What happened to January?!
Released On 31st Jan 2022
So this year January was a write off due to Covid and my recovery from it but actually it taught me a lot more than I was expecting.
The fatigue I was suffering with was something I have never experienced before except I had a slightly similar feeling when I had altitude sickness climbing Machu Picchu. When it came to climbing the stairs and finding I needed to sit down for the next few hours, where is in Peru it would take only a few minutes and then I was able to walk again but not with this fatigue, it was hours, days and weeks overall.
The feeling of not being able to do your usual activities was really hard for me as normally I am full of energy and can push myself quite far. I had lots of things I wanted to get going with in January and I always feel I need to start the year as I mean to go on but this year it wasn’t meant to be and it taught me that I needed to slow down massively was the only way I could get through this.
I had to ensure I was only booking in 1 thing a day but no more than that as I just couldn’t be me, I couldn’t contribute like I normally do but also my chest was pushing me downwards and the fatigue would hit me hard. I had to make sure I was really discipline in doing this but actually my body couldn’t let me do anymore anyway.
Some days were good and you would great I am back to it but the following day I was back to feeling rubbish again. Thankfully the advice I received from friends and clients enabled me to learn this very quickly.
I was frustrated, annoyed and tired all at the same time but with no choice, no flexibility but all I could do was to actually truly listen to my body. And when I mean truly listen to my body which I am used to with my back but not this time I had to notice every energy I was using and just be still whenever possible.
I ensured my diary wasn’t booked up too much each day by really only focusing on 1 main thing, I had to push back activities into the following month so I can be fully present for my clients. But in all of this I had to be calm about it, I had to be ok with it and I had to not beat myself up about not doing as much as I had originally planned. I had to be ok that the start of the year wasn’t where I wanted to be but that is ok.
What I have taken away from this is actually how much I got from having just 1 main thing in the day. How my time is ok not to be working 100 miles an hour or fitting in too much. How I can still get everything I need and want to do without worrying about the should be doing element. And also noting how kind people are if they have to wait for your time at a later date. You have to look after yourself.
If you are hit with fatigue or any illness which hits your energy levels and forces you to take time out. Come back slowly, don’t feel like you need to be back on full energy straight away, listen to your body and just be still whenever and wherever possible.
