Episode 85 - Using HRV to Manage Chronic Fatigue Recovery

Sometimes in our Chronic Fatigue Journey we can be in a low place and it can be helpful to have some words of support and encouragement or even gentle insights which can help us reflect on why we might be feeling stuck. That is what this episode is for... There are times in your healing journey when you need to take action and times in your healing journey where you need to allow, give space and integrate. Spending too much time in one versus the other is not a recipe for success.  Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

The use of heat and cold can be supportive for health, but where do they factor in when it comes to fatigue recovery? How do we know when we are ready to add heat or cold stress to our healing routines? How can we do this safely to avoid energy crashes or post-exertional malaise? All these questions and more are answered in the latest episode of the Chronic Fatigue and Burnout Recovery Podcast.  Hot and cold are two of several stressors known as "hormetic stressors". Hormetic stressors are stressors that, when applied in the appropriate dosage, can cause a positive adaptation in the body. Using heat and/or cold in the right dosage, can therefore, create positive changes that may be supportive for fatigue recovery. However, when applied in dosages that are not appropriate for the individual, there can be a negative adaptation, often experienced as an energy crash or symptom flare. Therefore, knowing how and when the apply heat and cold stress appropriately, is what we cover in this episode. Unfortunately, there are no set protocols for heat and cold stress, so this episode will teach you how to work with your body to create a protocol for yourself! Additional Resources: Deliberate Heat Exposure Protocols From Huberman Lab Use of Cold Exposure in Health and Performance How To Create Stability in Chronic Fatigue

Energetically expensive personality traits are ways of being that cost us energy. Firstly the energy that we expend from being driven to operate outside of our capacity and secondly the energy from the hidden stress of denying our own authenticity. In this episode Anna highlights some of the most important traits to be aware of and how they may show up in fatigue recovery. She talks about why these traits develop and why it is important to have a compassionate approach towards ourselves as we change them. She finishes with some suggestions around reprogramming these traits and some reflective journaling prompts that you can use to support you.  Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

Eating enough protein is a conversation we end up having with almost all of our clients. Eating enough protein is a conversation we end up having with almost all of our clients. Protein is important for our blood sugar, immune system, antioxidant systems, detoxification systems and much much more! But how much is optimal and how do we know that we can digest and absorb it all? In this episode Anna talks about why we should be conscious of our protein intake, considerations for optimising digestion and absorption of protein, how much protein we need exactly and how she goes about getting enough in her day!  Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/ Blood Sugar Mini Course: https://annamarsh.co.uk/courses/

A short episode with some words of wisdom to help you through the next crash or flare.  Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

There is never just ONE thing you need to do on your Chronic Fatigue Recovery journey. Instead it is the collective practise of multiple different things that slowly move the needle forward. In this episode Anna talks through a list of 20 things to consider on your Chronic Fatigue Recovery Journey. This episode might be helpful if you are just getting started and looking for some things to focus on. It could also be useful as a personal check in, to help you acknowledge what you are doing well, what you could be doing better or what you haven’t considered yet.  Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/ Take the Nurturing Resilience Nervous System Self Paced Course: https://annamarsh.co.uk/nurturing-resilience/

In this day and age, health is a privilege and recovering from a Chronic Illness can very quickly become an expensive business. In this episode Anna talks about how to heal when you have minimal or limited financial means. We talk about low cost and no costs actions that you can take to at the very least improve stability and increase quality of life. We talk about belief systems around what is possible and how the goal is to keep moving forward, one step at a time.  Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/ Take the Chronic Fatigue Recovery Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz Take a Mini Course: https://annamarsh.co.uk/courses/

How do we manage our Chronic Fatigue Recovery and also make space for life itself? When you live with a chronic illness you always have less options and less choices than someone who is typically "healthy". Even more so, when you have a low energy health condition, where do you find the energy to shoulder the extra workload of healing alongside living!? In this episode we talk about many of the challenges that people face when focussing on Chronic Fatigue Recovery (i.e. their health), responsibilities and also living! We discuss the importance of connecting with your life force energy, even when it is just a trickle! The importance of accepting and knowing what matters to you so that you can prioritise your time and energy into your view of a “normal life”. We discuss relating to others and managing their expectations and building confidence to do more as your body allows without going back to the old patterns that were unhelpful. This episode will help you to reflect on where you are in your journey, perhaps some things you are doing well and perhaps there are blindspots that could use your attention. Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/ Join Nurturing Resilience: https://annamarsh.co.uk/nurturing-resilience/

Is full recovery from Chronic Fatigue Possible? What does that mean? What does the journey look like and what does it entail? In episode 83 of the Chronic Fatigue and Burnout Recovery Podcast, Anna shares her thoughts on the idea of recovery. This is a general discussion about the importance of recovery stories and believing in the potential of recovery. She talks about factors that impact the healing timeline and her own experience of recovery to date. She highlights the importance of acceptance and giving space to grief and why focussing on improving quality of life may be more supportive for the nervous system. This episode may help you to reflect on some of your attitudes and beliefs about your own recovery and offer some words of wisdom as you navigate your own journey.  Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

Nervous system regulation is an important part of managing a Chronic Illness. No doubt, if you are having a chronic illness experience you have probably heard by now that you need to support your nervous system. But how do you do that? There seem to be so many different options available and it is hard to know what will work for you. The reality is, when it comes to supporting the nervous system, there isn't a one size fits all approach. We want to find the ways that work best for our system and do more of what works! In this episode Anna talks about all the different options for nervous system regulation. She shares some of her personal experiences with different modalities, what worked, what didn’t work and things that have helped her clients. She discusses pro’s and con’s of certain therapies and holds space for the fact that everyone heals a little differently and it is up to us to find what resonates best with our system.  If you know that nervous system regulation is a missing piece of your healing puzzle and you've felt confused about where to start or what therapies could be helpful for you, this episode will help you with some ideas to get the ball rolling. Useful links: Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/ Nurturing Resilience Program: https://annamarsh.co.uk/nurturing-resilience/ The Nurturing Resilience Program is a self-study program which will teach you tools for nervous system regulation in a slow and manageable way. It is ideal for those who are experiencing chronic health conditions such as CFS/ME, Long Covid, POTS, Autoimmunity or other complex chronic illness.