Schedule It

If you or someone you know has Lyme, there is no question in your mind about how important rest is. The problem is, when we feel well enough to do anything, we want to ‘ride the wave’. The energy is flowing and the goal is within view. But the crash may not be worth the accomplishment. It’s very important to know our abilities to balance rest and energy use. Most of us really need to schedule it.

Cultural Influences

The temptation to do too much is so common. In New England, it is especially prevalent because of the hurry-up, get-it-done culture. There are many people with Lyme in my area. Many are undiagnosed, but they have a list of symptoms as long as their arm. I went undiagnosed for about 30 years.

In that time I learned a few things about dealing with chronic fatigue and constant pain. If you have aches and pains every day, you’ve probably learned how you need to cope as well. Having no diagnosis was tough, mostly because it was hard to communicate to others about our special needs and certain limitations.

Lyme is an invisible disease. “You look great!” is a very common comment for us to hear. I have spent most of the last six months going from bed to chair, but it wasn’t because I had no choice. Sometimes, I could walk around and I did use the time to build up my stamina and regain muscle strength.

I spent the last six months at home almost entirely alone to recover.

The Wall

I hit a wall in 2014. I was sure I would die. The frequent migraines were so severe that I was sure I couldn’t live much longer. A brain tumor or meningitis or something was surely going to kill me any minute. I’d been saying that I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again for a few years. I only said it to a couple of trusted people, but I did say it out loud and my body heard me. It seemed it would be accommodating my request.

However, God had a different plan. My husband sought help for me and we found a doctor that not only believed me but was willing to work with me to find ways of addressing my symptoms and give me hope for the future. It meant changing everything.

I left my job in the early spring of 2015. I spent much of 2014 in great pain. It was s struggle to do my job. My client was also very ill. So, my job was to keep him comfortable. His compromised status made for many challenging days. Additional challenges from headaches to joint pain to nausea to severe fatigue made life all the more difficult. I collapsed at home, unable to give any attention to the house and little to my family.

I did maintain my speaking and event schedule in 2015. I spoke twenty-six times. Nine were radio interviews from home. I helped host three major events in the fall and realized that if I didn’t schedule a real recovery time, I wasn’t going to get better. Lymies can relate.

Times of Rest

So, after my speaking commitments in January of 2016, I went on sabbatical. In the truest sense, I scheduled an extended rest. Other than this blog and other writing, my only activity has been to keep the house, take care of the dog and work on my recovery.

Not everyone has the ability to take six months off, but scheduling rest is imperative. If we don’t, our bodies will do it anyway. Then, it will likely be very inconvenient.

God’s plan is that we rest one full day each week. When we break the laws of the universe for too long, consequences are unavoidable. You don’t have to be sick to understand this.

Perhaps you are smart enough to keep to a good schedule of rest and activity. If so, you are able to fulfill your destiny. That’s why we are here.

What advice do you have for scheduling rest?