The Lighter Side of: Low Energy

When you have all sorts of things to do and things you would like to do, low energy can be more than a simple nuisance. It can make you feel as though you are watching precious minutes, hours, even days float by with an ever growing list of chores and plans.
Adrenaline can only get you so far before your body just tells you: "No. This is not happening" while forcing you to lie down and/or sleep.
You find yourself running your own personal triage of what is absolutely necessary - either for daily living or for your own mental happiness - and your list becomes a prioritizing nightmare. The worst thing that we can do to ourselves during these times is compare our current list with what we could have previously done in the same amount of time when we were healthier.

Low energy and fatigue due to illness is so much more than just feeling a little tired. It can take over your entire day. Fatigue can make it nearly impossible to even shower or get dressed, to get anything done around the house, and can even cause enough dizziness to prevent one from driving. It can be the type of exhaustion that lays you out.

The Lighter Side of low energy is that 'me-time' tends to take a back seat with every day life. When we have low energy, suddenly rest becomes our top priority because it might be the only thing we can get done. Low energy makes us take a step back and concentrate on relaxing enough to recharge.
We have to recharge.
It is like a sign from our bodies reminding us that we have limited stores of energy.
Add in some puppy cuddles and some smut tv so we don't even have to think, and we have got a full day of spa relaxation.

Low energy can be so frustrating, it can leave you feeling shackled, but if we take it as it comes and embrace it instead of fighting against it, low energy days can become quite enjoyable!

The Lighter Side of: Adrenaline

Adrenaline, overall, is a wonderful physiological event. It kicks in when we need it the most and helps us make split-second decisions in highly stressful scenarios.
Adrenaline can also ramp up our emotions and, for someone who has diseases that can be negatively affected by a surge in adrenaline after it is over, cause flare-ups.
My Hereditary Angioedema is clearly and significantly affected by surges in adrenaline. It makes it complicated to do anything active or thrilling - like rollercoaster rides or skydiving. After the event is over and done with, here comes a throat swell! My Crohn's likes to kick in extra inflammation, my muscles seize, my Ankylosing Spondylitis screams at me - all because of the crash after a burst of adrenaline.

The Lighter Side of adrenaline, though, is that it can get you through just about anything.
When you see people - chronically ill people - out and having fun, looking as though they do not have a care in the world, as though they are in no pain.... that is adrenaline. That wonderful built-in opiate that allows us to escape our daily torture for a few moments, maybe even a few hours, once in a blue moon.
Unfortunately for us, no one can be that pumped on adrenaline 100% of the time, and once we crash - we crash hard. Often, after having a day of escape, using all of the adrenaline we can muster for an everyday activity like having a shower or making a meal, we can crash so hard as to be immobile for several days. Actually going out for some enjoyment *could even* land us in the hospital because of the brutal fall.

Adrenaline allows us to feel normal every now and then. It gives us an escape.
Too bad it isn't something we can maintain long-term.