This article was reprinted on ProHealth on June 8th, 2017. It was later removed for reasons outlined in this notice. Most of the links on this post are informational, but a few are affiliate links to help maintain this website.

​Crippling fatigue is one symptom more Lyme patients have in common. Many describe the feeling as having no gas left in the tank. Each day there are tons of things you want to accomplish and not fuel to get up and go. On my worst days I resign to stay in bed, but for the other days, here are a few ways to reserve the gas left in your tank or add a few extra drops: 

11 Ways to Cope with Fatigue When You Have Lyme: 

1. Drink tea
Tea is widely known as a calming, soothing drink, but it can also help with fatigue. Go for a mint or citrus variety or try iced tea for a quick pick me up. Drinking tea also helps keep you hydrated, which combats fatigue.

2. Use peppermint essential oil
Place a drop of high-quality peppermint essential oil in your hand and with your index finger rub it on your temples, across your forehead, and behind your ears. Then, rub your hands together and inhale the remaining oil. For me, the awakening effects last about a half an hour.

3. Take a short walk
Sometimes while I sit on the couch I think about my need to regain energy, and I know if I just took a quick walk around the block I would feel better. Obviously, this is much easier said than done. Give yourself a countdown from 10 to get up, sometimes that's the extra boost you need.

4. Take a nap
Maybe it's the hearty Midwesterner in me, but I fight naps like you wouldn't believe. Something deep inside me tells me it's a waste of time. But in reality the opposite is true. If you lay down for a twenty-minute siesta, you will accomplish much more after the nap.

5. Do a few sun salutations
Traditionally in yoga, sun salutations are done first thing in the morning to wake you up and prepare for the day ahead. This is an excellent practice; however, they can be used throughout the day to create a spurt of energy. I do what are called "half suns." Here is a how to link.

6. Listen to upbeat music
Don't confuse "upbeat music: with "good music." They are two very different things. I love Bob Marley, but "Three Little Birds" is not going to make me jump out of my chair and do a load of laundry. Make a playlist of upbeat pop songs. A good example is "I Love It" by Icona Pop. It's not high art, but when you hear it you can't help but move. Even when you think the playlist won't work, press play and see what happens.  

7. Do an activity you love
We often put off the things we love to do, because want to get the "shoulds" out of the way first. When you lack energy and willpower, doing things you don't want to do will be incredibly challenging, if not impossible. Ask yourself, if I could do anything in the world right now what would I do? Maybe it's play guitar or finish your most recent knitting project. Experiment and see if you have enough energy to do that one thing--after you finish you may even want to do more.

8. Try acupuncture
The ancient art of Chinese medicine focuses on unblocking your "chi" (your life force), so your body can come into balance. After I get acupuncture, I feel a quiet invigoration that gets me through the rest of the day.  

9. Change your expectations
I'm a self-described "doer," easily bored and goal oriented. Let's just say checklists are my friend. Most days there is a difference between what I want to do and what I'm able to do. Create your "to do" list based on your energy level for the day. You will feel the same level of accomplishment if your cross 5 items off your "to do" list as 15.

10. Don't spend all your spoons in one place
Have you ever had the experience where you go out with a group of friends and you are the life of the party--you use animated facial expressions and do all the talking, you may even feel completely energized--only to crash into a pile of mush the second your friends are out of sight? If so, I'm with ya. When I'm spending time with friends I slip into "fake it" mode and turn up the charm and exuberance. Sometimes when I get home from those experiences I feel physically nauseous and I say to myself, "next time I won't expend so much energy." This is something I'm still working on. I'm trying to remember I have a limited number of spoons, and while being my old jolly self is fun in the moment, I might want to dial it back a little for the sake of my health.

11. Remember tomorrow is another day
It often feels like life is passing us by. Another day goes by with little or nothing accomplished. I've heard people say that they feel lazy, but you're not lazy, you're sick. If you were lazy it wouldn't bother you so much. If you are too tired to do something today, you may wake up with a little more energy tomorrow and if you don't, you don't. Someday is right around the corner.

Let's face it--the fatigue isn't going anywhere for a while. Your body is fighting a difficult battle and it needs to focus on the task at hand. But with Lyme the battle is harder on some days than others. Give yourself the time and space you need to heal and the energy pathways will eventually start to flow.

"Don't look at your feet to see if you're doing it right. Just dance." - Anne Lamott

Detox A to Z: 

Alka-Seltzer Gold - helps ease herxheimer reactions and keeps the body alkaline. 

Bentonite Clay - binds to toxins and pulls them out of the body.  

Coffee enemas - detoxifies the liver and intestines.  

Dry brushing - stimulates the lymphatic system and increases circulation. 

Epsom salt baths - draws out toxins through the skin while easing pain and inflammation. 

Filtered water - proper hydration helps the kidneys flush toxins out of the body.  

Glutathione - a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and boosts the immune system. 

Himalayan salt lamp- purifies the air in your home.   

Infrared sauna - improves circulation and rids the body of toxins through sweating. 

Juicing - powerful nutrients are easily absorbed and toxins are flushed out.  

K vitamin - keeps arteries free of calcium buildup.  

Lymph drainage massage - soft repetitive touch helps circulate and remove lymph.   

Meditation - deep breathing detoxifies the lungs and calms the sympathetic nervous system to allow the body to heal.  

N-Acetyl Cysteine - the precursor to glutathione helps the body create the antioxidant. 

Ozone - oxidizes toxins so the organs can remove them from the body.  

Positive thinking - maintains flow in the body, unlike negative thoughts which weigh  heavy and bog down.   

Quercetin - a flavonoid with strong anti-inflammatory properties.   

Rife machine - a machine that uses electronic frequencies to breakdown toxins. 

Sleep - during sleep the brain drains itself of toxins through a system similar to the lymphatic system. 

Tea - rich with antioxidants and flavonoids which help detoxify the body. 

UV IV therapy - the blood is run through an ultraviolet light to cleanse the blood of bacteria, viruses, and toxins. 

Vegetables - nature's medicine contain nutrients to keep the body free of toxins. 

Walking - improves circulation and causes the body to sweat out toxins. 

Xylitol - sugar substitute which starves bad bacteria. 

Yoga - poses improve digestion and others squeeze stagnant toxins from muscles and organs 
​
Zero sugar - sugar feeds bacteria and compounds the body’s need for detox; eliminating sugar reduces the need for detox 

Talk to your doctor before starting a new detox. Some methods cause herxheimer reactions. Not all detox strategies are for everyone. You won't see me near a coffee enema any time soon, but lymphatic drainage massage has been very helpful. Try a few until you find the best fit your body's needs and your lifestyle. 

​​"Don't underestimate the powers of an open mind. A lot of people are concerned with staying physically young; while that's appealing, I'm more interested in maintaining my curiosity." - Diablo Cody

Chronic illness has a way of hiding in every nook and cranny of your life. Every meal revolves around what you can and cannot eat, every half hour you are taking a different supplement, and if you're not tired you're in pain, and if you're not in pain you're tired. There are very few moments throughout the day where you feel…normal.

About six months after my chronic Lyme disease diagnosis, I realized it was all I ever thought about. From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep, Lyme was always there. Then, I made a decision. I needed to focus on healing, not disease, and if I couldn't focus on healing I needed to find ways to distract myself from disease.

​Of course Lyme continues to permeate my daily life. Scheduling appointments, maintaining supplements and medications, and tracking symptoms is a full-time job, but just like my other job, I don't want it to be my life.

:
Here are 10 ways to take your mind off your illness:

1. Read a book you can get lost in.
I love this quote from Jonathan Franzen: "To me, the point of a novel is to take you to a still place. You can multitask with a lot of things, but you can't really multitask reading a book. To me, the world of books is the quiet alternative— an ever more desperately needed alternative."

You cannot read a book and multitask; therefore, if you are reading a good book you won't be thinking about your illness. The best books to get lost in are fast-paced suspense or page turning science fiction/fantasy. Chronic illness patients tend to read only books about disease and healing. Sometimes we need to escape into a completely different world.

2. Follow/like people on social media unrelated to your illness.
I write a blog about Lyme disease, so most of the people I follow on social media have Lyme or are involved in Lyme advocacy and awareness. One day I realized my Twitter feed was all Lyme all the time. Sure it was informational and even inspirational, but not very diversified. I took action and followed some of my favorite celebrities, a couple of like-minded politicians, and a few motivational quotes. Now my feed is mostly Lyme with some happy distractions sprinkled in.

3. Discover a funny new podcast.
Podcasts are all the rage, so it's likely one of your favorite comedians or comedic actors has one. Search for "comedy" on a podcast app, like iTunes or Stitcher, and listen to one or two episodes of a few different podcasts until you figure out which ones make you laugh out loud. I love walking the dog listening to funny people banter. And, as we know, laughter is the best medicine.

4. Find and walk a labyrinth. 
A labyrinth is a walking meditation. It's a spiral patterned path you walk to quiet your mind. Sometimes people walk the labyrinth looking for answers to a question or because it is grounding. The website World-Wide Labyrinth Locator has an extensive database. Do a search of your area to see if there are any labyrinths near you. They are commonly located on church grounds or parks and are usually open to the public.

5. Take an adult field trip.
Remember when you were a kid and field trip day was the best day ever. You completely forgot about school and were even excited to go to school. Why should you lose that feeling simply because you are an adult? I plan adult field trips all the time in Chicago where I live. I've toured famous architectural buildings, spent a day at the zoo or nature center, gone to the science museum, I even consider going to movies an adult field trip—anything to get you motivated to get out of the house.

6. Revisit your favorite childhood movie.
There is something timeless and innocent about your favorite childhood movie. Most likely it's a movie you watched over and over again and haven’t seen in awhile. Nostalgia is a great way to transport yourself away from thoughts of illness. Do yourself a favor and take a walk down memory lane. For me this would be the Anne of Green Gables miniseries. It's amazing how I’ll go years without seeing it and still remember every single line.

7. Find and listen to your feel good song.
You know that song that comes of the radio and your mood immediately goes from a 2 to a 10? That's the song you need in your back pocket when you feel stuck in the endless loop of "What now?," which is ever present with illness. Sometimes when my mind takes over, I turn to music to make the static a little more clear. And why stop at just one song? I have an entire playlist of "feel good" songs. See number eight for some suggestions.

8. Have a solo dance party.
I don't know about other people with chronic illness, but nothing sounds more exhausting than going out dancing. However, I love to dance. Sometimes I'll turn on a favorite song just to dance through a chore I otherwise wouldn't have had the energy to do.

Suggested Playlist:

Africa by Toto
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da by The Beatles
I Really Like You by Carly Rae Jepsen
You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates
Best Song Ever by One Direction
I've Just Begun by Britney Spears
Wannabe by The Spice Girls
Don't Stop Me Now by Queen
Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon

9. Read a gossip magazine.
The beauty of gossip magazines is they require very little thinking to "read." Flip through the pictures to see what celebrities are up to these days. Gossip magazine writers get paid to make stories as enticing as possible, so you are bound to get caught up in which celebrity just got plastic surgery.

10. Help out a friend or family member. 
​A good way to forget about your illness for a little while is to turn your focus outward. Is there a friend or family going through a difficult time? Could they use a little assistance or a kind message? A person with chronic illness most likely won't be able to help someone move or clean someone's house, but you can send a nice email or make a phone call.

Chronic illness can really feel like an inescapable cage, but remember every cage has a small door. Find your key to unlocking the door and use it as much as you can.

​What do you do to forget about your illness for a while? 

​"I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it." - Rita Mae Brown