Charlie Adler digs a bit deeper in this article about what stress is and how we can cope with it, and shares some tips as part of managing the stress of the festive season on top of everything else going on!

“Tired and wired” - The role of rest in fatigue management

Rest - definitions and challenges when resting with fatiguing health conditions, including exploring what rest means to the individual and how that may have changed with illness. Ways of working with challenges to resting, such as managing a wound up nervous system, pain, as well as finding the time and appropriate techniques to be able to rest.

What is interoception and why is it called the 8th Sensory system? Taking a pause and tuning into our felt sensations in our bodies is one way to tap into this faculty.

Sleep hygiene is a bit of an odd word that conveys how we can manage conditions to support a good sleeping pattern- and apparently certain aromatherapy smells can enhance this process.

Data reveals majority of employees are seeking out hybrid and remote working as employers are encouraged to offer ‘as much flexibility and choice as possible’. Here, one of our team writes about how working remotely and flexibly is bringing benefits to her in being able to sustain work.

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Though it’s most often caused by problems at work, it can also appear in other areas of life, such as parenting, caretaking, or romantic relationships. Here Katherine writes about her journey from a state of burnout…

It’s that time of year again when I decide that the moment has come to create a list of intentions and resolutions. Once the initial momentum of a shiny, fresh new year has dissolved into the relentless greyness of January and February it can be only a matter of time before the resolutions are pretty much discarded amidst a haze of vague guilt.

Modern technology has allowed us to stay connected during the pandemic, but it also has a habit of setting up addictive patterns of ‘doing’ and achievement. So how can we switch off in a way that will be restorative for our bodies and minds, and help us to embrace the ongoing challenges of the pressures of the cost of living crisis for example with resource and resilience? In this blog we offer some tried and tested approaches and strategies -some simple steps for switching off from work!

I found myself discussing Christmas with a client last week who is already planning for her inevitable setback in January – is this unavoidable? How can you enjoy Christmas but minimise the impact?

In the spring of 2021, I received a phone call from Dr Gerald Coakley, a Consultant Rheumatologist. I assumed he wanted to make a referral to Vitality360, but he was phoning to ask if I wanted to co-author a book. Here I write about how I got on…

In this blog our specialist fatigue clinician talks to three team members with pain and fatigue about how it is to have an invisible disability & the challenges this presents in relationships, how this can create misunderstandings socially and in the workplace.

The current economic crisis so soon after the pandemic is a stressful experience for us all in its various forms of suffering, disruption to our lives and the uncertainty it’s generating.

This article contains my 6 tips for dealing with overwhelm.

#Burnout is a risk for employees given the stressors of the current economic climate. This article looks at risks & tips for employers & employees spotting the signs and preventing issues taking hold.

Research, conducted by the University of Bristol (Collin and Cawley, 2016) shows that one in 50 16-year-olds have experienced significant, long term fatigue (more than 6 months.)  Add to this the numbers of young people with other long term pain and medical conditions and we can see that the struggles of continuing education with a chronic illness are more common place than we might at first think.

Our Executive Manager and Specialist Clinician reflects on what basis is it possible to maintain to be an expert in something given our emphasis on our role as an expert persistent pain and fatigue rehabilitation provider.

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. 

A combination of various factors such as persistent sleep disturbance, living under chronic and sustained stress and having chicken pox as an adult, all meant that one day when I was at work for Hilton Hotels I was suddenly utterly incapacitated by severe pain. On another occasion, I recall standing at the bottom of the stairs, unable to go up them as my whole body felt like lead.

As a colleague witnessing someone in pain, It can be very difficult knowing when to help, when not to, when to offer sympathy, when not to, when to suggest ‘it may be better if you stopped doing that and rest’ and when to let your colleague just get on with it.  

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.