Post-cancer fatigue was one of the most challenging symptoms for me. “WAS.” Past tense! Everything improved after I began thinking about my fatigue in the context of creating a “new normal for now.” You see, that idea motivated me to…
Learn what was known scientifically about post-cancer fatigue
Design new rules and routines to minimize my fatigue and optimize my “good” hours
Explore the emotional consequences of living with fatigue.
Those three steps took time and effort. They caused a few tears, too, while helping me better understand the challenges of living with fatigue. That understanding included insights and tips on…
Improving my energy
Minimizing fatigue-related mistakes
Resolving the Frustration of Fatigue (recommended reading if you’re frustrated by fatigue)
As life got better, and with hope of creating the best “new normal” possible, I practiced…
Expressing gratitude for what I could do in a day
Letting go of the things I could not do (sad; not easy).
I also developed aphorisms to help improve my outlook, such as “Sleeping is not wasting time” and “Better to rest and leave tasks undone than to overdo and make mistakes.” (My kids rephrased the latter, “Better to eat take-out with a happy Mom than eat a home-cooked meal with a cranky Mom.”
As a Healthy Survivor living with fatigue, my efforts to create my best “new normal for now” continues to be a work-in-progress. The rewards have been indescribably great as I’ve lived a life that feels normal.
Illustration by Emma Mathes for the aphorism “Healthy Survivorship is Always a Work-in-Progress” in Healing Hope
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