"Pace yourself!"
This is the kind of advice you might get from someone who loves you and is watching you intermittently thrive and crash.
Or maybe it's advice you've given yourself in an athletic race—or a professional or personal one.
"Pacing" is also a recommendation chronic fatigue syndrome and long-COVID patients receive from their doctors. It's a practice of proactively conserving energy by strictly limiting commitments and activities to avoid crippling flare-ups of fatigue.
Tawny Kross, D.P.T., a pain specialist in Durham, North Carolina told me that, by pacing, people can find the "Goldilocks zone" with movement and activity... a worthy goal that can be maddeningly difficult to achieve.
Being told to slow down—to anticipate and heed physical and psychological limitations—can be extremely frustrating, especially for people who are used to accomplishing a lot.
One of my clients with CFS likened pacing to palliative care—a frightening acceptance that all she can do is stay alive and try to maintain some quality of life. Her feelings about pacing make perfect sense and are common, not just for folks with fatigue, but for many others dealing with chronic illness.
In my experience as a coach, pacing can be an opportunity for folks who are struggling to get their footing. Once they're stable, they frequently find themselves in a better position to decide what comes next.
Realistically, most of us could benefit from finding our "Goldilocks zone"—spending just the right amount of energy each day, not too little, not too much.
If you'd like to know more about pacing, check out this week's Hey, Health Coach.
Quality of life isn't a bad place to start, after all. 💪
All the best,
Sarah
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According to the Dalai Lama and plenty of behavioral health research studies, selfishness and generosity can work together to serve a common purpose.
Author Dan Harris recently sat down with the Dalai Lama to explore evidence that shows that "being kind to others makes you happier", and Harris' article in The New York Times offers 4 ways to "access this upward spiral" of selfish goodness.
Greta has a new book!
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg is out with a new book this week! She gathered the wisdom of over 100 climate experts to offer clear guidance on what's happening to the planet, what she's been up to the past few years, and what each of us can do to fight climate change.
On Instagram, she wrote, "This is the biggest story in the world, and it must be spoken as far and wide as our voices can carry, and much further still. Thank you for your support!"
All proceeds go to her charity, The Greta Thunberg Foundation.
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