Ignoring Chronic Fatigue?

[MariaK]

Hi all,

I need some help figuring out how to ignore my chronic fatigue (CFS). With physical pain, I'm able to eliminate the pain in a matter of seconds usually, by ignoring the pain, not fearing it, not projecting that this is yet another new symptom I'll have to deal with, etc. I get pain in different places all over my body and this works, no matter where the pain is. I've been trying for the last several years to ignore my chronic fatigue and I can't seem to apply these ideas to my CFS. For the last four years I've been pushing through all forms of fatigue, tiredness, sleepiness, lethargy, etc., about 95% of the time. What I didn't realize is that in order to do that I had to cut off from my emotions. I didn't realize that's what I was doing. I just did whatever it took to push through. Cutting off emotionally is the OPPOSITE of what I should be doing. But I just didn't know that's what I was doing. I don't feel this way about ignoring any of my other symptoms. The fatigue is the only symptom I have this issue with.

How have other CFS folks ignored their fatigue? And does anyone relate to having this type of problem with any of their symptoms?

These ideas have helped me, even with "real" illness. Like, one time I had a UTI and I was able to reduce the pain by about 80%. Another time I tore my calf muscle and I was able to eliminate the pain entirely. I had to allow the pain to be there, so I didn't injure myself further. So, it's frustrating I can't seem to apply it to the CFS.

I have been sick for 30 years, and am beyond sick of this. I feel if I could do what I do with physical pain, with my CFS, I'd have my life back.

Thanks for any insights you might have!

MariaK

 

[Cactusflower]

Other than ignoring symptoms, what do you do for your TMS?

 

[MariaK]

I knew someone would ask that! Well, it's complicated to answer. I do lots of little things throughout the day, that are hard to explain. But I haven't done some of the standard things you'd expect, like journaling about what I'm feeling, that you were probably about to suggest!

I've read a lot on here that stress exacerbates symptoms. But I can't just be victimized by stress. So, I have ways I consciously maneuver through stress so that it doesn't cause symptoms. But that's kind of subjective and hard to explain.

 

[Fal]

Have you looked at Dan Buglios videos on YouTube? He has success stories to do with CFS aswell as a few other videos that may help you tackle this one.

I did suffer from it for a few years but I actually don’t remember it going away, now I have the opposite problem in that I’m never that much tired anymore!

 

[MariaK]

Have you looked at Dan Buglios videos on YouTube? He has success stories to do with CFS aswell as a few other videos that may help you tackle this one.

I did suffer from it for a few years but I actually don’t remember it going away, now I have the opposite problem in that I’m never that much tired anymore!

I haven't heard of Dan Buglios. But I'll check those videos out today. Thank you!!

 

[Cactusflower]

I knew someone would ask that! Well, it's complicated to answer. I do lots of little things throughout the day, that are hard to explain. But I haven't done some of the standard things you'd expect, like journaling about what I'm feeling, that you were probably about to suggest!

I've read a lot on here that stress exacerbates symptoms. But I can't just be victimized by stress. So, I have ways I consciously maneuver through stress so that it doesn't cause symptoms. But that's kind of subjective and hard to explain.

The "Stress" or anxiety caused by journaling is usually very temporary. It only increases as you begin to dig into the source of the issues that your primitive brain is protecting you from. Journaling isn't the only method, but it is one method. A member of this forum was able to use long sittings of meditation to resolve her pain, I tried a variety of methods to tackle the emotional work and EMDR has worked the best for me so far another member has tried listing all the things that might be making him angry (Dr. Sarno is very clear that he feels a deep anger or rage is causing symptoms) and reviews it daily - making sure to note that the things that seem to be going well in life eg. work or a relationship, might actually be the source of deep unrecognized rage. Basically you are desensitizing the brain to thinking that these things are forbidden to think about.
A TMS coach I worked with, Rebecca Tolin has healed herself from CFS and a huge myriad of other symptoms that piled on top of it. She first worked on calming her nervous system (mainly with meditation and somatic tracking). It relieved almost all the symptoms except CFS because she was avoiding the main issue. She had been sexually assaulted and her mind refused to think that it could be effecting her so strongly. Once she was able to recognize her rage and hurt towards this (which she thought she had dealt with) her symptoms resolved themselves.
I don't think you can really overcome many symptoms without doing the emotional work. What we resist persists. I think you are absolutely mis-understanding the idea that exploring your anxiety and stress will victimize you. It actually frees you, because you are able to feel the emotions surrounding with much less stress. You may feel you consciously manover through stress, but what stress is this? External or internal stress? It is the internally generated, and usually subconcious stress that Dr. Sarno associated with TMS.
Perhaps it is time to approach things with a more open mind, to explore and experiment (which you seem ready to do, since you posted here) and recognize that you might need another approach instead of trying the same things over and over which serve some of your symptoms remarkably well.
This week Nichole Sachs posted a very short podcast that focuses on a variety of strategies for healing. She doesn't much talk about her journalspeak method, because it's all laid out on her website. But you might find what she has to say quite helpful. It's SE 84 https://audioboom.com/channels/4976835.rss

Similarly, but with a slightly different take on leaning into sensations (acceptance vs. ignoring, which can be kind of the same thing depending on your mental attitude). Tanner Murgtah has a good short video listing some strategies to overcome symptoms. These are similar to those Rebecca Tolin used for her CFS.

There might be something in these that you find could be interesting to experiment with! Good Luck!

 

[Booble]

Hi all,

I need some help figuring out how to ignore my chronic fatigue (CFS). With physical pain, I'm able to eliminate the pain in a matter of seconds usually, by ignoring the pain, not fearing it, not projecting that this is yet another new symptom I'll have to deal with, etc. I get pain in different places all over my body and this works, no matter where the pain is. I've been trying for the last several years to ignore my chronic fatigue and I can't seem to apply these ideas to my CFS. For the last four years I've been pushing through all forms of fatigue, tiredness, sleepiness, lethargy, etc., about 95% of the time. What I didn't realize is that in order to do that I had to cut off from my emotions. I didn't realize that's what I was doing. I just did whatever it took to push through. Cutting off emotionally is the OPPOSITE of what I should be doing. But I just didn't know that's what I was doing. I don't feel this way about ignoring any of my other symptoms. The fatigue is the only symptom I have this issue with.

How have other CFS folks ignored their fatigue? And does anyone relate to having this type of problem with any of their symptoms?

These ideas have helped me, even with "real" illness. Like, one time I had a UTI and I was able to reduce the pain by about 80%. Another time I tore my calf muscle and I was able to eliminate the pain entirely. I had to allow the pain to be there, so I didn't injure myself further. So, it's frustrating I can't seem to apply it to the CFS.

I have been sick for 30 years, and am beyond sick of this. I feel if I could do what I do with physical pain, with my CFS, I'd have my life back.

Thanks for any insights you might have!

MariaK

Hi Maria,
I'm also on the Phoenix Rising CFS/ME forum -- which I was on before finding Sarno/TMS.
Sometimes I read the posts and feel so sad because I know how embracing TMS might help some of the people.
I'm very glad that you are open to it.

The way I look at it is there are certain things about my body that are what they are --- and yet my over-focus on them causes TMS that worsens them.
For example, I don't doubt that I have POTS - low blood volume. It causes my heart to beat more than normal when I get up. Sometimes get a quick head spinning. When I was younger I thought that was normal. When I realized it wasn't normal, my TMS brain decided to use that to worry me and distract me.

For the fatigue, I also realized that when I'm in a worry mode, I'm more fatigued. It feels 100% physical and 0% mental related but I realize now that they are related. I still need to pace myself, I still need to stay hydrated, but when I do my TMS work and get my inner crap out onto paper, I can live a pretty normal life.
It is surprising to find out that normal people are fatigued too. They just don't experience the way we do that jumps to notice it, to worry about it, to dwell on how we must deal with it, to define ourselves by it.

The most important thing that I've done that reduced all of my CFS/ME "symptoms" was to get with a pen and paper and ask myself (on paper) what I was angry about, despite that I was certain I wasn't angry about anything. I started having long "conversations" on paper with myself, my little me, my teenage me, and stream of conscious writing anything, everything, swearing, calling people I love bad names, drawing pictures.
So much muck inside that I had zero idea was there.
That lifted me out of CFS/ME, even though I know my body is a little bit different.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

I don't think you can really overcome many symptoms without doing the emotional work. What we resist persists. I think you are absolutely mis-understanding the idea that exploring your anxiety and stress will victimize you. It actually frees you, because you are able to feel the emotions surrounding with much less stress. You may feel you consciously manover through stress, but what stress is this? External or internal stress? It is the internally generated, and usually subconcious stress that Dr. Sarno associated with TMS.

Including my bolding, this aligns perfectly with what I might also have said to you @MariaK.

I get that you want to avoid victimization, because victimhood, at best, is an ineffective method of managing internal and external stressors. At worst, it's damaging to relationships and careers. And while I would not want to say that victimhood is ever a conscious choice, it is also not inevitable. That being said, avoidance without examination is just another type of repression. I do believe that a conscious choice can be made to not accept victimhood. However, for some people this requires facing their tendency to be victimized, and eventually to understand how victimhood serves their survival-at-all-costs TMS brain mechanism.

The most important thing that I've done that reduced all of my CFS/ME "symptoms" was to get with a pen and paper and ask myself (on paper) what I was angry about, despite that I was certain I wasn't angry about anything. I started having long "conversations" on paper with myself, my little me, my teenage me, and stream of conscious writing anything, everything, swearing, calling people I love bad names, drawing pictures.
So much muck inside that I had zero idea was there.

Great advice. Works for my RA flares, amazingly quickly (like, less than 24 hours, sometimes a lot less).

 

[MariaK]

Thank you, each of you, for your detailed responses. This is all really helpful.