How to Cope With Chronic Fatigue
Here we will go over how to cope with chronic fatigue and avoid the symptoms.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a rare disorder that causes debilitating fatigue that worsens with physical or mental activity and does not improve with rest.
CFS is a complicated condition because it can be challenging to diagnose, and there is no known cause or cure.
So how does one cope with chronic fatigue when there is no cure? Keep reading to find out.
Avoid Alcohol
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will be one of the most impactful things you can do for your body when suffering from chronic fatigue.
Naturally, one could assume that drinking does not fit into a healthy lifestyle but avoiding alcohol is essential for health reasons you may not have guessed.
You see, alcohol is not fully metabolized, and CFS sufferers have poor mitochondrial status, nutritional deficiencies, and a lack of energy, making metabolizing and processing alcohol an exhausting task.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Individuals with chronic fatigue report that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) dramatically improves their symptoms.
CBT is a therapy that helps you talk through your experiences, give them meaning, and find the triggers that cause flare-ups for various conditions.
Sometimes, the lack of understanding of CFS itself worsens symptoms since you may be unaware of which everyday tasks have an impact on the condition.
Additionally, having someone to talk to about your symptoms and struggles can bring a level of peace that allows you to require much less mental energy. In turn, you deplete less energy, find ways to cope and discover the do’s and don’ts for you personally.
Stay Away From Stress
Modern-day life seems to come with an inescapable level of stress and anxiety, but if you can manage to avoid chronic stress, your chronic fatigue may improve.
We often forget that everything we do requires some level of energy, and that includes being stressed out.
Being stressed actually burns an incredible amount of energy and can leave CFS patients completely exhausted.
Researchers believe that stress depletes energy at such a high rate because it forces your brain into a watchdog mentality, constantly keeping you on high alert. If the stress doesn’t go away, your body becomes overworked and reaches its breaking point leaving the total system weak.
Use Cannabis
Because chronic fatigue is complex with varying causes, symptoms, and no cure, doctors will often throw medications at the condition to see what sticks.
Cannabis is one of the few medications that CFS patients claim help with their extreme side effects.
In fact, when researchers studied cannabis’ effects on fatigue sufferers, they noticed improvements in pain, stiffness, sleep quality, relaxation, tiredness, and overall mental health.
Keep in mind that some marijuana strains can have the opposite effect making you drowsy instead. So, to avoid purchasing the wrong strain, speak with the staff members at your local dispensary; they will help determine which bud is best for you.
Keep Your Body Healthy
Staying healthy entails much more than just eating fruits and vegetables, and although what you eat does play a significant role in your CFS symptoms, there are other health-related things you must do to keep your fatigue at bay.
It may sound counterproductive, but getting enough exercise can improve your energy levels. Physical activity strengthens your muscles, metabolism, and system functionality, making every day less exhausting over time.
Avoiding harmful toxins that put your immune system into overdrive is also essential.
Each day you may be consuming or subjecting yourself to toxins such as manganese, fluoride, arsenic, lead, mercury, and DDT. These toxins are found in common items like old furniture, lipstick, fish, dairy, and cereal.
When you consume harmful toxins, your body undergoes an extensive detoxification process that requires massive amounts of energy, increasing chronic fatigue symptoms. Avoid these toxins as much as possible and help your body detox by using a sauna, getting a massage, and staying hydrated.
Chronic fatigue syndrome can turn a person’s life upside down and make everyday tasks feel nearly impossible to complete.
If you are dealing with this condition’s side effects, don’t worry because stress worsens symptoms, and there are more optimistic, impactful ways to cope and manage CFS.
Consider trying cognitive behavioral therapy, avoiding alcohol, using cannabis, eating healthy, staying active, and keeping toxins out of your body.
