If you have a chronic illness, such as chronic multiple sclerosis (MS) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME), pacing will help you to minimise flare-ups and make the most of your energy. In this review, Zec Richardson, a blogger and reviewer at Satonmybutt, is reviewing The Pocket Book of Pacing and the Pacing Sticky Notes from Stickman Communications.
Despite the fact that I was diagnosed with ME, I am still useless when it comes to pacing, even after all these years!
I wondered whether The Pocket Book of Pacing would have any tips to offer me, after all, I know about pacing, I am just bad at it.
The book measures 110 mm x 110 mm and has 96 pages. It gives a down-to-earth take on how pacing can be used in practice and considers it from various angles.
It covers the importance of taking breaks, adaptations that can help and ways of communicating your needs to other people.
I have to admit, I learned a lot from this little book! It has given me many ideas and tips that I will now try to implement. Knowing me, I’ll forget to do them, but I have got some useful information from this lovely little book.
[su_quote]Pacing is so important if we are going to be able to minimise our flare-ups. It is a skill that we need to learn and continue to implement throughout our lives.[/su_quote]
This book would be the perfect gift for someone who has a disability and or health condition that means they have to pace. The advice is given in such a fun way that means it will appeal to children and adults.
The Pocket Book of Pacing costs £5.50 from the Disability Horizons Shop.
Also from Stickman Communications are the A7 size (74 x 105 mm) pacing sticky notes that contain approximately 50 notes.
Entitled “Plan for Today”, the pacing sticky notes include sections for ‘challenging stuff’, ‘okay stuff’, and ‘easy stuff’.
I usually write lists of all the difficult things, but that makes pacing harder and can leave me feeling like I’ve failed when we don’t get everything done.
[su_quote]These sticky notes can help anyone with chronic fatigue to come up with a balanced and realistic plan for the day. You can include naps, snacks, times spent relaxing, doing crafts or reading.[/su_quote]
These are vital ways to make the day manageable. Recording the ‘easy’ things makes it easier to appreciate their importance, to achieve them, and to build a balanced day.
These notes are also a great way to organise the jobs that need doing and to make sure that we don’t take on too much.
I have now started to use these sticky notes to try and organise my time reviewing a bit better, which will hopefully help to ensure I don’t end up with so many flare-ups.
The Pacing Sticky Notes cost £3.00 from the Disability Horizons Shop.
Head over to the Disability Horizons Shop where you will find a range of Stickman Communications products and many other disability-related products.
Video review of The Pocket Book of Pacing
If you have enjoyed this review check out Zec’s YouTube channel and his website Satonmybutt. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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