Weekly recovery guidance - ME/CFS and related illnesses.

s-porter4
Jul 28, 2025
2 min read

Weekly inspirational quotes, guidance & tips to support recovery from ME/CFS, Long Covid, Fibromyalgia and related illnesses.

Week 11 - 28/7/2025 (Post 14)

"The power of now!"

I cannot take the credit for the headline of this post. This is the title of a wonderful book, written by Eckhart Tolle. It was inspirational to me early on in my recovery journey, and focuses on the importance of being in the moment, of being aware of your current situation and of being present and truly mindful.

When I reflect on my illness I come up with a long list of things that did not serve me well and actually contributed to me becoming unwell in the first place. Very close to the top of that list was my reluctance to stay present throughout my life. It is futile to regret this, but I now realise that so much of my thinking was about the past and the future.

Why does this matter?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with reflecting on the past to learn from past mistakes, or to set goals for the future. Problems start when we are too frequently removed from the present moment. This can lead to anxiety, stress and ultimately, for me, a dysfunctional nervous system and a fearful brain on high alert.

Here are some examples of where my past and future thinking led to an onset and a continuation of ME/CFS symptoms.

Regrets about past mistakes.
Ruminating - unhelpful, repetitive and negative thoughts about the past and future.
Catastrophising about possible future events (virtually all of them never actually happened.)
Far too much thinking about things that I was unable to control.
Paralysis by analysis!
'What if' scenarios, or fortune telling about the future without sufficient information.

I now live my life in a far more present state (however, I still have a lot to learn.) I notice things that I wouldn't have previously e.g. the birds singing when I am walking, truly engaging in a conversation with a friend, I spend less time predicting the future, I am now far better at accepting the past and poor decisions that I have made, I acknowledge that I control what I can control and I do not over analyse before coming to a decision.

I have no doubt that this switch to living in the present moment as often as I can has been a major factor in the progress that I have made.

Remember that;

Yesterday is history Tomorrow is a mystery

Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present!

In the words of A A Milne

"You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem."

Until next week.

Stuart