Fatigue Fighting Strategies

Along the same line of “REST,” I ran across this list from Heather at Quiet Rest. Heather struggles with a malfunctioning liver, and frequently has to battle fatigue in order to accomplish anything. Here she shares 15 very creative strategies which she employs on a regular basis. This is a lengthy post, but so very helpful! So go grab a cup of coffee and be ready to be encouraged and inspired!

1. Be genuinely thankful during times of fatigue. It’s a reminder that He alone is the source of my strength. I would love to be the energetic Mum, able to leap tall laundry piles in a single bound, fill our freezer with delicious home cooked meals with a flick of my wrist, clean the house like a white tornado, and teach our children like a pro. That’s just not who I am, but I choose to be thankful anyway!

2. Work daily to cultivate contentment – it’s an ongoing battle! Whatever the source of your discontent – whither it is physical limitations or chronic illness, job frustration, financial pressure, unfinished home projects, bad hair, singleness, infertility, unforgiveness, difficult family relationships, a high-maintenance child, or jealousy of a friend who ‘has it all’. Whatever it is that robs you of contentment today is insignificant in light of eternity. That’s a perspective I strive for. While we will never be completely content until we reach heaven, we can fill up on the truth of the Word of God and His love and peace. Combat discontent with a heart of thanksgiving – every time I am tempted to complain about my lack of energy, I try to find something to be thankful for instead.

3. Go to the Source of your strength. I don’t know how to live without a vital personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ because of His death, burial and resurrection. The Word of God is the source of my strength. I have encouraging Scripture verses underlined in my Bible that bless my heart every day. I used to have many verses memorized, but sometimes they just don’t come readily to mind – that’s when I sing hymns or listen to praise music to lift my spirits. My most often prayed prayer is simply ‘Lord, grant me Your strength for today, for this hour, for this minute.’

4. Try to look better than you feel. I’m not trying to be deceptive in any way, and believe me I am no beauty, but I always try to present my best each day. I get up every day and do Minimum Maintenance on myself! A quick shower and hair-do takes about 20 minutes total, unless I’m having a really bad morning. I get dressed – every day, clean fresh smelling clothes. Nothing fancy – I wear long comfy skirts and soft shirts or sweaters. When I am suffering with jaundice I avoid yellow and green clothes because I know they’ll just emphasize my off-color. I usually try to put on a scarf, pretty flower pin, or a broach just to pull my simple look together. If I don’t get dressed, it’s probably going to be a really bad ‘homeschool from the couch day’. The kids know it and we just carry on as best we can.

I try to look my best for two reasons – for myself first of all. I just feel better when I look presentable. I don’t think my family needs to look at Heather the Horrible Hag any more then necessary! It also helps avoid those well meaning comments from friends. ‘You look so tired today’ can be a real discouragement when I’ve made the supreme effort to combat my fatigue and attend an event. If I look tired, I often feel more tired. There is a LOT of power in a tiny tube of concealer my friend – don’t underestimate it!

5. Eat right – avoid sugar, caffeine, excessive salt and overly processed foods. I pay dearly for any significant indulgences in the unhealthy food and beverage category and the price is always the same – extra fatigue. Occasional treats don’t fatigue me as long as I am drinking my water allotment and eating mainly whole natural healthy foods. I know this is just common sense for many of you, but for others of us our mindset about ‘forbidden foods’ is faulty. ‘I’m tired so I’ll eat a treat to get energized. I’m tired so I’ll grab fast food rather than prepare something. I’m tired and I’m tired of being tired so I deserve a treat. I’m tired so I won’t bother taking care of myself.’ All of these are self-defeating.

6. Get to bed on time – and wake up on time. I either hit the bed and am out in a minute or I lay awake for hours praying away the pain that keeps me from my longed for slumber. Overall when I keep to a set routine, I have less fatigue during the daytime and I sleep better at night. I have times when I need 14 – 16 hours of sleep in a row and I give in to it because I know my body is either fighting a virus or catching up. My family understands this and has been trained to ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ when Mama goes AWOL. They have their assigned duties, and my sweet husband often takes them out of the house to do something fun and to allow me quiet.

7. Don’t feel guilty about napping – enjoy it! I need to nap. Just 30 minutes of closing my eyes can re-energize me for the rest of the day, or at least get me through until dinner. I used to feel like I was lazy and wasting time, but now I know that I am not letting my family down by just taking a needed break. I don’t take a break until I absolutely must though – I try to get one more little thing done, and then one more, and one more again – and than I give in, set the timer and rest.

8. Give to others. Fatigue can be very depressing. Chronic fatigue can be chronically depressing. Knowing that I am depressed is the first step in making a positive change in my attitude. I always start with thankfulness because it cures self-pity like nothing else I know. Then I give myself a good talking to – sometimes I even have to use my ‘Mama’s NOT Happy’ tone on myself! If I’m still blue, the best way to hurdle over depression is to reach out to someone else in need. In our home everyone knows that when the going gets tough, the tough get cooking – my way of reaching out is to bring a meal, drop off a sweet treat or bless someone in need with a bag of groceries from my well stocked pantry. There is always someone who can use an unexpected blessing!

9. Leaving room in the schedule for exhaustion is a key element to coping well. I never purposely plan back-to-back activities because I know that I will need a day or even two to re-group and re-energize. This means padding our week with days when I have no time pressures, no commitments and will choose to just stay home and be content. This means saying ‘no’ to so many things that I would love to do and saying ‘yes’ only to the things that pass the Philippians 4:8 test. Sometimes my husband has to help me say no – but I’m getting better at it after 5 years of fatigue.

10. Plan on sweet moments of joy. Taking time for the things that make my heart sing is vital. If I don’t plan for it, it doesn’t happen, so I carve out time for the things that bring me joy – like sewing, crafting, spending time with friends, inviting families for a meal, decorating our home for the seasons, thrift store treasure hunting, reading blogs and throwing a post together for my own blog, and reading. This means everything else I do has to be done efficiently – and I’ve had to eliminate things like reading all of the sale flyers and watching a movie and anything else that robs me of time but gives me nothing in return.

11. Tackle the necessary tasks first – when I’m at my best (which is somewhere around mid-morning) is the smartest time for me to do the more physically demanding chores. I don’t tackle big projects very often, but I break them down into small things that I can do work them into the daily schedule.

12. Push past fatigue. That’s right. There are days when like it or not I have to just push past my fatigue and get it done. When this is necessary I just send up prayers for strength with every breath. If I can go an hour longer, I praise the Lord for that hour. If it’s only ten minutes, I praise Him for those precious minutes. Sometimes fatigue is just so brain numbing that you feel like every thought has to plow through cold molasses to register. Usually this means I’m overwhelmed by stress or the long to-do list, or I haven’t taken time to feed my spirit with the Word or my body with wholesome food. If I am nourished and still feel numb, I rest, because obviously my body needs it.

13. Walk despite fatigue. I am not the gal who gets an extra burst of energy from physical exertion. I use my energy and it’s gone, and nothing but a good meal and good long rest restores my body, but I do love a walk, so I walk when I can. It clears my mind, helps me sleep and gives me an opportunity to pray for my neighbors. I don’t power walk, but I try to get my heart rate up and sustain it for at least 15 minutes by swinging my arms and taking long strides. When I am tired often the last thing I want is to move, but a nice brisk walk is a blessing and I am thankful to be able to do it!

14. Guard your time. People often say that they don’t know how I get so much done as though I have somehow been granted a longer day than the rest of the women in the world. I think that God has given us each the same amount of time, but that we forget that it is something to spend wisely, and not something to ‘kill, fill or waste’. He gives us our days and expects us to use them for His glory – to grow in our faith, walk in His Word and be a walking testament to His faithfulness. While Scripture is full of references to the benefit of diligent work, I see nothing about the filling of our day with frantic activity and fatiguing stress. Does it honor God for a woman to be so busy and involved that she has no time, energy or interest in hearing the still small voice of her Savior? I certainly don’t always use my days wisely, but I am learning to guard the short time I have been allotted and make it count.

15. Have a plan of attack, a back up plan, and an emergency plan, but be ready to abandon all plans for simply coping. I plan weekly menus, house keeping schedules, school schedules, home maintenance chores, church schedules, family time and my personal upkeep. I don’t always get to follow my plan, but it’s there to guide me and keep me somewhat on track. If there is anything our family has learned it’s that we make plans, but everything is as God allows. We have to be flexible and available to change our plans for His greater plan. Maybe flat out on the couch doesn’t look like a ‘greater plan’ to us, but He is using it to mold godly characters, grow strong faith muscles, deepen compassion, mature prayer skills and develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness that may never have emerged in our children’s character if not for the struggle we face together.

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I hope you were able to glean something from these pointers. Which ones stood out to you? I really liked #2 and #4, but I thought they were all so good! I typed out an abbreviated version, printed it out and taped it to the inside of my closet door where I would see it often and think about it as I plan my day. Let me know what you think!

Refreshing as the "Dew from Heaven"

The New Year brings thoughts of renewal of many things: our ambitions, our motivations, our commitments, our spirits. For the first post of 2012 on our PNC Ladies' blog, I wanted to send out an invitation to rest your spirit in preparation for this renewal process. When I went to the doctor this week, I took a book with me to read while waiting. I read some thoughts on the process of dew and how it renews the earth. Let me share some of that with you...

“I will be as the dew to Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.” (Hosea 14:5).

http://www.scottshephard.com/?tag=dew

What is the promise that God gave to Israel? Notice Genesis 27:28. Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: The amazing thought here is that God will not only give them what they need, He will Himself BE that to them, all that which they need: I will be as the dew unto Israel. This ensures spiritual blessings in heavenly things; and it follows upon the healing of their backslidings, for pardoning mercy is always accompanied with renewing grace! He will refresh them with His comforts, so that their souls shall be as a watered garden, Isaiah 58:11. And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (This from Matthew Henry's Commentary. No, I did not have a stack of commentaries in the doctor's office!)

How can you experience this dew? These promises aren't just for the children of Israel!

You will find this dew in your quiet time! When you choose to walk through your pain or your turmoil instead of drowning it in busyness. The fact remains that because we live in a world filled with fallenness, we must come to those places of inner refreshment, or our souls will shrivel up. How thankful and comforted I am to be homesick for those quiet moments of inner rest. Think about the role dew plays in nature. “I will be like the dew to Israel” (Hosea 14:5). Dew is God's provision for renewing the earth. Quietness and absorption bring the dew. But the experts say it will never gather in a wind. The temperatures must fall, wind must cease, and both come to "still point"—before it can yield its invisible particles of moisture to revive flowers and me. Why do I so often need to be forced to "still point" when it is such a rewarding experience? Lord, I know you will bring meaning out of all of my turmoil. I rest in You. 

You may protest because there just doesn't seem to any time in your life to do these things. You are swamped by so many expectations from your peers, whether real or self inflicted. There simply seems to be no time for tending your own spirit.

I hear you. I've been there! But I'm not going to back off. I'll concede that there are times in life when we have to be content merely to snatch moments when we simply “chew” on the strength of a word, a sentence from Scripture, or a refreshing thought from a friend who challenges us to keep becoming more like Christ. Just one insight that we can own, that will get us through the day. (One way that I do this is by keeping a few “snatch books” handy around my house or in my van.) Sometimes Christ will take a word, a sentence or a thought and multiply it to our souls like he once did with bread and fish. This is why it is so important to memorize Scripture so that in any idle moment, whether we are waiting for children, trains or cashiers, we can meditate on His truth day and night. Think of memorization as a way of packing a spiritual lunch that can be nourishing at another time.(These thoughts are from High Call High Privilege by Gail MacDonald. This is the book I took with me.)

At the start of this New Year, ask the Lord to help you become still so He can refresh your spirit and prepare you for what lies ahead in 2012.

Comfort and Joy



Anna Dodd's Christmas tree

  This Christmas, I conditioned my spirit to receive "tidings of comfort and joy."
  I have been in need of much comfort this past year. Many times we think about needing comfort when grieving over a loss. Where would we be if our friends and loved ones did not gather around us with soothing words of comfort and an affectionate embrace during our mourning? But we also need comfort for other times... times of anxiety and stress. Times of sickness or uncertainty. Times when our spirit is disturbed because of wrong-doing, whether intentional or not. So often we receive superficial comfort which is a little like a band aid over a gaping wound. This would be a kind word or hug from a friend, thinking intentional thoughts that everything is going to be ok. A sweet song that matches our circumstance, or a well-timed cliche. This is the comfort that comes from outward sources. Personally, I have received all that from time to time, and appreciated it very much.
  The angel on the hillside said he was bringing "tidings of great joy." When the songwriter wrote to the "Merry Gentlemen," he embellished the thought a little, and said they were "tidings of comfort and joy." I think that is a nice addition to the phrase. There is a comfort that I have received that is even more healing than what comes from outward sources. You see, Jesus spoke of the Comforter coming in John 14-16. This is the Holy Spirit. He has come to dwell within our hearts and lives. At camp meetings, we learned that He came to give us power over sin. Let me tell you now that He came to bring comfort to our wounded souls. It seems that so often I am troubled by a burden that cannot be shared with even my closest friends, and I need the comfort that only the Holy Spirit can give. It is so important to actively make my life a place where He is content to dwell. I will endeavor to always make conscious effort to only involve myself in activities that bring Him pleasure. I will do this because inevitably, there will be times when I need His comfort, so I want Him to be happily residing within my soul ready to comfort and settle my spirit every time I need Him.

So, I was not disappointed this Christmas season. How about you?

Thinking ahead...

It's almost right around the corner!!! Do you have your VBS already planned? Do you have an outreach strategy? Let's share themes and ideas!

Praying for a blessing

When I was the leader of a ladies' prayer group a few years ago, I ran across a most helpful little tool. We, as Christian ladies who let our lights shine in the darkness around us, are often approached by someone groping for the light and asking for prayer. These dear ones may come to present a need in their own life, but more often, they come to ask you to pray for someone who is close to them and hurting. Sometimes we are given the reasons behind the request, sometimes not. In those cases, how do you send prayers heavenward that would seem to be "effectual and fervent?" Let me share something with you that was so helpful to me.By asking God to "bless" this person, I tried to follow an acrostic for the word and pray for the individual in 5 different areas of their life.

First, I would pray for their physical needs or the needs represented in their Body. Many times, that is the main reason for the request.

Next, I would pray for God to help them in their Labors. It seems during these tough times, we are praying for many to be able to find or keep their jobs!

As we continue in prayer, it is so important to ask for God to intervene in the Emotional avenue of their lives. It is so sad to see people consumed in sadness that turns to bitterness. Our emotions can be so fragile at times. We are continually running to the Lord for strength and help. When He holds us up, we can begin to rest in His care.

When praying for the 1st "S" in bless, I try to think about the Christians who might be a friend to this person -- those in their Social circle. You know, the Apostle Paul seemed to stress prayer for the Christians and their influence -- more than prayer for sinners. I had a friend who was called away to care for her unsaved daughter in a distant city. I prayed much for the daughter, then I became aware of Paul's admonitions, and started to pray even more for my friend and her influence in that home. When I told my friend about how I felt led to pray for her, it really seemed to bring a lot of encouragement to her.

Last, but most importantly, we should remember to pray for the Spiritual needs of those brought to our prayer list. They may be fully commited to the Lord, yet still have struggles and battles that we know nothing about! We also know that if this person doesn't know the Lord, how can they come to Him if the Holy Spirit does not woo them? How can the Holy Spirit reach out to them if we don't intercede?

When I shared this acrostic with the ladies in our prayer group, I printed it out on a bookmark they could keep in their Bible. Maybe this will be helpful to someone who is looking for a boost in the place of prayer.

Happy New Year!

Hello once again, Ladies. I trust you all had a wonderful holiday season, and are now settled into the new routine of 2010! I want to share something with you that really struck a chord in my heart. If you know me very well, you know how much I admire Oswald Chambers' book My Utmost for His Highest. Today's reading is exceptional! I will not even try to build on it, but I thought it was good food for thought - especially as we look forward to the next highlight on the calendar - Valentine's Day!

RECALL WHAT GOD REMEMBERS
"I remember . . . the kindness of thy youth." Jeremiah 2:2
Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Am I full of the little things that cheer His heart over me, or am I whimpering because things are going hardly with me? There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God prizes. It is a great thing to think that Jesus Christ has need of me - "Give Me to drink." How much kindness have I shown Him this past week? Have I been kind to His reputation in my life?

God is saying to His people - You are not in love with Me now, but I remember the time when you were - "I remember . . . the love of thine espousals." Am I as full of the extravagance of love to Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He find me recalling the time when I did not care for anything but Himself? Am I there now, or have I become wise over loving Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no account of where I go? or am I watching for the respect due to me; weighing how much service I ought to give?

If, as I recall what God remembers about me, I find He is not what He used to be to me, let it produce shame and humiliation, because that shame will bring the godly sorrow that works repentance.

This was obtained from the website www.myutmost.org, where you can go for the daily readings. This may only require 5 minutes to read, but it gives you meat you can chew on all day long! May God help our lives to be saturated with Christ throughout this coming year.

Entertaining with a Joyful Spirit

What a delight it is to travel the country and be in many of your homes. I have thoroughly enjoyed being in many lovely homes. By lovely I mean any combination of beautiful, welcoming, accommodating, restful... I could go on because my heart is full! All this traveling and being the "guest" tends to make me homesick after awhile, though. I have always had the mindset that in entertaining, you try to return the favor within a short amount of time. So, if we have been blessed to be in your home, consider this an official invitation to come to ours, and let us serve you!

Well, we are home right now for a short period of time, and our church is in revival. I have always loved entertaining in the parsonage, and if my daughters are happy to let the Lord lead them into the ministry partly because they share my love for serving, I will be so grateful! However, now that we are filling a layman's role in our home church, I have a unique opportunity to pass along to them something of what my mother passed along to me. Mom was an awesome friend to the pastor's wife. She was and is a tremendous mentor to me in the art of hospitality as a layman. Part of this is entertaining the pastor and family and the evangelist during revival. I rounded up my girls, and we got to work putting on a spread. I would like to share some of our dishes with you~~

Banana Apple Bread

This recipe came from a church cookbook my sister-in-law gave me. It must have come from a sweet grandmother because the ingredients are not listed in the typical order, and it just says, "Mix all together and bake for about an hour." I just like to imagine that I learned this one at my grandma's counter!

Classic Salad

Betty Crocker is my new best friend! {smile} This is the alternative recipe on a Suddenly Salad mix. I picked what veggies I wanted to add, changed up the dressing according to the directions, and it turned out sooo yummy!

Cube Steak Casserole

My husband loves to hunt, and a wonderful side benefit to that is a freezer full of venison cube steak! For years, I fixed it breaded and fried, then I breaded it with fish fry mix, then I tried breading it with flour, then I varied the recipe and fried it with... I'll stop there! I was in a bad rut! Well, just a few little clicks on the computer that sent me to cooks.com gave me a whole new lease on life with this delicious steak! I marinated it in an A-1 marinating sauce, layered it in the bottom of the dish, put onions on the meat, sliced potatoes on top of that and smothered it in cream of mushroom soup. Covered it tightly with foil and baked it @ 350 for 1 1/2 hours. So basic, but my family loves it! They lick the dish clean!!

We also had veggies and rolls, and I made peachy delight for dessert. The girls were very involved in the preparation, and we had so much fun.

Well, that's a little peek into my day/evening. Planning and preparing for company and the evening meal is so enjoyable to me. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to have you in my home!!

(By the way, our evangelist is Rev. Tony Ross. His message is still so fresh and powerful! We were honored to have them and the Jones's in our home today.)