10 Essential Tips for Coping with Your Fatigue
Fatigue is a symptom rather than a specific illness or disorder. While it is common to have the occasional day where you feel tired and less energetic than usual, people suffering with fatigue feel tired and lethargic all the time and seem to lack energy.
Affecting both body and mind, long periods of fatigue can seriously impair your daily functioning and make even the simplest of life’s responsibilities difficult to cope with. Both physical and mental fatigue are the first signs that the body is being damaged and placed under unhealthy stress.
1. Get into a regular sleep pattern. Make sure that you are getting enough sleep
and that the sleep is undisturbed and restful. Try cutting out caffeine or other
stimulants at least 5 hours before bedtime and do not exercise, watch TV or do
anything else that may be mentally stimulating before going to sleep.
2. Exercise! While exercising may be the last thing on your mind when you don’t
seem to have enough energy to face the day, it may be just what you need!
Keeping physically active is vital for stress relief, healthy sleep and building
stamina.
3. Eat a healthy nutritional diet. A balanced diet will energize the body and mind
and help you cope better with the demands of life. Steer clear of foods high in
sugar and wheat as these create temporary “highs” only to be followed by
periods of fatigue. Eat regularly to keep blood sugar levels up and drink plenty
of water.
4. Reduce stress. Try keeping stress levels low and finding ways to better cope
with those stressful life demands that keep arising. Prioritize, organize and find
time to relax. Learn to say no to additional responsibilities that you can’t cope
with and seek professional counseling or go to a stress management course if
you struggle to cope with stress management.
5. Quit Smoking and cut down on alcohol. Smoking replaces some of your body’s
oxygen supply with toxic carbon monoxide and the build up of toxins can cause
fatigue. Alcohol also increases toxic build up and acts as a nervous depressant
thus causing fatigue. Alcohol at night also causes poor sleep.
6. Allow for several rest periods during the day rather than one long rest. Allow time for rest periods before or after doing something more strenuous. Pace yourself, and try to avoid rushing to get things over and done with.
7. Keep those close to you informed of how you are feeling – their understanding and co-operation will be an important part of dealing with fatigue.
8. Keep a diary of how you feel throughout the day. This will help you to identify what times of day are the best for you, and you can then plan things to fit in with when you have most energy.
9. Make a careful assessment of the things that you do with your time, and try to identify ways in which things might be made easier or less time consuming. This might mean simplifying the meals you prepare, or adjusting your work schedule. You may also find that others are keen to help with your responsibilities – perhaps a friend could keep an eye on the children for a couple of hours here and there.
10. Stimulation. Frequently one area is repeatedly stimulated and a feeling of balance can be achieved by changing the stimulation (e.g., serious/humorous, work/play, giving/receiving, creating/take in information, talking/listening, etc.). This can also apply to the senses (seeing, hearing, touch, taste, smell).
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