The Basics of Pacing

Jakub Zylka-Zebracki

In the world of Long-COVID, Pacing is not just "resting"—it is one of the most powerful medication we have.

When your body is stuck in a "Post-Viral Crash," your cellular battery stops holding a charge. If you try to "push through" the fatigue, you aren't building strength; you are causing a biological injury called Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM).

I tend to call it the ‘Boom & Bust’ cycle — it makes more sense from the ‘build-up’ of tiredness and directs focus to activity levels which we can control. PEM is sort of vague term with undefined triggers.

Pacing is the art of stopping before you hit the wall, keeping your nervous system out of "Danger Mode" so it can finally begin to repair. Sounds simple but is not easy.

It is the one of the core skills I teach all my clients.

The Three Golden Rules of Pacing:

The 50% Rule: Do half of what you think you can handle. If you feel like you can wash the dishes, just clear the table instead.
Rest Before You Need To: If you wait until you feel tired to stop, you have already overdrawn your energy account.
Total Sensory Rest: Pacing isn't just sitting on your phone. It’s lying in a dark, quiet room (The "Cave") to let your brain and heart re-sync.

Stop Guessing, Start Tracking

Finding your "energy envelope" is hard when adrenaline masks your true fatigue. To help you find your baseline and stop the push-crash cycle for good, I developed a specific resource for this community.

Use the free pacing and energy management tool

By tracking your activity alongside your symptoms, you can finally see the "invisible" line before you cross it.

Pacing requires a lot of tweaking, tracking and support. This is what I spent often the most time on with my clients.

General Disclaimers:

Consult a professional: Pacing is a management strategy; always discuss your symptoms with a doctor to rule out other underlying conditions.
Listen to your body: If any activity causes chest pain or severe dizziness, stop immediately and seek medical advice.

#pacing

#longcovid

#longcovidrecovery

Pacing Tool