These are my own personal CFS recovery secrets

When you experience CFS, you can be left feeling exhausted, lonely and scared that you may never feel well again, particularly after reading some of the comments people post online about CFS.

It can leave you feeling depressed and wondering whether you will ever be well again. I know, I have been there, and it is a really horrible feeling.

If you are anything like me, when you are used to being active and busy, suddenly finding you don’t have the energy to tackle routine jobs in the house and a social life feels impossible, CFS comes as a major shock to the system and you want to take action now.

You will have seen your GP and he/she will have told you that you have CFS and will have talked to you about the referrals they can make to other clinicians who may be able to help. You may also have had a prescription for some medication to help you to manage some of your symptoms.

However, if you are desperate to feel well again, it probably feels like it will all take a long time to see all the people who may be able to help and you are wondering what else you can do to manage and recover from this horrible illness now.

Unfortunately, recovery from CFS won’t happen overnight, but it is possible to get better and to get back to doing all the things you used to take for granted.

Understandably, one of the first questions I get asked by clients and potential clients, is ‘how did you recover from CFS’. Having recently seen the scary statistic that 1 in 25 people in the UK are thought to experience CFS, I decided to share my top 5 recovery essentials that I personally vouch for, to give you some hope that recovery is possible.

This is the question we all ask – ‘What caused my CFS?’

This is the question anyone who has experienced CFS asks, and I was no different.

I asked my GP this question and he said no one knows what causes this illness and officially there is no known cause for CFS. However, research is indicating that it is rarely one thing that causes CFS, there’s usually a variety of factors at play (hormonal changes e.g. peri menopause, genetic susceptibility, physical or emotional trauma, chronic stress), with an event like a virus or emotional event triggering the symptoms. I have written more about this in my fully referenced blog post – ‘What could have caused my chronic fatigue’

CFS gave me the time to reflect on this question. I may have had a virus as a trigger, but basically I had burnt out with all the stress and pressure I was experiencing and I think my father’s death had affected me more than I realised. It probably wasn’t just one thing.

How it all began… Down the slippery slope

I had been under a lot of stress at work with a busy job, I had a lot of family commitments, my father had died and I was studying on top of this too. Really it was all too much, but I felt I could and should be able to cope as I always had in the past.

I was gradually getting more and more tired, but I still kept going, as I felt I shouldn’t give in to the fatigue. It was a mistake and I now know how big a mistake this was.

I carried on, feeling worse and worse until my body had clearly had enough and I suddenly found that I couldn’t do what I was used to doing. I saw my GP and I was signed off work for a couple of weeks, which then went into months and I was diagnosed as having CFS.

My own personal CFS recovery secrets

Once I got over the shock of feeling so unwell and wondering how long it would take me to get better, I started to focus on what to do to recover.

I already knew a bit about CFS from friends who had experienced this debilitating illness and that there wasn’t going to be a magic pill to help me to recover. I realised that I would have to make a number of changes in my life and that both emotional and physical healing was required.

I also had to reluctantly accept that it wouldn’t be quick process either, probably taking a few months, which was frustrating as I was used to be being busy and active.

The GP had told me that rest is part of the recovery process. It can be quite easy in some ways to rest when your energy limits what you can do, but the trick is to get the mind to rest too, not always an easy thing to do as I discovered.

The 5 things your CFS recovery toolkit should have

Taming my ‘monkey’ mind

I was tired but my mind was still busy, all over the place – mulling over questions on why I was ill, how could I get better, what I should have done differently and panicking when reading about other people’s experiences.

Thinking like this only made me feel more tired and fed up and downhearted, quite an easy thing really when the bottom feels like it has dropped out of your world.

I then found meditation and mindfulness. Mindfulness helped me to quieten my nagging thoughts and worries and focus on today and not worry about tomorrow or what I should have done differently in the past. For more information on just how helpful it can be, check out my blog How mindfulness could transform your CFS recovery.

2. Rest and Relaxation

Meditation, particularly yoga nidra, a form of deep meditation, helped me to find calm and peace and to be more in my parasympathetic nervous system. I realised that when I was calm and relaxed my body and mind were able to heal. I also noticed that when I was relaxed and not worrying, I didn’t feel quite as tired as when I was anxious and worried.

I also found restorative yoga with a wonderful teacher called Mel. The classes were deeply relaxing and all I did was lie on a yoga mat using yoga bolsters and blocks to support me, in poses that promote rest and can help to reduce fatigue.

Meditation and mindfulness were a life line for me and helped me realise that I couldn’t do anything about the past, but I was in control of my future. They showed me how a simple free tool, your breath, could help give you a little more energy and keep you calm, which I knew was key to helping me to manage and reduce the stress I was feeling. This is why I am so passionate about mindfulness and meditation and offer courses on dealing with those negative thoughts that can plague you when you have fatigue.

3. Knowing recovery is possible

I also knew that being positive and believing that I could and would recovery was crucial too and I have talked about this in my blog The 3 things you need to know about CFS recovery.

Whilst it was difficult at times, telling myself I was getting better and being thankful and grateful for the gradual improvement in my energy really helped my recovery.

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4. Herbs were my saviour

I was supported by a wonderful herbalist, Sarah, who also told me that recovery is possible and provided me with herbal medicines to support my recovery. She used herbs to support my immune system, reduce inflammation, support digestion and nourish my nervous system which had been under a lot of stress and pressure. They were my saviour and I started to feel the difference within a couple of months. For more on how herbs can support your recovery, look up my blog 4 ways herbal remedies can support your CFS recovery.

5. Getting the nutrition right

I have always been conscious of what I eat, so it was particularly galling to find myself unwell! But I, still needed to I make some tweaks to my diet to make it less inflammatory. This is very important as CFS is driven by inflammation.

I was already gluten and cows dairy free but I took action to increase my intake of green leafy vegetables and moved away from cold foods to more warming and nourishing foods. When you have CFS, nourishing your body is important to help it to recover. You can read more about how to tweak your diet in my blog The 6 food secrets of CFS recoverees.

As I was taking herbal preparation that were helping me enormously, I didn’t take many supplements. However, one of the supplements I did take was magnesium, to support my energy and nervous system. Research has shown that people with CFS can sometimes be deficient in magnesium, and it helped me in my recovery

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Taking that bold first step to recovery

I do hope this blog has given you some comfort that it is possible to recover from CFS and to get your life back. Whilst in can be a challenging journey and it can take a few months to start seeing the green shoots of recovery, it is so worth it when you can do the things that had been put on hold as you just didn’t have the energy and stamina for.

As you can see, I don’t think there is a quick and easy way to getting better, but I hope this blog has given you the motivation to look at possible changes you can make to your diet and the way you think in order to help stimulate the recovery you are craving. You can find more information in my blogs and in my free guide 7 ways to increase your energy levels.

It is possible to naturally boost your wellbeing and start your recovery journey. Have you been inspired to give it a try?

Your top 5 Takeaways

1. Inflammation is a driver of CFS, so reducing inflammatory foods in your diet is a foundation stone for your recovery.

2. Herbs are a wonderful way to support the body systems that can be impacted by CFS and could be causing you to feel so unwell.

3. Reducing stress and anxiety through meditation and mindfulness can really support you getting back to ‘normal’.

4. Allowing yourself to find deep relaxation could help your body to recover.

5. Knowing and believing that you can recover from CFS can be crucial to you getting your energy and life back.

Have you been motivated to make some changes but feel you need some support?

Having been through this illness I know just how it feels and that is why I have been drawn to helping women to recover from CFS and get their life back.

From both experience and looking at the research, I believe that CFS is generally not caused by just 1 thing because people are so complex, and everyone is different. I tailor my support to meet each client’s specific needs.

I help people with improving their physical health and wellbeing through nutritional advice, herbal medicine and supplementation recommendations and support their emotional wellbeing through meditation, mindfulness practices and the emotion balancing Bach flower remedies. You can find out more about how I help people here.

If you have been inspired by my story and would like me to assist you on your recovery journey, you can get in touch here to book a free 20 minute discovery call.

I look forward to helping you to start living your life to the full once again.

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The content of this blog is provided for educational and information purposes only and does not constitute personal advice. It is recommended that prior to making any diet, supplement or other lifestyle changes (including exercise regimes), you first discuss these with your doctor or health care practitioner.

5 things you need in your CFS recovery toolkit