A Complete Guide to Pacing for Chronic Pain- Course Review

Hi all! This year i’ve learnt just how incredible and supportive the world of chronic illness bloggers can be. I’ve never really used the internet for health support before, and whilst I still think it’s important not to google your symptoms to death, or self diagnose, the amount of support and friendly advice is amazing.

People who live with chronic illnesses age some of the kindest people I’ve ever come across and are so often keen to help others. Esther of Life In Slow Motion is aiming to help those suffering with long term conditions through a collection of online courses. These courses, composing of ‘What Really Helps People with Chronic Pain’, ’31 Days of Expressive Writing for Chronic Illness and Pain’ and lastly ‘ A complete Guide to Pacing for Chronic Pain’. Each course seeks to help the user find ways to enjoy a better quality of life.

Purpose of the Course

This 8-week online course aims to improve a person’s quality of life through aiding in reducing pain levels and stopping people wasting their energy. Many chronic illness sufferers and indeed many other people struggle with allocating their energy during the day. Through teaching good prioritising and looking at what is essential to a person’s physical and mental wellbeing and suggest various pacing techniques for the user to try and consider.

The course itself is presented online through a combination of text and video lessons with various excel and pdf exercises to complete. It’s all self paced which is perfect for the busy and/or exhausted person!

My Review

I chose to review the Pacing Guide course, as pacing is something I struggle with and am very prone to burning myself out. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a course focused on pacing, I imagined it would provide techniques for allocating my energy better.

I was able to complete the course both on my phone and on my laptop seamlessly and enjoyed how accessible it was, and how well designed the actual course set-up was. The variety of material and techniques was also great. There were multiple pacing techniques offered from those making use of electronic trackers to excel sheets and concepts such at the 10% rule. It was great to be offered so many pacing techniques, as of course, what works for one person doesn’t work for all.

Each module offered a new concept and then gave exercises for the user to try out the idea themselves. Some ideas worked for me and some didn’t- which is absolutely fine! At the end of each module there’s an optional discussion which is nice for you to get a chance to give feedback, check in and see other’s experiences.

For me, the part of the course which resonated most was the concept of a ‘baseline’. In week 4 of the course you look at how to find your baseline and then how to decide what is most essential for you in life. I realised how many things I believe to be essential and how high my baseline is. Whilst I can’t say i’ve been able to lower my personal expectations yet, it’s certainly been useful to become aware of them. I’ve come away from the course with new ideas and a better understanding of my priorities. I can see how the course reduces pain through helping alleviate unnecessary stress caused by trying to do too much physically and mentally.

Try it Yourself

If you want to take this highly useful course, check it out here. You can also sign up for a free trial first. I really recommend it for anyone who struggles with managing time and burning out, chronically ill or not!

Laters, Ruthy xo

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