Does the very thought of planning a holiday leave you feeling exhausted? The thought of a long journey and sleeping in a different bed is enough to raise your anxiety levels before you even consider the expectations of yourself or others regarding what you will actually do whilst on holiday. Isn’t it supposed to be pleasurable or at the very least somewhat relaxing?

It’s unlikely that we’ll pass through life feeling little or no stress at all.  (Although many of us can recall a friend or family member who’s “so laid back (s)he’s almost horizontal”!)  Stress is linked to the ‘fight flight’ response; a primitive, normal and natural response that keeps us safe from any perceived threat. 

Low back pain is very common, and most people have it at some point in their lives. It affects people of all ages and all socio-economic statuses. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide and the number of people affected is increasing.

When you are feeling unwell it is far more challenging to eat well.  Having the energy or inclination to spend time preparing food can seem daunting.  Many people find that they lose their normal appetite and enjoyment of food and eating can become a chore.  Some people also feel less like eating if they are low in mood or concerned about their health.

How many times do we hear the words ‘it’s all about balance’.  ‘Balance is key’. ‘All things in moderation’.  Etc etc.? In fact, if we look at the definition of ‘balance’ we see that it’s ‘a situation in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions’. Broadly speaking we may find that our lives are split into different areas: Self care, achievement, connecting with others and enjoyment. 

When you have an ongoing pain condition it can be such a struggle to talk to others about what its like to live with and what practical and emotional support they could give you.

It is easy to make assumptions about others based on their appearance or behaviours, but do we also make assumptions about ourselves when we feel fatigued? The first thought for most people experiencing fatigue is, “I must get some more sleep”.

8 tips to help you cope with pain

I feel privileged to be part of this team – not only because I am surrounded by a huge amount of expertise and experience, but because they’re a lovely bunch of people. For two days we spent the time getting to know each other better as well as experiencing the wonderful outdoors.

We are celebrating 10 years of supporting people with ME/CFS with a team event which synchronistically coincides with ME Awareness week. Here on our team members talks about how it is to attend this event with this condition.

Recovering from long covid can be a long haul for some and diet is very important means to aid recovery. However, advice can be conflicting. Here our specialist dietitian explores the anti-histamine diet and the Mediterranean diet and considers their benefits.

One of our team shares what its like getting back to work after burning out with post viral fatigue/Chronic fatigue syndrome and the challenges of living with an invisible disability.

Returning to work following a virus or a period of long term ill health can be a daunting prospect. In this article one of our team utilises a particular model and her personal experiences to explore how it’s possible to sustain working with the support and adjustments from an employer, with a long term condition such as fatigue.

A high percentage of clients we are seeing with Long Covid describe cognitive dysfunction as one of the main symptoms they are continuing to experience. In this blog our Careers and Employment Consultant and our Executive Manager/Occupational Therapist explore what it means to be debilitated like this and how to manage it especially in relation to returning or sustaining work.

As part of our 10-year anniversary as a rehabilitation provider in the field of fatigue and pain, creating unexpected vitality and healthy futures for over 750 clients to date, we wanted to share our suggestions for improving vitality this winter.

Grounding techniques can help us to self-regulate when we are feeling overwhelmed with strong emotions, unwanted thoughts or memories or when we feel disconnected.

Long-Covid and diet… our specialist Dietician offers her reflections on this hotly debated topic.

Several of our team members have ME/CFS and associated pain, and as part of our 10-year anniversary, we gathered together their top strategies for learning to live well with fatigue which they share here.

tips to help you cope with pain written by one of our clients who lives with these persistent symptoms.

Our Executive Manager shares more about how she came to be involved with Vitality360 and what she enjoys about working for the company as we celebrate supporting people for ten years.