How do you pace yourself?

My LLMD advised me a couple years ago to pace myself by working to 75% and then resting. I apparently have no clue how to do this.

I need to hear if you have figured this out. I think most of us are active people and are very frustrated by the fatigue.

My husband and I own and run a CNC machine shop where I help him use forklifts and cranes to maneuver heavy pieces of metal weighing up to 10,000 lbs in and out of our machines. If we don’t go to the shop, no income for us. Lots of bending, hoisting, climbing in and out of the machine, etc. He has Lyme too and we both moan about how our lives have been altered by the bacterias/viruses. We also have lots of social opportunities and church functions and we have homeschooled our son the last 12 years, this being senior year. We still find enough energy to work long term on home projects like landscaping or helping family with deck projects, etc.

That sounds busy, busy, I know, but we spend lots of time napping on the couch in little bits through the day which we can thankfully do being self-employed. I usually think we should just shut up and stop whining because I remember the days were happy to get out of bed. I am turning 60 next week and I’m not sure if my joint pain is age or disease or imroper nutrition, etc.

Here’s the question: I feel great for a couple days and catch up on housework like crazy while my energy and interest are high. I worked outside yesterday with nice weather and at night worked on getting Christmas decorations up. Today I’m on the couch with aching joints. I look back and have absolutely no idea where 75% was and where I should have quit working. I am having to back out of a social thing to take care of myself now. We often leave a sink full of dishes after dinner because we will all hit a wall, but how do you know when you are at 25% before hitting the wall? I every day feels like a wild energy roller coaster ride and I’d like it to level out.

Sounds familiar. You actually sound like your adapting well.

When pushing yourself, adrenal adaptogens help a lot. For body pains for active people learn myofascial release with a small firm roller and lacross ball before and after bed. Self employed? - do this at work too.

Aside from lyme, people use their energy different. I've observed this at work for years at varying types of jobs.. And co-workers of one type wonder about (and complain) other peoples work speed ect.

This is a simple generalization,obviously there is a combination of these types too:

1)We all know "slow" people who move at sloth speed even if theirs a fire under there arse. No sense of
hurrying. It gets done but deadlines dont motivate them (others might need to help them in a team environment). They seem to have no stress in the world (good for them, not others). They live one speed their entire life, but cannot compete in anything successfully.

2) Then there are the ones always in haste to get it done. Its usually sloppy work that others end up fixing for them. They don't get burned out because they dont care. They do whatever to get it done. Sometimes they get fired though.

3) Then there is the middle that go with what flow is needed at the time. They sense and feel stress, but are very capable of adjusting speed for the work/time needed. They also get burned out from work and life.

I used to couch a lot - I had to, in my car too. Bigger home projects were always a burden. I do more in the summer and manage with power naps in between, just less now. I separate what needs to be done from optional stuff. I do the optional stuff in the off season (winter) when possible. Not possible for outside warm temp project needs like paint ect though.

Make a paper post it note list. The to do list on a smart phone is to easy to ignore.

I buddy of mine (non-lyme) is now self employed (a home back 40 shop), when biz is busting, his house is a mess. His theory, when were young we have more energy and LESS that Needs to get done. Time and age changes this and no one gets everything done later on in life.

Even after lyme, now that Im older, I try not to get burnt out. Sat morn used to be go go go , now im lazy till noon.

I imaging since this forum is dead on a sat morn a couple weeks before x-mas- the "doers" are out x-mas shopping their brains out. (glad we dont do xmas gifts anymore now since my sibs are older, its a pain to buy crap no one needs). Im slacking off on the lyme forum. Prob should make breakfast petty soon....oh...brunch by now ha ha.

Post Edited (astroman) : 12/15/2018 11:39:20 AM (GMT-7)

Im # 3 also. But recognize and know many of the others. We dont always get along though when something needs to be done right and fast the first time.

Its like I tie the turtles and speeders of the world together. Alone and together those two never work out well combined - way too dissimilar. For that reason, I never want to manage people again in the working world, often thats the only way to make more $, so it sucks.

I always feel more energetic later as the day goes on, even with plenty of days off sleep. Sleep for me is sometimes counter productive, as more sleep makes more anxiety in the day. Less anxiety with less sleep. So now I only get anxiety on my days off if I sleep in. Feels so good till I get out of bed. I sleep hard too now.

It's interesting to me to read these posts. I don't really have the fatigue. BUT, I do lack the motivation/drive to do the things that need doing....
They were never 'fun' pre-lyme...and now they're even less fun...lol.


My body is usually hurting which makes me cocoon....it affects my mood and my drive.

But, when I push myself to do the chores ( which are aplenty now that Christmas is approaching and I'm trying to get the house in shape since our son is coming home for a few days....) I don't have any issues with getting them done and crashing. That doesn't happen. It's just hard to motivate myself to move my body when it hurts already.
(even though it doesn't really hurt more if I do one of the activities on my list)

I know it doesn't really make sense...maybe I've just become lazy with lyme.....low-grade depression...perhaps?

Hey - A few days ago I took everything out of the fridge and cleaned it all...threw out the old food...took me about an hour.....and afterwards - it felt so good to have it done.
Today I'm going to organize the 'junk' piles on my kitchen counter....and also sort through the gazillion med and supplement bottles.
Well...maybe I'll do that tomorrow....