Today is a day for listening to my body. Which is alot harder to do than most think!
As a mummy I know I should be hoovering the house, doing the washing up, prepping tea etc. while the boys are at school. But my body is crying at me. Stop! And I’ve had to listen as my exhaustion levels are at an all time high.
The feelings of guilt never leave you for giving yourself the break you so desperately need. The feelings of what you SHOULD be doing are ever present and even thoug…h I am doing what I need to and having a rest day, I still can’t help feeling like I’m failing in other areas.
People who don’t suffer from fatigue symptoms due to chronic illnesses find this symptom one of the hardest to understand I find. Everyone gets tired but trying to explain the debilitating effects of fatigue is hard. I was embarrassed yesterday when I fell asleep in the taxi on the way to the hospital. You could have offered me a million pounds and I couldn’t have stayed awake if I had tried any harder.
Everything is flaring at the moment. The arthritis in my back, right shoulder, elbows, knees and especially my ankles and feet is causing alot of pain. My Crohns isn’t happy either and I’ve had some blood in my bag on and off recently coupled with some weight loss and lots of pain. And yesterday I had to have some laser treatment in my left eye as the pressure was extremely high. I’ve also had my steroids raised which is causing me problems with getting and staying asleep at night.
So I’m taking a day. I’m determined to listen and give my body what it’s craving. I have an alarm set for when I need to pick up the boys from school, I have a cup of tea and a couple of bottles of water and I’m snuggled up on the sofa. And I’m going to try my hardest not to feel guilty about it and recognise that by doing this today, my body will thank me for it in the upcoming days.
I hope you are all having good, pain free days and if you are a chronically ill person feeling like you need a break…take one! And don’t feel bad about it but remember that your body will be grateful. And if you know someone who suffers with fatigue, please be understanding and give them the time they need to rest without telling them what they should be up and about doing! You might not understand but it will make a huge difference to someone who doesn’t then feel as guilty for doing it!
💜 TSM 💜
