Low-Energy Living: A Gentle Routine for Flare Days

This morning, I woke up tired, my body aching and brain fog making the world seem confusing and words hard to find. I need to write this blog post, and yet when my body is struggling it always feels as if I have to let go of my expectations for the day and instead face reality. These flare days are not lazy, they are all about survival, so it feels like the perfect day to tell you about a gentle routine for flare days. This is what these days really look and feel like.

What a “Routine” Looks Like on Flare Days

Most of my life has felt pretty rigid, routine has helped me to make it through the day, and that helps me to not forget things I need to do. However, over the last few months I have been trying to let go of such rigid living. I have instead started to see life as a flexible rhythm, I have things I would like to do, but I can move things around should I need to.

Letting go of guilt around rest, and honouring what my body needs, seeing this as a sacred part of my life and the amount of energy I have. Adapting my routine to match my energy, not pushing my body to fit my routine, has changed everything.

My days now revolve around rest, spending time in bed watching TV and resting before getting up. I then might have a shower, or do ten minutes cleaning, which is followed by time resting and reading if possible. My afternoons generally are about my hobbies, Youtube, or writing, and gentle evenings on the sofa playing Animal Crossing. I then might do gentle exercise before bed so I can rest and recover as I sleep, my days concentrated on rest and no longer about stress, worry and guilt.

What Rest Really Looks Like (It’s Not Always Peaceful)

This morning however, my day did not look the way I had hoped, I was tired and foggy and needed to rest. I curled up on the sofa, half sat up, not very comfortable, and half watched the TV with my mom.

The reality is that rest is not always cosy and aesthetic, it might include half watching TV, doomscrolling because you are too tired to concentrate. It might also be because you are in pain and unable to get comfortable enough to sleep.

But the point is that rest is essential care, we don’t need to earn it or look a certain way in order to be accepted by society. It is about finding a gentle routine for flare days, and doing what our body needs to get through them.

The Emotional Side of Low-Spoon Days

It can be so hard to see rest as essential and needed in a world that rewards productivity and pushing to your limits. Guilt and grief can be overwhelming when we feel we should be doing more and seeing the life you wanted so different to the life you have to live.

I often find myself feeling disconnected from society, as if it is another dimension because I so rarely leave the house. And on flare days, I can feel like my magical practice is so far away from me and what I can do.

But these feelings are part of the experience of living with chronic illnesses and are not a comment on you or a personal failure. Finding a gentle routine for flare days can be so good for our mental and physical health and helps us to reframe those bad days when they happen.

Tiny Rituals of Normalcy & Comfort

When our plans get interrupted by fatigue or pain, it can be so easy to spiral into depressive thoughts or overwhelming emotions. Taking the time to add small anchors into the day can really prevent this, and for me it is all about mindfulness (of course). <br><br>

I will often take small comforts in moments like having a cup of tea, I might take it in bed or by a window overlooking our garden. Taking time to be present and to notice the details outside, I might read a fiction book or spend some time in meditation.

These moments can be touchstones; it isn’t about ticking off jobs or being productive it is about finding moments of comfort. Moments that can be weaved into your flare days, and can create a lovely feeling of productive and soothing rest.

Redefining What “Enough” Means

Society teaches us that our self-worth comes from productivity, but if we redefine success for ourselves, and see rest as ‘doing something’ it changes everything. Because when we live with chronic illness, success is listening to our bodies, choosing rest and getting through the day.

Often, for us, caring for ourselves on flare days is enough and instead of looking to people who don’t have illnesses, we need to decide to choose rest and wellness. Choosing a slower, gentle, compassionate life that is every day no matter how we feel, will make our physical and mental selves healthier.  

Flare days need deserve more care, not criticism, and we need to adapt the way we see ourselves and our worth away from society. We need to release that pressure put on us by the people around us, society and ourselves so we can find a gentle routine for flare days.

You’re Still You, Even on Low-Energy Days

I want to reassure you that you have not lost yourself and your identity and worth will not disappear with your energy. Even when you are resting, you are still whole and you are allowed to find a gentle routine for flare days and to live gently. So, I hope you can show yourself more compassion and care next time your body wakes up tired and you have so little energy to get through your day.

Thank you xx

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If you enjoyed this, you might also like:

• Chronic Illness, Identity & Letting Go
• When Your Body Says No
• Low-Energy Living: A Gentle Routine for Flare Days
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• How Late Winter Affects My Mental Health (and What Helps)