Working With Fatigue - ME/CFS/Long Covid

This meditation can be done either sitting or lying down.

And it's specifically designed to help people learn to work with difficult physical feelings of fatigue or tiredness,

Including chronic fatigue,

Long COVID symptoms,

Or just generally feelings of tiredness associated with being very busy or stressed out or even ill.

As we begin,

Noticing the support you are receiving from what you're sitting or lying on.

Paying special attention to the sensations of support.

If you're sitting,

Noticing the feeling of the feet on the floor and the buttocks and the sitting bones making contact with the seat.

I'll be guiding this meditation from the seated position.

So if you are lying down,

Making adjustments for the alterations to the instructions regarding posture.

Whether sitting or lying down,

Allowing your weight to sink down through the points of contact between the body and the ground below.

And wherever possible,

Seeing if it is possible to allow any tension drain down into the support and beyond.

And as you're sitting or lying here,

Letting any thoughts or images go just for now.

Just feeling supported by what's physically beneath you.

When you're ready,

Noticing the breath.

Actually feeling the breath.

The physical sensation of the breath coming into the body and then noticing perhaps a slight pause and then the breath leaving the body.

Noticing how the whole body expands a little on the in breath and relaxes a little on the out breath.

Just letting your breath be your breath.

Knowing you're breathing just fine and there's nothing to do right now.

Nothing to control.

Seeing if you can be the observer of your breath.

As if you were watching the waves at the seashore,

Watching them go out and come back in.

And in the same way,

Seeing if you can allow the breath to be just as it is.

Letting the breath just breathe itself.

And if it's not possible right now to feel or observe the breath or if it's feeling like it's not supportive right now to pay attention to the breath.

Then perhaps bringing the attention to an alternative point of contact.

Another point that can anchor the attention to the present moment.

And sometimes bringing the attention to the feeling of the feet making contact with the floor is helpful.

So just reminding yourself of that option right now.

And in a moment we'll turn our attention to a physical condition or sensation that's troubling you.

Something that's not the way you want it to be physically.

And this meditation is specifically for those that might be struggling with feelings of fatigue or tiredness.

But it could be something more associated with pain.

Something that is there and perhaps you don't want it to be there.

The body is not how you wish it to be right now.

Taking your time,

Letting yourself get a sense of the area of the body you choose to work on.

There's no wrong choice.

Whatever you choose is going to be right for this meditation.

It might be the whole body.

The whole sensing of the body right now that's troubling you.

So you could choose to focus in on one particular area of tiredness or fatigue.

Or you could hone out your attention and look at the body more broadly.

And feeling into the entire body as it is sitting in this sitting position or lying down position.

Sometimes it can be helpful to take a few deeper breaths than normal just to help settle the system.

But if that's not helpful for you right now,

Just letting go of that suggestion and just continuing with the observation of the breath.

Once you've found an area of the body or a general sensation that you'd like to work on,

Seeing if it's possible to get curious about this sensation.

Perhaps dropping the natural tendency to want to move away from it,

But paying attention in a special way with kindness and gentleness.

The way you might if you were with a loved one who was having this kind of physical discomfort or difficulty.

And then asking yourself,

How would I describe it?

Perhaps letting go of the word fatigue for now or tiredness.

And seeing if you can describe it with a bit more detail.

Identifying a specific sensation.

Perhaps heaviness comes to mind or dullness.

Perhaps there's an awareness of throbbing,

Laden,

Perhaps it's got a temperature.

Maybe it's a warmth.

Maybe it's blazing hot.

Maybe it's cold and cool.

Maybe there's a sense of numbness.

Noticing the sensation simply as sensations.

And seeing if this area can be explored or this sensation can be explored with an attitude of kind curiosity and tenderness.

You could also ask yourself,

How big is this area of discomfort?

Is there a beginning and is there an ending?

How thick or thin is it?

Is it as thin as a piece of paper or is it thick and going deep into the depths of the body?

If it had a texture,

What texture would you say it had?

Is it hard like concrete?

Rigid but with some give,

Perhaps like wood?

Fluid like water or oil.

Sensing into the shape of it.

Perhaps noticing the boundaries.

Taking a moment to spend a little bit of time at the boundaries.

Seeing if there's an area where you can physically experience the sensation of discomfort.

And then looking almost like you're looking for treasure.

Seeing if there's an area beyond that where it is not felt.

Or perhaps there's like you're finding something hidden.

A feeling even of pleasantness.

And if it's not pleasant,

Perhaps sensing into the neutrality of this particular area at the boundary or beyond the edge of the discomfort.

Curiously sensing into the sensation of fatigue and then looking beyond the boundary.

And if there isn't a feeling of non fatigue or non discomfort in the body.

Perhaps just taking a moment to sense into something else.

Perhaps even in the room that feels pleasant or looks pleasant or an area that feels easy to pay attention to.

Maybe a lovely picture or painting or the smell of something lovely,

Sound.

And then bringing the attention back to the boundaries of the discomfort,

Of the fatigue.

And seeing if it's possible to let the area along these edges relax or soften.

This area around the difficult part and if it's the entire body then sensing into the area just around the body.

Almost like a halo of support around the body.

And perhaps directing the breath to this part of the body.

The air just above the chest.

The area just below the feet.

Breathing into this particular area of the sense of body.

And seeing if it's possible to soften and relax this part.

So you're not trying to change the area of the discomfort itself.

Just putting your attention at the edges.

Letting there be a softening there.

And as we are working in this way,

As you're beginning to pay close attention to the physical sensations and the images associated with these physical sensations.

Seeing if you can identify the feeling you have about this physical condition that's bothering you right now.

Is there anger about having this condition?

Does it feel unfair?

Is there fear that it might not get any better or that it will get worse?

Sadness about how it's limiting you?

Impatience?

Confusion?

What would you call this feeling in your own words?

And if it's possible for you seeing if you can soften your reaction to the physical condition with gentle breaths.

Seeing if you can be with your reactions in the same way you'd be with a child or a pet whom you love and who's in distress.

And you know that if that were the case,

You would do this with tenderness,

With gentleness.

You wouldn't demand your loved one to respond differently than they are.

And so if you like,

You might even wish to place your hand on this area of discomfort or even on your heart or your belly.

Meeting this experience with kindness.

And comforting yourself with compassion in the same way that you would comfort anyone else who is experiencing a difficult or challenging situation.

Taking your time with this.

And this is the softening and the allowing.

Softening of your reaction to the feeling that you're having and allowing that reaction to be there.

Allowing the feeling to be there.

All the while knowing that allowing it to be there doesn't mean that you like it being there.

It's simply an acknowledgement that this is what you're feeling right now.

As you do this,

You may feel sensations and feelings coming and going.

And you may notice if you pay close attention that there is some change that might be occurring.

Some movement.

Perhaps a tightening or a loosening.

Images might come and go or emerge.

Thoughts might pop into the head.

And through all of this seeing if you can bring a sense of kindness,

Curiosity,

Inquiry and compassion to this exploration of your experience.

Spending enough time here to make contact with what you're noticing and feeling.

But not so much that you are becoming overwhelmed.

If you are feeling overwhelmed,

Returning your attention either to the breath or simply sensing into the physical feeling of the feet.

Making contact with the ground or sensing into the physical support that the earth is offering you right now.

And if it is still too much,

You can always pause or stop the meditation.

Open your eyes and look around the room if your eyes were shut.

That helps just to orientate the body to the present moment.

And now without trying to push the difficult sensations away,

I'm going to continue with the exploration of seeking something in the body that's not fatigued.

Seeing if something neutral can be found or even something pleasant.

Seeing if it's possible to expand the awareness beyond the feeling of fatigue,

The sensation of fatigue.

And perhaps by beginning by bringing the awareness to the movement of the breath.

Allowing the discomfort of fatigue to be soothed by the rhythm of the breath.

Allowing the body to rest deeply into what's supporting it,

Knowing that there's nothing for the body to do physically right now.

Everything is just happening on its own.

Scanning the body from the top of the head all the way down to the feet.

Noticing what's there.

Pausing if or when you find something pleasurable or neutral.

Sensing into the head,

The face,

The neck,

Hands,

Arms,

Chest,

Stomach,

Hips,

Thighs,

Lower leg,

Feet and then finishing finally at the toes.

And as you're scanning,

Looking for pleasant sensations,

No matter how subtle they might be.

Could be a sense of warmth in the hands.

Perhaps a sense of release as the body sinks into the support.

Noticing something that perhaps you haven't paid attention to before,

Such as your right big toe that maybe isn't feeling fatigued.

Spending some time moving through the body with the awareness.

And as before,

If you are having difficulty finding some place that feels okay,

You might gently want to place your hands somewhere,

For instance on your chest or on your head.

The way you might want to comfort someone you care about.

And if that touch feels comforting,

Sensing into that area.

Or you might want to recall someone or something,

Situation,

Someone that you've known who has been loving and kind to you.

Imagining that they're close to you right now,

Holding or supporting you.

And just noticing how this is feeling in the body.

As you record this.

So maybe there's a warmth in your middle or a softness around the heart.

And if this isn't possible,

Then perhaps opening the eyes for a moment and looking around you for something that's beautiful or pleasant in your immediate environment,

Such as a picture or a plant or sound.

Letting yourself spend some time here with this part of your body or this part of the room that feels pleasant.

And if you find yourself being drawn back to the fatigued area or the feeling of fatigue in the body.

Trying not to fight it,

But allowing yourself some soft breaths,

Breathing into this feeling and sensation of fatigue in the body with gentleness and kindness.

And then when you're ready and able,

Gently bringing the awareness back to the pleasant or the neutral area of the body or the room.

You could even let the breath be between the two areas.

So moving the attention and the breath from the pleasant.

And then to the unpleasant.

Just feeling the rhythm of the breath.

Breathing into both areas with gentleness and kindness.

And as you're doing this,

You may not be noticing that things might be feeling differently than they did before.

Just taking a moment to notice any changes.

And when you're ready,

Seeing if you can broaden the awareness,

Like panning out with the wide angle lens,

Including both the pleasant area and the difficult area.

The pleasant sensation or object and the difficult feeling or sensation.

So wide that there's enough space and room for both of them without pushing the difficult away or clinging to the pleasant.

Including the entire body and all of its sensations.

And when you're ready,

Moving wider still to include the awareness of the room or the area that you're sitting or lying in.

Perhaps by noticing this wider sense of your experience,

There might be a sense of space or freedom,

Capacity for change and movement.

Letting yourself spend a moment here with this wider perspective.

And if it's not too much of a stretch,

Seeing if it's possible to expand the awareness to include the building or the natural setting that you're in right now.

Even wider to include the neighborhood or the town or city that you're in.

Even further to the region or country.

The physical discomfort may not have diminished significantly,

But now it's part of something much bigger.

And as the awareness expands even further to include the entire world.

If that's possible right now for you.

Recognizing that at this very moment there are others who are experiencing the same kind of discomfort as you have been.

And in this way,

You're not alone.

Out of the many,

Many people included.

It's certainly true that some of them are experiencing the same sort of difficulty that you are.

With the same or even more intensity.

The fatigue,

The fears,

The worries are not yours to bear alone.

They are in fact shared by others.

There are others feeling the very same thing at literally the same time as you.

You're not alone.

And if it seems possible to do this,

You might see if you can imagine your awareness expanding even further.

Seeing the Earth from space the way an astronaut might.

Beautiful sphere against a velvety black backdrop.

There's no visible borders.

Whole,

Alive and so precious.

And when you're ready,

Letting your awareness gradually return to your part of the world.

To you,

Your body,

How you are feeling now.

Feeling and sensing how it is to be in your body right here,

Right now.

Coming back to just you.

But with awareness that is still wide enough to hold both the difficulties and the pleasures of your body and your life.

And seeing if you can bring gentleness and kindness to whatever you're feeling right now.

Holding yourself with compassion and understanding and spending the next few unguided moments resting deep in the body.

In the breath.

And allowing any discomfort or unease to be soothed by the rhythm of the breath.

Again and again and again.

It is the meaning of the experience being at appearance.

We're near the end of the meditation.

So if you would like to stay here longer,

You can pause or stop the recording.

And when you're ready,

Slowly opening your eyes if they've been closed.

Letting your attention move to the outside world.

Your body.

The room.

Taking in sight,

Sound.

Beginning to gently move the body and re-engage with the world.

And in the minutes,

Hours and days that follow,

Seeing if you can bring a fresh sense of curiosity,

Openness and kindness to all that you encounter.