Knowing How to Pace

Oftentimes, my patients start to feel better and then try to do all the things they haven’t been able to do.  As a result, they end up overdoing their activities and fall backwards in their progress.

I see this pattern over and over. Even when I try to warn patients that the most dangerous time to increase activities is when they start to feel better, they ignore my warning and go beyond what is a safe limit for them, risking an increase in pain.  They can’t help themselves and still try to make up for lost time and do the things they haven’t been able to do in a long time.  I tell them that it is a simple human reaction and they are not the only ones to violate their safe limits.

The strategy to avoid this backward slide is to pace yourself.  Break up the tasks into smaller, doable units and intersperse rest periods in between.  I often use the example that even though you might have a car with 6 cylinders, your car is only running on 4 cylinders.  So, if you floor the gas pedal to go as fast as you can, your car will break under the strain.  So, simply go at a 50-60% capacity then take a rest.  Then go for another 50-60% unit of work, with rest periods in between until you reach the end of the task.

Like the story of the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race.  You start where you are, not where you used to be.  Listen to your body and respect your limits.  Enjoy the fact that you are getting better and are going in the right direction.
It may help to think that you have an opportunity to develop new skills.  Savor this time to take your time to rest and heal and develop patience, putting your attention on new sensations, reflecting on a new approach to living.

Learn how to listen for cues from your body that tell you it’s time to take a break.  Instead of waiting for the pain signals to stop you, look for more subtle signs, for example - it’s taking more effort than usual, or you are starting to feel some fatigue.  Your body will be less likely to rebel and give you pain that lasts much longer than you would like.
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Coaches have often said, “no pain, no gain.”  I think that approach is 2 steps forward and 1 step backward.  The body communicates to you that pain means damage is occurring to the cells.  Rather,  I believe you can take 1 step forward and 1 step forward and so on, without having to experience pain.  Try it and see if you don’t get more done in a much more pleasant way.