Counsellors with ME/CFS – A Guide to Managing Energy

Energy Management for Counsellors With ME/CFS.

Are you a counsellor who manages chronic illness or low energy issues? In this blog I'm sharing some of my personal experiences as a counsellor who has lived with ME/CFS since 2011, and some of the effective strategies that will help you manage your energy and work effectively.

You'll discover how to use gentle productivity, flexible planning as well as learn how to work with your energy efficiently.

Please note: This article is relevant for anyone with chronic illness or energy issues, not just ME/CFS.

*Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something via the link, I may receive a small commission. This doesn't affect the price you pay.

If you have any questions, reach out for a chat [email protected] or check out my other blogs

Understanding Low Energy Conditions

Low energy conditions like Chronic Fatigue (CFS) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) can be challenging, especially if you have responsibilities, you need to go to work, or if you run your own business.

One of the biggest struggles is the unpredictability of the condition, and the suddenness that the fatigue or malaise can hit. It's what makes consistency difficult, which for counsellors with ME/CFS, can be highly frustrating and disruptive.

One of the key things to focus on when setting up or managing your business, is gaining a good understanding of how the condition impacts you, and how your energy ebbs and flows during the days / weeks / months.

Common Symptoms

ME/CFS is a very misunderstood and complex condition that affects people differently. There are those with extreme ME/CFS, who are unable to leave their bed and who are incredibly unwell. For others, some semblance of a normal life can be maintained.

The sliding scale of severity can help you identify where you fit, although this isn't an absolute, and for many of us, we move up and down the scale quite often.

The ME Association have produced a PDF to help you identify where you are on the disability scale.

Whitney Dafoe contributed to some research exploring disease severity where they created this scale:

For those with mild / moderate symptoms, management is the key goal, learning to work with your energy and creating a life where the boom / bust cycle is well managed.

Some common symptoms of ME/CFS include:

Fatigue: The fatigue experienced is so much more than feeling tired. It's indescribable, but it can be easier to relate to flu-like fatigue. It's an extreme fatigue that affects every part of your body, and it's a persistent fatigue that doesn't improve once rested.

Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM): This is known as the payback and is the ‘bust' from the boom / bust cycle of ME/CFS. It's the onset of extreme fatigue and other flu-like symptoms following some activity – whether this is a walk or a visit to the doctor.

It can hit quickly, or happen a day or two after the ‘event'. This ‘crash' can last for days or weeks and makes life very difficult to manage.

Physical Symptoms: Physical pain is common, with many experiencing painful and aching limbs, frequent headaches, muscle pain, eye and jaw pain, sore throat, and enlarged and tender lymph nodes.

Sensitivity: Issues with sensitivity can be intense, leading to over stimulation, and PEM. Sensitivity to sound, light, smell, taste or touch can lead to sensory overwhelm, making it difficult to attend work / school / uni / social events.

Cognitive Issues: This is a broad umbrella symptom, referring to issues like brain fog, memory issues, processing problems, and an inability to concentrate.

Mental Health: The mental and emotional strain from dealing with the onset of conditions like ME/CFS can cause mental health issues, from anxiety to low mood and depression.

Having life as you know it turned upside down, can be difficult to process and accept. Added stress and mental health issues can further increase the fatigue experienced.

This article by The ME Association describes the symptoms in much more depth, as well as the different severity levels of ME/CFS.

Energy Management

Energy management is one of the first things that specialists will encourage you to work on. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, from pacing to increasing your rest breaks and staying within your energy limits.

Counsellors with ME/CFS will need to focus on this in order to create a level of consistency and to minimise disruptions or the risk of ‘crashes'.

A Crash is the term used by many to describe the onset of a period of time where symptoms are worsened and people feel acutely unwell.

The goal therefore, is to minimise the risk of an ME/CFS crash through using energy management techniques like these:

Pacing: This is a well known method for managing energy and is something usually recommended to everyone with ME/CFS. Pacing is a self-management technique that takes all activity into consideration – from physical movement to cognitive work.

It isn't a cure, but it is a way for you to create a more balanced approach to the energy that you use each day. The overal goal is to remain within your limits to prevent a crash.

Intentional Rest: Choosing to rest can be challenging when you have ME/CFS or similar conditions. Often this is because when you're forced to rest so often, choosing to do this when you have a little energy left feels like the last thing you want to do.

However, using rest as part of your overall energy management strategy will lessen the risk of crashes, and improve your consistency overall. Counselling is a high energy activity, so ensuring that you are getting enough rest is crucial.

Lifestyle: Sleep is often unrefreshing, so creating a simple but effective evening routine can help you feel more rested leading up to sleep. This can contribute to feeling a little more energised the following morning.

Your diet and nutrition can also play a massive part in managing your energy. My body does not like it if I eat highly processed foods for more than a couple of days. My fatigue levels worsen considerably, and it can take days to feel more energised.

Staying connected with friends and loved ones helps your mental health and overall wellbeing. While it can be too difficult to meet with friends at times, staying in touch can help you to still feel included and part of your circle.

Mindset Challenges

The unpredictability of ME/CFS can impact your confidence and belief in yourself. When nothing feels certain, it can hard to trust yourself, which can then lead to a sense of guilt and shame for not being able to do what you should be able to do.

Counsellors with ME/CFS may feel pressured to keep pushing through to ensure that client work takes place.

The problem with this though, is that pushing through will almost always lead to payback at some point – meaning you're unable to do anything else other than client work, or you could trigger an intense crash.

The feeling of not being good enough or capable enough to do your job can also be very triggering, especially when dealing with such a misunderstood condition.

The thought of letting people down can be too much, leading to the need to push through and simply ignore your health and energy levels until you have no choice but to stop.

Being confident in yourself and truly knowing that your value or worth is not based upon your achievements, can help you find peace with yourself. These were things that I worked through with my own counsellor, and is what helped me lessen the pressure I had put upon myself to prove my worth.

The Power of Acceptance

Acceptance can be pivotal, and is one of the very first things I work on with my clients. Acceptance of the condition, of themselves and their new reality can be completely freeing, enabling them to focus on managing and improving both their mental and physical wellbeing.

When so much time and energy is spent on fighting the illness, often with little to no change, it's important that you instead put that energy into making your life easier and more enjoyable alongside the condition.

Acceptance is not giving up or admitting defeat; it's a way to give yourself back power. When you accept that this is something you need to manage, you can find ways to make it work for you. You can begin to look forward and approach things with a solution – focused attitude.

This can help you make the best decisions for both yourself and your clients, and give you the confidence to work as a counsellor alongside your illness.

Realistic Approach

For counsellors with ME/CFS, my advice is to be in a position where you always have space to recover and recharge if you need to. One on one counselling sessions take a lot of energy.

Because of this, consider how realistic your current or planned client numbers are. Think about all of the other activities that will also need your attention when you set up your counselling practice, or begin your work / placement.

Acceptance of your actual reality will enable you to make the best choices for yourself as well as your clients. When you are able to look at these limitations in a more realistic way, and without shame, you can find a way to manage your client work and create a counselling practice that fits with your needs.

Reflect & Review

This realistic approach enables you to be aware of both your abilities and your limitations. Regularly check in with yourself to assess how well you have been managing with your current workload. Make any necessary changes, be flexible with yourself, and do so with compassion.

Ask yourself some questions to help you gain clarity of what will work best for you:

• How many client hours could I do that will not put me into the PEM / crash cycle?
• How much time will I need to rest and recharge following a client?
• How will I spread my week out to ensure that I don't use high energy in one clump?
• How much time will I need and have to complete admin work?
• What is my plan for low energy weeks / days?
• How will I manage cancellations / rearranged appointments?
• How can I add more rest into my day / week?
• Are there certain times when I struggle more than others to stay present with my clients?
• When do I feel most energised and focused?

Regularly reviewing and checking in with yourself will enable you to plan for these things and bring a feeling of security and control.

Honesty with yourself is vital. While you may be able to maintain a few super busy days here and there, if this is prolonged, you're increasing the risk of burning out completely and being forced to take longer periods of time off.

Frequently reflect and review your working habits, monitor your energy levels each week, and make adjustments when needed. This clarity will help you maintain a good, balanced way of working.

Transparency With Clients

This may not be something you've considered, but being transparent with your clients can be a great way to manage your workload effectively. For example, if you need to make last minute changes to your schedule because of your health, having a client base who understand that this could happen, is essential in maintaining trust and meeting their expectations.

*This may vary for different therapeutic approaches or workplace demands, and this was one of the main drivers for setting up my own private practice.

In my private practice I predominantly work with others who have chronic illness, so within the contract I am clear on potential disruptions. Due to their own health struggles, it's something that I respect as well when they are unwell. For example, I do not change a late cancellation fee if they are too unwell to make the call.

Ideally, managing your energy to avoid being unable to meet with clients is preferrable, but it's not always possible, no matter how many things you put in place.

My advice is to:

• Review your current practice, and make any changes if patterns are identified.
• Pay attention to times / dates where you've found it more difficult to meet with clients.
• Create low energy gaps between clients to minimise PEM.
• Speak with your employer / supervisor to discuss caseload.
• Discuss with clients in the introduction call & create a workable contract that benefits both you and them.

If you are able to, and if you feel comfortable enough to, be open with your clients. How you approach this is something you could discuss with your supervisor or tutor if you're still studying.

Gentle Productivity Methods

I love gentle productivity, and it's something that you can embrace as well to help maintain a workable, but flexible daily routine.

There are lots of extra things in your business that need your attention outside of the counselling hour, so finding a way to manage your business efficiently is key.

Realistic Goals

Set yourself realistic goals. Counsellors with ME/CFS may need to expand their business in other ways to minimise the financial impact.

For example, you may want to add additional income streams to your business, but taking on more 1-1 clients is not possible. To overcome this, you could consider passive or semi-passive income.

This is something that I introduced, and it helps lessen the pressure to earn from client work significantly.

Use gentle productivity methods such as Habit Stacking, Task Batching and flexible planning. Get comfortable with taking more breaks!

If you do expand your business, staying on top of things is key to lessen the risk of overwhelm. There are lots of tips that I share throughout this blog, as well as time saving digital products and downloads ot make life a little bit easier.

You can read more about Gentle Productivity here:

Flexibility & Plan B

Flexible planning and working is key to managing the unpredictability that comes with chronic illness. It's another f my go-to gentle productivity tips, and helps me stay focused, but flexible with my goals and work.

When you know you have alternative solutions, you don't feel as stressed or as under pressure, which supports a positive outlook and lessens the impact that emotional energy can have.

Create Your Own Plan B:

As well as my ‘normal' plans, I also have a low energy Plan B that I use during my lower energy days or weeks. This plan details the essential things that I need to do in my business.

For example, client calls, essential admin tasks. The rest is left for when my energy improves. This Plan B approach has helped me limit the amount of calls I have to cancel due to my energy levels, or general times of sickness.

Top Tips for Counsellors with ME/CFS

To finish this blog, here's a quick roundup of my top tips for managing a therapy practice when you have a chronic illness like ME/CFS:

• Full awareness of your energy cycles and patterns.
• Embrace energy management strategies.
• Have clarity around your abilities and limitations.
• Nurture your mindset and lean towards acceptance not self-judgement.
• Use gentle productivity methods even when you're feeling more energised!
• Create a plan B, and automate where possible.
• Be transparent with your work / clients.
• Seek additional support when needed.
• Prioritise your own health and wellness.
• Increase your rest breaks.
• Plan using your energy cycles as well as your to-do list!

Remember, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for counsellors with ME/CFS, but there are things that you can do to make it easier to manage your business successfully.

Tools, Resources & Support

Each post I add my favourite tools and resources, so here are some more just for you to support with flexible planning, business growth & mindset support.

Sunsama – A brilliant task management that is perfect for busy and neurodiverse minds who easily find themselves overwhelmed and distracted. grab a free 2 week trial and free month!

Time Audit – Gain a clear understanding of exactly where your time and your energy is spent. Highly recommend doing this if you're planning to focus on increased productivity.

Canva Pro – Upgrade your content design with Canva Pro. Explore the enhanced features available in Pro. Grab your free trial here.

Etsy – Are you ready to create your own online store? Etsy is a brilliant shopping platform that's used by millions. Setting up your store is simple, and when you sign up with this link we both get 40 free listings!

Task Batching – I created this task batching / brain dump workbook to help you get to grips with batching tasks. You can also read the post here for further info!

Pinterest Guide – If you're looking to get into Pinterest, I highly recommend Amy's free guide and Pinterest course. It's up-to-date for 2024 & she also has a brilliant course for only $67 that's updated frequently. (I have a 50% discount on the course using this link SEO and the code RANK)

Final Thoughts

I understand how difficult it can be to manage a business alongside a chronic illness like ME/CFS. The uncertainty that comes with unpredictable and fluctuating energy levels can be frustrating.

There are subtle ways you can make things easier for you, including gentle productivity, flexible working and focusing on managing your energy more effectively.

One of the key things I have learned is to not overdo it when I have energy. Don't get me wrong – it's taken years to get to this point – the sheer excitement of having energy makes it almost impossible to stop!

However, since I have reigned it in during these times, I've been able to be more consistent and sustain the momentment I've built.

While I am one for being transparent with clients about my health, I am aware that this is probably a little easier for me because I run my own practice, and because I choose to work with others who are also dealing with similar health issues.

Take care of yourself and make rest your best friend – not your enemy. I totally get it – enforced rest makes you not want to rest ever again… But, self care includes rest, and with gentle productivity, you can create a sustainable work / life balance.

I would love to hear your thoughts & discover what helps you as a counsellor with ME/CFS or other chronic illnesses!

If this post helped or you enjoyed reading it, please share one of the images below as it really helps my blog – Thank You!

Meet Lynsey

Hey there! I'm Lynsey, a coach, counsellor, and mentor for low energy, introverted or low confident female coaches & small business owners. With over 5 years’ experience of running businesses, and over a decade as a tutor and trainer, I've learned the value of effective time management that energises you through working with your energy.

I've lived with chronic illness – ME/CFS since 2011 and since then I re-trained as a counsellor, and achieved a distinction for my MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice; all while running 4 businesses! I want that for you as well & it is possible with the right support and pathway to success.

Improving your mindset, finding acceptance and developing a solution-focused approach to achieving your goals is my passion. Blending mental health support where needed, as well as a supportive space and methods to manage your work more effectively.

If you'd like to know more about working with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on socials (links in the menu)

Have you seen my online store Shop.QuietlyConquer? Find DFY templates, downloads & more!