Gaining clarity when exhausted

“Always take the time to do nothing at all”.

The thing about living with chronic pain is that it can make you feel so frickin tired. I have been more active than usual this weekend which has increased my pain levels and left me feeling totally wiped out.

There were times in the not too distant past that this would have sent me spiraling down the path of mild anxiety. How could I possibly get everything done that ‘needed’ doing while feeling so exhausted? I would be jumping from task to task without sufficient energy and concentration to fully complete anything and subsequently feel frustrated at how little I was achieving. 

Today I take a more structured approach which has really helped me prioritise and see that although it is nice to clear tasks when they need doing, very few are actually urgent enough to warrant the feelings of guilt if they aren’t dealt with straight away.

I now keep an ongoing to-do list on my phone and this simple step has really helped me minimise the feeling of overwhelm. Every night before I go to bed it is satisfying to remove anything that I have completed. Even if I think I haven't achieved anything useful there is usually something I have done to reduce my list. I then add any new tasks to one of three sections; priority, nice if time and non-urgent.

The calmness and clarity this routine brings has also helped me sleep better as I am going to bed with a clear mind and not waking up in the night thinking of things that need doing that I had forgotten about.

Today I looked at my to-do list and thought bleuggghhh but a quick scan revealed that there is nothing on it that can’t wait so I shall, without recriminations, have a gentle, relaxed day, absolutely stress free.