If you have Dysautonomia, “pacing” is a word that you may have seen thrown around here and there. If you are anything like me, you may have been intrigued by the idea and wanted to learn more. In this article, we will discuss what pacing is, how it helps Dysautonomia patients, and a few methods you can use to implement it yourself.
What is Pacing?
Pacing is a concept that you are familiar with, even if it may not seem like it. Pacing is like running a marathon, you have to find a stride that is maintainable for the entire race. If you go too fast, you may tire yourself out and be unable to reach the finish line. Also like a marathon, pacing takes practice and a consistent effort to achieve.
This kind of pacing is not about running laps so much as it is about creating a conscious and mindful connection with your body and your symptoms. Pacing is mental just as much as it is physical. Having a timer set to tell you to take a break after an hour does not do you much good if you ran out of energy and started hurting 40 minutes ago, but did not have the mindfulness to realize it. That being said, pacing does not have to be complicated and can be learned with just a few minutes every day.
How Does Pacing Help Dysautonomia Patients?
When you are living with Dysautonomia, pacing can be used to help you manage everyday life. Since everyday feels like a marathon for many patients, pacing is a tool that helps them make it through the day. By finding a pace that works well for you, you can better manage your symptoms and reduce the amount of time between crashes (flare ups). Reducing symptoms and lengthening the time between flare ups can provide patients with some much needed relief and allow for better quality of life. By learning pacing and practicing mindfulness, you can begin to budget your energy better for where you need it most.
Methods for Implementing Pacing
Typically, everyone finds their own ways with pacing. Most people will just use trial and error until they find a method that works best for them. While it is important to find a method that works best for you, these are a few techniques that you can try for starters.
First, you can use timers for pacing. Timers are helpful if you are new to pacing, or if you like having a structured schedule in place for things. To use timers for pacing, set an alarm to go off every 10-20 minutes and when the timer goes off, stop and do a check-in on yourself. Consider if you need a break, if you need to put on braces, more/less clothes, how you are feeling, if you can continue what you are doing, or if you need to stop. By having these set check-in times, it can help you to adjust to pacing and learn to be more mindful of how your body is feeling. Overtime, you may not need the timers anymore once you establish a habit of periodically stopping and checking on yourself.
Second, you can just try to practice mindfulness for pacing. Unlike using timers, this method relies less on having check-in points and more on having a constant awareness. By using mindfulness to create a continuous awareness of your body and how you are feeling, you can start to feel symptoms and changes as soon as they begin. To practice mindfulness, you can start by trying to draw awareness to how you are feeling as you do different activities. Being mindful takes some practice at first, but over time it can become an unconscious habit. Being mindful of your body's cues can help you to recognize symptoms and take corrective action before they begin to cause significant impairment.
There are many ways to practice pacing and learn mindfulness, but these are two that are easily moldable to however they suit you best. Regardless of how you do it, pacing can make a huge impact on your life if you struggle with Dysautonomia. When living with an irreversible illness, symptom management is key to maintaining optimal quality of life. It is important to remember that learning pacing is just like learning any other skill, practice makes perfect.
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