Pace and Assess

One topic that anyone with a long-term illness or injury has had to discuss is pacing.
The idea of pacing yourself is to reduce the amount of flare-ups you have by monitoring your own activity level and trying to identify your triggers so that they can be avoided or, at least, reduced.

But what happens when daily activities - LIFE - contains so many triggers that the only way to avoid them is to lie in bed all day?

Nearly anything can trigger one of my many illnesses. A stressful phone call or conversation, missed medication, an exciting moment or plan, getting dolled up for a date night, food, trying to empty the dishwasher or wash dishes, hell - walking.
These are all triggers for swelling episodes, intestinal pain, severe joint pain, migraines, you name it.

So how do you find that balance between pacing enough without giving up on the idea of living?

Like anything else, one day at a time.
Yes it is cliché.
I had to try so many different ways to avoid triggers. I did the whole 'lie in bed and rest all day' thing every single day for a while. Hint: it gets mighty boring.
I had to find a balance that works for me.
I had to know implicitly when I was pushing past my limits or doing too much, I had to realize when I was being optimistic and when I was just ignoring the signs that I needed to stop.

Pacing is not about avoiding all triggers all the time. Pacing is about knowing your triggers, knowing which activities cause what approximate amount of recuperation time, and trying to schedule outings and activities in a manner that reduces the big flare ups, while also realizing which activities are worth the flare ups and which ones are not. Then reduce the latter as much as possible.

Here is the caveat though:
Your limits will change.
Everything changes over time. This includes triggers, limits, illness, symptoms, medications, passions, activities, etc...

I think the single best advice I can give is to encourage you to know HOW TO FIGURE OUT your balance.
That way, when things become out of balance and you are unsure why, you still have the skills to find a new balance that suits you.
Finding balance starts with pacing and assessment. Start there and you will always be able to find something that works. At any point. With any severity.
Pace and Assess.
Pace and Assess.