difficult to accept it. Just like you said, it is very important that patient accept diagnose and start changing its habits from now on. I will definitely share this topic with my family and try to help my dad. Thanks a lot for sharing this info.

    Reply
    • Hi Daniel thanks for stopping by. Sorry to hear about your dad. Hopefully this article and other information on my site can offer some help.

      Reply
  3. Hello Ann! How are you? I’ve really enjoyed reading this article on “New Year Resolution” as you’ve provided us with tonnes of valuable information. Being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I haven’t given up on my life just yet. This year, I’m looking forward in taking my fitness levels to a whole new level. It doesn’t matter what syndrome/disease you have. One must be mentally strong and willing to work hard in achieving their goals this year. 

    Thanks a lot for taking your precious time in writing this post. Keep up the good work Ann! 

    Reply
    • Hi there thanks for your comments and so glad you liked the article. If you have chronic fatigue syndrome just be careful not to push yourself too hard in pursuit of your fitness goals or you’ll end up in a worse state.

      Reply
  4. New year’s used to be my jam, the best way I manage it is by setting up a system. I would usually tell a friend about my resolutions or write them down in a journal, but I never really stuck with them, so sometimes, I set alarms on my phone or write reminders over the house of things I want to do and sometimes when I feel down, my family and friends also help me in my resolve.

    Reply
  5. HI thanks for the article on chronic fatigue. I was wondering how you realized that you had this illness?. I ask because I feel sometimes that I may have this illness I am always tired I have just always told myself it is just because i’m getting older, Also I was wondering if their is medicine you take for it or dose it just depend on the person and situation?

    Reply
    • Hi Geoffrey Thanks for leaving a comment. It took several years to be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Working with a naturopath I managed to recover using natural methods. 

      Reply

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