Suffering from CFS/ME can be a struggle. At times its hard to feel good about myself in my uncomfortable body. It is important to feel good and to try and be as happy and comfortable as you possibly can throughout this journey. I have found relief in some things and would love to share them, any thing is worth a try.

Heat pack
Invest in a decent heat pack, they bring relief to any aches or pains in your joints or muscles. A heat pack relaxes your muscles and can bring comfort to any kind of pain.

Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is a healthier choice compared to white and milk chocolate. I love chocolate it makes me feel good, for me it is a major comfort food. Choosing dark is a much healthier choice. Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, it is high in magnesium, iron,copper and potassium. There are a lot of great ranges out there in the supermarket and in the health stores. It tastes pretty good too!

Inspiration board
Make an inspiration board of all your hopes and dreams that you wish to one day fulfill. Visualize your goals and put them up using pictures, they can be things like; wanting to buy a home, studying, running a 1/2 marathon, career change, starting a family, a trip down the coast or even a trip abroad. Anything that you can’t currently do and would love to do, put it up. Leave your inspiration board in a room that you are in everyday, that way you can see it and remind yourself that once your better there’s no holding you back!!! My inspiration board is solely dedicated to South America, it’s been a goal of mine for a long time. When I’m well enough it will be such an accomplishment.

Massage
Go get a massage! It is always relaxing and feels good on my muscles. I find that after the massage I feel a lot better. I often feel energized and can manage a few extra activities around the house.

Visit the Hairdressers
Go get your hair done, whether its just a wash and blow dry or a cut and colour. It doesn’t matter what you get done its just nice to have someone else dealing to your hair for you. You will feel good about yourself and best of all, you only need to sit there!

Positive affirmations and quotes
Find some positive affirmations or quotes that you like and put them up around your house.They are good for those days where you are really struggling. It can be really hard to be positive and look forward, when you are physically unable to. Having these around the house can help lift your moods and brighten yourself up.

Goals
It’s important to set goals for ourselves. Getting better is a major goal, to achieve this we need to put in place small steps to get us to that point.
A good idea is to write down each day what your day currently consists of, it could be things like; shower, make lunch, prep dinner, check mail, sit in sun for 10 minutes, watch TV, use computer. Once you have an idea of what you are able to manage each week, you can then set little goals each day/week as to how you are feeling. This is a great way of seeing how you are going, are you doing too much, or can you manage a bit more? Was there an activity that caused a setback? Set up small goals and trying each day to achieve them will eventually get you to where you want to be!

Light exercise
Practice some light exercise, whether it be a simple yoga pose with breathing, a small walk around the block, or lifting 2 tins of baked beans 5 times daily. Building up some activity is important for your body. This can be quite hard to get started, but once you form a little routine you will be set. You must listen to your body as some days you won’t be able to manage as much as other days. Visiting an exercise physiologist or someone who specialises in exercise rehabilitation will be able to help set up a program and give you suitable exercises for movement, muscle and breathing. Exercise can help boost your mood, help gain back strength and muscle. Learn, listen to your body and take it slow and steady.

Eat healthy
Try and eat healthy in your diet. It is important that we eat right and try and help our bodies as best as we can during our health journey. Eating healthy helps your body function better and you feel better for it. Fueling your body on food that is not healthy will make you feel much worse than what you already are.

Treat yourself
If you can’t get out to the mall, then try online shopping! We all need pampering and spoiling, just because we are unwell doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be treated. You can buy anything online these days so there is no excuse.

Pets
Having a pet is always a nice comfort. Pets make for good company and are always loving. They give you cuddles which make you feel loved, it’s nice and relaxing to pat them. Having a pet around will also give you a sense of responsibility and a job for each day such as, picking up after them, playing, walking and feeding. Pets can be very loving and they can always sense when your down or need a hug.

Social media
Social media can be a great thing and a bad thing. In this case it is a great thing. Having CFS/ME I can sometimes feel like I’m alone in this big wide world. I have a loving and supportive network around me, but sometimes its hard for loved ones to completely understand if they haven’t experienced an illness like this themselves. I have connected onto Instagram and Twitter and have found a lot of fellow sufferers like myself. They have all been inspiring and positive and can relate to some of the symptoms and feelings that I am going through. It is a great feeling to be able connect with people all around the world, we are very lucky in this day and age to have technology.

Positive people
Suffering from CFS/ME leaves us with very low energy levels and when it comes to talking to people it can be very exhausting. Having negative people around you can bring you down more than what you are already, and takes up a lot more of your energy. We need all the energy we have, we also need to be as positive as we can. Having positive people in your life helps you keep upbeat, energized, and help you think more positively about your outlook. You may find that when you take a small step in your recovery that the positive people around you are excited for you. We need all the love and support in this challenging journey. Ditch the negative Nancys!

I hope at least one of these ideas may help you with your recovery journey. The tips above are helping me in my recovery, if they can help you in any way that is fantastic! Please remember I am not a health professional in any of these health fields, for professional advice please seek out a professional. If you find something that helps you stick with it, and most of all keep positive!

Bye for now

xoxoxoxoxo