Some days if I wake up and still feel tired and the fatigue weighs me down, I consider staying in bed for just a half an hour longer. I try to do so; honestly I have tried. Then, my metacognition kicks in, and I think: “If I stay in bed today, what about tomorrow and the next. Will I ever want to get up again?
This fatigue happens even after a long and restful sleep. Some nights my body has aches and pains all night long, so my sleep is not high quality. Other nights, I snooze so well. It is hard to know which type of sleep I will have and how my MS will impact me each morning. Most people do not understand that this FATIGUE is real and often associated with pain and cog fog. I try to move through it like it is fog and misty.
In fact, these thoughts were percolating today. However, I began to think about all the reasons I needed to get up: to greet my hungry hummingbirds outside and feed them, to savour a warm cup of coffee, to reminesce about our best friends, to consider what I need to teach, to grade papers for the end of the quarter, to do a load of laundry, to water and admire my plants, and take a few miles’ walk in the chill of the morning. Soon enough, my must-get-up reasons outweighed and overpowered my staying-in-bed for a few more minutesthoughts. In fact, I got up, stretched and considered all the wonders around me –both positive and negative — and that reflection has fueled my day. It will be another active and busy great day!
MS Fortunate 