For individuals navigating the complexities of Long COVID, energy management can feel like an uphill battle. One of the most effective strategies to address this challenge is pacing. Pacing is a critical strategy for recovery in conditions like Long COVID because it supports the body’s ability to manage symptoms effectively and heal. 

Pacing is a technique that helps individuals balance their energy levels by staying within their personal limits. It involves consciously planning and managing activities to avoid triggering post-exertional symptom exacerbation (PESE). PESE refers to the worsening of symptoms following even minimal physical, mental, or emotional exertion. For those with Long COVID, pacing acts as a lifeline to minimise these setbacks and maintain a steady path toward recovery.

At its core, pacing is about identifying and respecting your “energy envelope” - the threshold of energy your body can safely expend without causing symptoms to flare up. By staying within this envelope, you can reduce the likelihood of overexertion and subsequent crashes.

Long COVID is a complex condition that often affects multiple systems in the body, leading to symptoms like profound fatigue, brain fog, and shortness of breath. Many individuals experience a boom-and-bust cycle: feeling slightly better, pushing too hard to catch up on activities, and then crashing due to overexertion. This cycle not only delays recovery but can also worsen symptoms over time.

Here’s what pacing does for recovery:

1. Prevents Post-Exertional Symptom Exacerbation (PESE): By avoiding overexertion, pacing minimises the risk of symptom flares caused by physical, mental, or emotional strain.
2. Conserves Energy: It ensures that limited energy reserves are used efficiently, leaving enough capacity for essential tasks and recovery.
3. Supports Healing: Adequate rest and measured activity levels help reduce systemic stress and give the body time to repair and restore itself.
4. Reduces the Boom-and-Bust Cycle: Pacing helps break the pattern of overactivity followed by crashes, stabilising energy levels and fostering gradual improvement.
5. Improves Symptom Management: By staying within the “energy envelope,” individuals can better manage symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and physical weakness.
6. Enhances Mental Health: Pacing can reduce frustration, guilt, and anxiety associated with pushing too hard, leading to a more positive outlook on recovery.
7. Builds Resilience: It helps individuals learn their limits, which can lead to a more sustainable and proactive approach to managing their condition.

Ultimately, pacing is about respecting your body's current capacity, which creates the conditions for more steady and long-term recovery.

The first step in pacing is understanding your unique energy boundaries. These boundaries are often dynamic and can vary from day to day, depending on factors like sleep quality, stress levels, and symptom severity. Recognising early warning signs of overexertion is key to staying within your energy envelope.

Common signs that you may be approaching your limit include:

• Increased heart rate or shortness of breath.
• Difficulty concentrating or heightened brain fog.
• A sense of heaviness or weakness in your body.
• Feeling irritable, overwhelmed, or emotionally drained.

Keeping a journal of your daily activities and symptoms can help you identify patterns and triggers. Over time, this practice allows you to better anticipate when you need to slow down or rest.

Pacing is a simple theoretical concept, yet it often requires a big shift in mindset, especially if you’re used to being highly active or productive. It’s common to feel frustrated or guilty about needing to slow down. You may even feel you’re slowing down so much, but you’re not meeting your body’s current capabilities just yet. This is why pacing holds a key space in health coaching for Long COVID.

Here are some tips to overcome these challenges:

• Be Kind to Yourself: Acknowledge that pacing is a necessary part of your recovery and not a sign of weakness.
• Celebrate Small Wins: Recognise and appreciate your progress, no matter how small.
• Seek Support: Seek professional support on how to apply pacing to your personal health situation and recovery journey. 

Pacing is a powerful tool for managing Long COVID and improving your quality of life. By understanding your energy boundaries, planning your activities mindfully, and incorporating rest into your routine, you can take control of your condition and work towards recovery.  While pacing may take time and practice to master, the benefits it offers make it well worth the effort.  

Interested to hear more about how pacing supported Tanja’s own recovery or how health coaching might benefit yours? Feel free to sign up for a free 30’ health coaching session.

Author: Tanja Walser