For me, fatigue is one of the most frustrating symptoms of living with chronic illnesses; inflammatory bowel disease and fibromyalgia. Being an active member of the IBD community means that I know many other people feel the same way.

Living with chronic fatigue

Chronic fatigue is debilitating and life-limiting. It has been the main reason I’ve ended up feeling isolated at times. Fortunately, I feel that the online IBD community is a good way of combating that loneliness, when and if you have the energy to pop on and have a chat. I have been AWOL for months at a time in the past when my fatigue has been at its worst. Purely because I didn’t feel capable of holding a conversation, and couldn’t think of a single positive thing to say!

I think we probably all experience fatigue a little differently. For me, fatigue is an ongoing battle, and it has been for many years. I constantly find myself trying to plan what I should be able to do in the next week based on my average energy, but somehow, still falling short! I’ve had to accept that there is no accurate algorithm I can use which will tell me when my energy supply will run out. I’ve also had to learn not to get angry about it, and to be kinder to myself and not to view these things as failures.

Autumn, chronic fatigue and mental health

I think most people feel their energy levels drop and mood change during the colder, darker months to some extent, but when you already struggle with constant fatigue, dealing with it can feel so much more difficult.

Autumn’s arrival tends to keep me on track, mentally. The weather gets cooler so my snuggly clothes come out, giving me a sense of comfort. The environment around me is changing, and it’s beautiful, so I adore my morning dog walk. I get on with my autumn planting and mulching in the garden, and that gives me a sense of excitement about what’s to come next year! But by the time we near the end of Autumn, I can’t help but notice my declining energy. I feel a niggling dread about the further drop I know is coming.

Winter equals low energy and low mood

Winter arrives and it is truly cold. The days are short and I’m all out of spoons! I find it so much harder to get up in the morning and concentrate throughout the day. That ultimately leads to me feeling less positive and more irritable. That little bit more useless…

Going outside does help, but I often lack the motivation to actually get there. I’ve genuinely got ready in the past and then decided that getting ready has depleted my limited energy and now I don’t have the energy to go. The dogs don’t want to go out in the rain, so I see that as the perfect excuse not to bother. By the time I finish work in the afternoon, there’s nothing left in me to go for a walk, regardless of what the weather is doing.

The lack of exercise and daylight exposure impact my mood further, which sees my motivation decline even more. Plus, living with fibromyalgia also means that I experience more pain when my mood is low AND when I skip exercise. The more pain I am in, the more my mood and motivation decline. My sleep is impacted by pain and the lack of sleep hygiene, which of course results in worsening mood, more pain, and more fatigue. I get stuck in a cycle.

I do take additional vitamin D in the winter, but I can’t say I’ve actually noticed it makes any difference to my mood or fatigue. I just know that my levels tend to drop in winter so I should be taking it…

I try so hard to eat a healthy balanced diet all year, but when the cold weather comes, I start craving comfort food. That usually means food that is carb and sugar-heavy! With the crappy mood and low energy in full swing, I often feel like I can’t be bothered with preparing healthy and nutritious meals. I’d rather grab something quick and easy, which is usually much less nutritious. Of course, that ultimately means even lower energy, which is just what I need, right?! Doing myself no favours here!

I’ve previously tried one of those alarm clocks that wake you up gradually with increasing brightness, and a daylight lamp which can supposedly help with fatigue and seasonal affective disorder. None of these made any difference. In fact, the daylight lamp was too bright for my sensitive eyes and just resulted in me having a banging headache on top of the increased pain, low mood, low energy, and low motivation.

Tackling Winter 2022/2023

So, I’ve already identified a few areas that definitely need improvement if I want to stand any chance of increasing my energy and lifting my mood this winter. But how do I go about fixing these issues? I have a few ideas…

At the moment, I’m hopeful that I can simply make myself do some exercise indoors if the weather doesn’t allow for a walk. I’ve already purchased some extra-warm clothing, so I can’t use the excuse of it being too cold outside. I am hopeful that the fact I know my pain levels will increase if I don’t will be enough to motivate me. But I’m not sure hope is going to be enough! Maybe I should set up a fundraiser to make myself do a certain amount of activity every day?!

I’ve already decided that I’m going to keep the meal kit boxes coming throughout winter (if you click the links you can get a free box). I prefer GreenChef for healthy meals, but it is a little more expensive. We’re on HelloFresh at the minute, and we just keep switching back and forth depending on the discounts. This will at least ensure I cook a decent meal every evening! I’m also planning to make the most of fruit juices, which I have genuinely put in my diary so I don’t forget!

If you have any tips, be sure to pop them in the comments for me! Bring on spring!!