I was talking about pacing the other day to one of my lovely clients- and was struck that it seemed to mean ‘cutting down on the fun stuff’.
It seems that the way that pacing presented by some physios/Drs etc can be that way too:
“Stop moving in that way that aggravates your pain”
“What you mean dancing? My most favourite thing?!”
It set me wondering about how I talk about pacing.
Do I sound like the fun police too?
(If you aren’t familiar with why pacing matters for pain see here)
I don’t mean to! I mean basically the opposite.
When I’m encouraging people to think about pacing for pain, this is what I’m suggesting:
- Try and put down what weighs you down, rather than what buoys you up.
- If work is tough on you, then your time off needs to be extra soothing.
- Pain often restricts us. But you have to make space for your happy things. Don’t let obligations crowd out all pleasure.
- For that fun activity that aggravates pain: try not to be all or nothing! Take breaks or go home early rather than give it up entirely if possible. How can you get maximum of what you love about it, with a minimum of the pain wind up?
- Remember it’s not going to be this restrictive forever – you aren’t giving up on a full life by doing some pacing. Usually, you can get back to more when your nervous system has settled. But if you never back off then nothing will ever change.
Luckily pacing isn’t just about doing less.
There are many ways to pace yourself where the fun don’t stop!
If you want some individual help on pacing yourself to get more out of life, why not have a chat with me.