Guest tearose Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 We all somehow try to come up with a way to live with or inspite of our varying levels of energy. I was asked to explain what I do... Please share what you do too!When I wake up in the morning I take a sip of water and take an overall inventory on my physical strength. Did I sleep well? do I feel weak or lightheaded? Can I get some food into me or do I just start off with some hot coffee? Then usually at the kitchen table, I assign a number of points to my energy level I feel I have. I use a scale of 100-1000 for any given day. I allocate about one point per minute of activity. This means anything that I must exert energy for. Taking my shower, doing dishes going to the market all count! At the time I started doing this, I felt it would give me enough of a range to live in. To explain a little more...think of one hour of an "activity" as 50 points.(I allow 10 minutes per hour to be "free/recharge" time that's why for me, 50 points is equal to one hour) Try to get a feel for what you want to do in any day and budget one energy point per minute of activity. You have to get a "feel" for your body and what is reasonable for you. This will come after a few days of trying this. The awareness has helped me to not "overspend" my energy and face the next few days of inevetible fatigue that will follow.After a few months, I saw a pattern, I typically need between 2-4 hours for my morning ADL's (activities of daily living), 1-2 hours for sleep/nap/rest, 2-4 hours for food procurement/preparation, and 1-3 hours for misc. chores or errands. I suggest you focus on how you "spend your time" and you will see how you spend those precious energy points! did I explain this well enough? I never had to write it up, take care, tearose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted October 22, 2004 Report Share Posted October 22, 2004 oh tearose!!!thank you for using your precious energy "points" to post that! do you make yourself take those 10 minutes of each hour and rest or meditate?i like that whole system a lot and think i will try to implement it.i do think though i might have to fiddle with it a bit...i.e. the environment i am in or the activity i am doing might make something have higher points....i.e. today i actually WENT out to lunch with my mom...more exhausting though than being home for that same number of minutes/points. you know?i do need to look at ADL, food stuff, rest time, etc. and COUNT them, no say i didn't do anything....b/c as you know, some days the fact that you get up and get dressed and eat something is a BIG DEAL!i would like to hear how others use this point system too! you sound a lot like me in that ADLs, food time, and rest take up a lot of the day! i also have to watch and maybe schedule in points for something i look forward to or enjoy...not just the sick stuff or daily stuff, you know?well, thanks! i am off for my nap time! i have to have that 1-2 hours in the afternoon or i am a disaster!emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethansmom Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 I think that is such an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing!I find that the daily activities (eating, chores, showering, working at home, taking care of my son) take up pretty much all of my energy! There are those rare days when I am able to do a lot more, but I too am learning to live within my limits. And that afternoon nap...priceless!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneva Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 My "activity" points (suggeted by home care nurse) are similar to what Tearose describes except that as I have gotten better I am not as exact counting as I used to be in the beginning. When I wake in the morning I do an assessment of what is going on with my body while I am still in bed drinking my salted water. It doesn't take long to know whether I am headed for a 500 or 1000 point day. If I have had difficulty sleeping, I can substract 500 points right away. Without a full night's sleep my day is shot before I ever get out of bed. (BTW I have a rule that if I go 2 nights in a row without restful sleep I take something to sleep the next night). Over time I have an idea the combination of activities I can choose from on a 500 day versus a 1000. Emily, to your point I make allowances for AWAY from home activities as well as a cumulative days effect -- if I am doing too much too many days in a row, I will need to drop back for a few days.I have found activity points useful for me in learning to manage to my abilities but to also reassure myself (and friends/family occasionally who ask) WHAT did I DO all day long?Hope this makes some sense! It is a heavy brain fog evening....must have UNDER budgeted my points today (LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 Hi Tearose,Thank you very much for sharing this system. Like Geneva if I don't sleep well I can split my total energy points in half when I wake up in the morning. Then if I have outside activities I have to multiply by 3, ie eating in the restaurant = 300 x 3 = 900 points. I cannot do outside activities 2 days in a row because I need to recuperate and do only minor activities on the recuperating days. When I went to university I needed to nap 2 hours every day but now I only need 20 minutes. I never realised that studying was that expensive until I graduated!This is a very interesting topic and I hope that more will share their experience.Ernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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