Symptoms

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) is characterised by persistent fatigue (exhaustion). Sufferers often feel so tired that they can’t complete normal daily activities.

I became ill for around 12 years with M.E or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome following a virus. I was a classical musician playing the viola in an orchestra with lots of concerts and travelling. I got in to a negative state of mind where I could find lots to complain about and lost sight of the positives. I had aches and pains, digestive problems, felt stressed and was sleeping badly. I found it hard to stop my mind going round and round. After the virus I returned to work for a month but was unable to carry on. I was badly affected by the illness and spent a lot of time housebound though fortunately not bed bound. I couldn’t do anything regularly and suffered bad headaches and muscle pain amongst other things. I had to give up my career as a professional musician. I found this quite devastating and very hard to adjust.

I was a classical musician playing the viola in an orchestra with lots of concerts and travelling. I got into a negative state of mind where I could find lots to complain about and lost sight of the positives. I had aches and pains, digestive problems, felt stressed and was sleeping badly. I found it hard to stop my mind going round and round. After the virus I returned to work for a month but was unable to carry on. I was badly affected by the illness and spent a lot of time housebound though fortunately not bed bound. I couldn’t do anything regularly and suffered bad headaches and muscle pain amongst other things. I had to give up my career as a professional musician. I found this quite devastating and very hard to adjust.

With the arrival of the hot weather this weekend, the pollen count is at its highest. This means misery for many hay fever suffers. Let's take a look at what causes hay fever and if there is anything we can do to lesson the affects.

Of late, the weather in the UK has been uncharacteristically hot. We are not used to it and nor are our homes - very few have air conditioning - which can often make it very difficult to sleep. However, meditation has been proven to aid sleeping - even if the issue is a short lived one.

In this blog we address a very common question, 'how are yoga and meditation different'? In the Western World, yoga and meditation are often portrayed in a similar way; for example you will see images of people sitting in yoga positions, hands in prayer, in a beautiful, peaceful scene. However the concepts are quite different.

I found Jung Shim almost a year ago at the World Yoga Festival with my mum. We both had a treatment and instantly felt the benefits. Although I work in the world of theatre, I am not being dramatic when I say Jung Shim has transformed my life. Before starting Jung Shim classes my energy was very depleted. I had worked hard and played hard all of my twenties and was suffering hugely. Over the years I have tried a catalogue of different treatments and I had various levels of success, but the effects were never long lasting. I was constantly getting ill with various infections, I had developed food sensitivities and I generally felt exhausted most of the time. I tried to cover this up – but underneath my cheery façade I was struggling so much.

Do you ever feel tired all day but the minute your head hits the pillow your mind goes into overdrive? Not only that, your thoughts move to worst-case scenarios and your imagination runs riot with negative ideas. You then start to worry that you’re not sleeping and so the cycle goes on. The result is seriously disturbed sleep. Anxiety or stress wake us up. However, there are ways we can control or limit anxiety which is often a result of our own thinking. 

We are often asked ‘how can I be mindful when I’m so busy?’ The idea of being mindful — being present and aware of your own thoughts and feelings as they happen — seems impossible when we are extremely busy. However, not only is it possible to practice mindfulness almost anywhere, it will also help the busy (and non-busy) achieve their goals in a relatively stress-free way.

Today, 30 July, is International Day of Friendship and whilst we all know the value of friends, we may not fully appreciate just how important these social interactions are for our health. Talking face-to-face without relying on electronic devises helps us solve problems, provides a sounding board and is a source of laughter, but it may also be helping to save our lives.