Fatigue Management

What Is Fatigue? Who Does It Affect?

Fatigue is a feeling of extreme tiredness and may limit your ability to function to the levels you are normally used to. Various conditions can cause people to experience fatigue including sleep disorders, nutritional deficiencies, infection, endocrine, neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, rheumatological and respiratory diseases, such as COVID-19. Fatigue can alter one’s physical capabilities by decreasing their strength and energy to do things. Therefore, it is very normal for those experiencing fatigue to have difficulty completing tasks that they would normally find easy to do. Fatigue can also impact people mentally by decreasing motivation, lowering mood, and limiting their ability to concentrate on tasks and remember things; this can be particularly challenging in the workplace.

Possible Symptoms

Physical:

• Breathlessness
• Difficulty completing all usual personal or household tasks
• Joint & muscle pain or weakness
• Reduced mobility
• Difficulty sleeping
• Reduced fitness levels
• Decreased balance
• Exercise-induced muscle fatigue and pain

Mental:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Reduced memory and/or attention span
• Feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope with stress
• Generally feeling unwell
• Decreased motivation
• Low mood
• Reduced productivity
• Social withdrawal/isolation

Please note, symptoms will be unique to each person, so you may not experience the same
symptoms as those experienced by others you know.

Fatigue Patterns

Experiencing fatigue can be extremely frustrating as you may now struggle to complete tasks that
used to be easy. It is common to struggle balancing between doing too little and doing too much.
It is important to continue being active and performing tasks to maintain your fitness and overall
wellbeing; however, this should be at a manageable intensity for you. If you are suffering from
fatigue, it is key to use strategies structured which are specific to you, and to not compare
yourself, and your symptoms, to other people. Below are some common patterns in those
experiencing fatigue.

Boom and Bust: Where you do too much and go into energy debt.

Avoidance: Where you do too little and lose strength and fitness.

Persistence: Where you keep going and ignore your body. Leads to exhaustion/injury.

Task Modification: Appropriate activity pacing with the energy currently available.

Management Strategies

Pace: Change the speed, time and intensity you do tasks

• Stop activities before you feel tired
• Take breaks throughout activities
• When having a better day, do not overdo it
• Slowly increase the amount/intensity of activity over time

Plan: Decide what, when and how you will do tasks

• Spread activities throughout the week
• Break big tasks into smaller steps
• Alternate heavy and light tasks

Prioritise: Understand what needs to be done and what can wait

• Try to include time for yourself and things you enjoy but first finish what must be done
• Balance what you ‘have to’ and ‘want to’ do

To help organise and balance your tasks throughout the day and week, use the Activity Tracker below.

Activity Tracker

To help organise and balance your tasks throughout the day and week consider using
the Activity Tracker below to see the impact of your daily activities on your symptoms
and function. This approach can help you to appreciate the effects of certain activities
and allow you to plan your day to prevent symptom exacerbation and promote
recovery.