Management strategies

Fatigue can have a massive impact on a person's everyday life, turning routine activities into real challenges.

Psychological & emotional

1. Boom!

A person takes advantage of feeling energetic and does too much.

2. Energy dip

Their overactivity leads to a dip, causing fatigue, low mood or anxiety.

3. Bust!

This leads to a period of underactivity, where the person does very little.

4. Recovery

It takes time for the person to recover their physical and psychological capacity.

Boom & bust

Everything we do uses energy, and these demands can fluctuate over time.

For people struggling with cancer-related fatigue, the energy demand of a task can vary from day to day, hour to hour, or even minute to minute.

People with CRF often experience Boom & Bust, where they do too much when feeling good and then experience a big dip in energy.

In some cases, people may decide to save their energy to 'boom' on a special occasion, such as a family wedding, and plan for the 'bust' they know will follow.

Prioritising, Planning & Pacing

You can help to avoid the Boom & Bust cycle with the 3 Ps of fatigue management.

Create a balance of activities you need and want to do
Learn to say no. Delegate or drop tasks if you can
Look for activities that bring you joy

When prioritising, ask yourself:

What do I need to do?
What do I want to do?
What can be put off until another day?
What can I ask someone else to do for me?
What activities help me feel energised?

Plan ahead, including the tools for the task and time
Measure & track your energy use
Get help from others

When planning, consider how you manage your energy:

If you notice that your energy is lower at certain times, avoid planning more demanding activities for then
Plan breaks and changes to your activity
Find the type of rest you need, whether physical, mental or spiritual rest, or through being creative.

Break activities into smaller tasks and spread them out
Adapt activities to reduce energy demand
Chunk & rest

When pacing, be aware of the different demands that activities put on you:

Physically (moving, standing, reaching)
Mentally (concentrating, remembering, understanding)
Emotionally (excitement, stress, sadness)
Sensory demands (noise, light, temperature)

3 Ps example

Let’s consider what the 3 Ps might look like when cooking.

Prioritising

• Buy prepared vegetables and frozen ready meals.
• Ask a family member or friend to prepare some meals for you.
• Prepare and eat your main meal at lunchtime.

Planning

• Get everything you need ready before you start.
• Keep things you need most often together and near waist height to avoid bending or reaching.
• Cook large amounts and refrigerate or freeze extra portions.

Pacing

• Spread your preparation throughout the day – prep in the morning, cook in the afternoon, reheat in the evening.
• Sit regularly for short periods whilst preparing or stirring food.
• Take rests during and after cooking.

Learn to say no. You may find it hard to say no because you don’t want to miss an opportunity. Remember, by saying no to one thing, you can say yes to something you value more.

Management strategies