A Quick Update

March 27, 2018 - 

About a year and a half ago, I opened up about a part of my life that I hadn’t shared with many people. My struggle with chronic fatigue was something that was scary, difficult to talk about and extremely humbling.

I decided to share my struggles with this condition because it was something that I couldn’t hide anymore — it had taken over my life and was standing in the way of my own plans and goals. I’ve touched upon this portion of my life only a handful of times, simply because I never wanted it to be the focus of my blog. I want this to be an inspiring space that brings happiness to my readers, and focusing on such a negative aspect of my life never felt right.

So why talk about it now?

Over the course of the past year and a half I’ve learned a lot, and for the most part, I’ve overcome chronic fatigue. I still have days, even weeks where I don’t feel quite right, but in general, I am strong, healthy and motivated once again. Because I’ve turned the corner, I feel that now is as good a time as any to update you readers, and share how I’ve learned to manage this condition.

Before I dive into things, I wanted to briefly explain what I experienced. For those of you who are not familliar with it, chronic fatigue is a common, yet highly misunterstood condition that is of an unknown cause. Those who suffer from it often times experience prolonged tiredness (despite sufficient rest), as well as brain fog, muscle and joint pain, headaches and a tendency to catch viruses. In my own experience, simple tasks such as walking to class and carrying a conversation became extremely difficult, and I could not function without at least 12 hours of sleep. For someone who normally enjoyed getting out and being active, this condition really took a toll on me both physically and mentally. It definitely didn’t come out of nowhere, it crept up on me over the course of several years, however it became significantly worse during the first few months of college, and got to the point where I needed to leave school in order to deal with it.

As crazy as it sounds, I didn’t even remember what it felt like to not be constantly dragging and in pain, and it was hard to imagine what life without this condition would even feel like… and I’m going to be honest: the changes didn’t happen overnight. But through adopting healthy habits into my life and learning to prioritize both my mental and physical health, I’ve experienced an amazing transformation, and wanted to share some of the most important changes that I made…

ADJUST YOUR SLEEP SCHEDULE

I used to go to bed late at night, and use the mornings to catch up on sleep. Even though I was getting 12+ hours of sleep, I was so tired. Growing up, my mom used to tell me that the only hours of sleep that count are the ones before 12, and as always, she was so right. By just adjustng my sleep schedule a few hours back, I’ve noticed a huge change in how I feel on a day to day basis. I actually run on less sleep, but have way more energy. Early mornings are now my favorite time of the day, and I absolutely hate sleeping past 8:30 or so… If you know me, you’d know that I am not naturally a morning person, and waking up before 9:30/10 was basically unheard of for me just a few years ago. So take it from me… this is so important!

EXERCISE WILL ALWAYS MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER

Whether you’re feeling tired, upset or stressed, exercise will always make you feel better. Over the past year, and even more so over these past few months, I’ve really tried to incorporate some form of exercise into my daily routine. Hot Yoga is one of my all time favorite things to do — it’s pretty challenging and extremely cleansing on a physical and mental level (which I’m all about). I also love running — it’s one of the only things that helps me completely unplug from the world and just think, which is so important to do every now and then. Lastly, I’ve started to incorporate just a little bit of strength training into my workout routine, and have noticed a huge difference in my overall comfort (I used to deal with a lot of joint pain, and this has helped with that).

CUT DOWN ON THE PROCESSED FOOD

I wasn’t sure whether or not to include this because food can be a super touchy subject, and I definitely don’t want to encourage anyone to restrict, but I actually think that this is really important. Processed foods do nothing for our bodies, and there really is no benefit of including them in our diets. In the past, I’ve dealth with a lot of pain in my joints, and I’ve noticed that I have way less pain when I’m not eating any processed foods. All of the salts and preservatives in these foods can cause inflamation in your joints, which can make you feel achey. So if you’re dealing with pain, try improving your diet. Now this doesn’t mean that you can’t indulge, it just means that you should indulge in real food (which tastes wayyy better anyways so it’s a win-win)

DRINK LOTS OF WATER

This goes hand in hand with having a healthy diet. I cannot stress how important it is to drink enough water throughout the day. I notice a huge difference in the way that I feel when I’m drinking enough water. Staying hydrated really helps me avoid headaches and lightheadedness, and also helps with my skin. Aim for 8 glasses of water, and an additional 1-2 for every hour or so that you’re active.

WORK ON SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT

Although this doesn’t have quite as much to do with physical health, it’s still so important. In maintaining a healthly lifestyle, you need to prioritize your mental health just as much as your physical health — I truly believe that you can’t have one without the other. Something that helped me get through the tougher times, was having some sort of personal project — something that excited me — to work on. In my case, this blog was my project, and still is. Last year, when I didn’t have a lot going on, this was a great way for me to stay productive, and feel motivated to still get out and do something interesting every day. Whatever your passion may be, it’s so important to find a way to incorporate it in your life, because sometimes it’s just what you need to keep you going.

Lastly, I want take a mintue to talk about the importance of not letting your setbacks define you. For years, chronic fatigue was my excuse for not doing things. In my mind, it was the reason that I couldn’t excell in sports, ace a test or just be the best version of myself in general. What I’ve come to realize, however, is that everyone has setbacks, and it’s all about learning to not let them bring you down. I’m not going to lie. I’ll always struggle with chronic fatigue — it’s something that comes and goes in waves. But over the course of this past year, I’ve learned how to manage this condition, and not let it get in the way of who I am.

-sb