Jaye shares her experience of arthritis-related tiredness, as part of our Tackle Tiredness Today! campaign
I feel tired… All of the time.
Tiredness feels … Insurmountable! It is physical and makes my body feel heavy. It’s mental too and the best way to describe that is ‘brain fog’. It can stop me from processing things properly or even having a conversation at times!
When I feel tired I want to… Go to bed and stay there forever! It can be just as debilitating as the pain I feel. It makes it hard to work and sometimes I wish I didn’t have to go.
The worst thing about being tired is… Feeling guilty. I feel so lazy if I need to spend a lot of time in bed. I want to do well at work and be able to help my husband around the house. Canceling social arrangements or dreading them is horrible too. Nobody wants to spend all their time at home to be able to charge up for work. Another thing is that sometimes the tiredness doesn’t correspond with the amount of activity I do or how much sleep I’ve had.
Being tired all the time makes me feel… Guilty, lazy, lonely and like I am missing out on life. It can really get me down sometimes. I am generally positive though!
Things I do to help me feel less tired are… Working less. This can add money worries on top of everything else though. I’m lucky to have such an understanding employer. My husband is so thoughtful and helps out with everything he can. I listen to my body and rest a lot. I am eating more sugary foods as it seems to be the only thing that gives me bursts of energy but I know that isn’t really the best thing to do. I wish my consultant would give me more tips on what to do.
Tackle Tiredness Today:
If you feel tired all of the time…
Tell your GP or your rheumatologist or nurse. You do not have to cope with your tiredness alone. There may be simple changes to your lifestyle or treatment plan that could help.
