Hi, my name’s Chris Jamieson and I had a four-year recovery journey with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS).
After falling ill, I often struggled going on five minute walks and had crashes which would leave me couch-bound.
I don’t have a clear answer regarding what causes ME/CFS. No one does.
All I have is my own theory that before contracting the illness, the individual’s body was most likely in fight-or-flight mode for a prolonged period of time.
When I had ME/CFS, I was definitely in flight-or-fight 24/7, which is sympathetic mode and the resulting physiological responses.
It was ultimately meditation, mindfulness and incorporating new healthy lifestyle choices which allowed me to slowly but surely move out of fight-or-flight mode back into parasympathetic healing mode, which is about rest, digestion, reproduction, and repair.
Today, after multiple setbacks and years of trial and error, I’m in peak health.
This extends to me playing Aussie rules football, recently completing three 42 kilometre marathons (the runs also raised awareness for ME/CFS), working five days a week and feel more aligned with my true self than ever I was before.
The four key pillars of ME/CFS recovery/healing for me were as follows:
1. Mindset
Focusing on your mindset through observing your thoughts using mindfulness, daily meditation, making peace and offering kindness to the never ending cycle of challenges which ME/CFS hurls at you.
Also understanding that while ME/CFS is a physical illness; healing begins with calming down the nervous system.
2. Diet
Following a diet that works well for your gut health or eating based on Ayurvedic principles for your body type.
3. Sleep
Creating optimal conditions for sleep. This allows the body to rest, digest and repair overnight.
4. Restorative movement/energy baseline
Finding your energy baseline to get out of the push and crash cycle of recovery.
Sending peace out to everyone currently going through their healing journeys. ☺️✌️
Chris
To learn more about Chris’ journey, please check out his website here.
You can find other ME/CFS related blogs here.
Chris Jamieson