Burn Out to Brilliance. Recovery from Chronic Fatigue | Linda Jones | TEDxBirminghamCityUniversity

in 2001 my whole world changed I thought I was dying my life had completely shattered into tiny pieces of broken glass I lost six whole years of my life I lost my home I lost my business I lost my marriage and I lost me to chronic fatigue syndrome I was completely burned out at the time I was in my early 30s but I actually felt more like I was a hundred and thirty that's what it felt like every single day it was like I've been injected with poison my body was shutting down my family and close friends couldn't see behind my smile what was going on I called it my world so what's my world feel like I want to take you to that place now put your handle up here who's had flu before put your hands up if you've had jetlag put your hands up honestly who's had a severe hangover to the point you'll say you'll never ever drink again but we all do don't we feel what that's like to remember it the headache the sickness everything aches in your body you feel disconnected from life and all you want to do is go and live breathe in a dark room and go to sleep and knowing after coupling you're gonna feel better Papa nurofen maybe an alka-seltzer and you're good to go well times that by 10 and 10 again and that's what it's like to live with chronic fatigue and also after having a couple night sleep it never ever leaves you it stays with you who here's a perfectionist people please them yes person doesn't like saying no the martyr strives to do the best and wants more out of life does this sound like you could this be you so what did my life look like before I was a very busy person I lived my life to the full I used to push myself I've got a bit of spare time do you know what I do I'd fill it and fill it again and finish again this was me I lived off that adrenaline loved it bring it on give me more more more more MORE I was a young businesswoman very successful driven by targets lived of chocolate any chocoholics here that was me living off coffee and these were my coping strategies to live off that high energy I'd wake up in the morning I'd leave the house at 5:00 a.m. most mornings her makeup suit on heels on and off I'd go for my day raring for that pressure to keep me running on that adrenaline knowing that I'd come home into the evening very late but that was okay I enjoyed it I thrived of it I then got married and was blessed with my two children Edwyn Emily life felt good I felt complete for me and then I started to feel that my tiredness my normal tiredness didn't feel quite right something was wrong I became more and more tired the timer's became deeper but I just kept going on it was fine I can keep this life going I guess what my first warning sign came in and I chose to ignore it because I'm the perfectionist I can keep going on this adrenaline so we had a family holiday we went off to Florida and our do tool and I had the solution 18 headache pain I had never ever experienced in my life my head felt like it was going to explode and I felt just very very well we landed arrived at the airport I was delirious I was completely out of it next minute I remember team of paramedics around me gave me a big shot of injection knocked me out for two weeks end of the holiday which returned back home life became normal again kept striving pushing myself guess what happened next second warning sign and this was a warning sign that could not be ignored this time I went to New York for a long weekend with my girlfriend what do we do in New York two girls leads party party party time we had great fun we shocked her we dropped we did a lot of sightseeing still kept pushing myself arrived back home and I contracted a virus for three months that never ever left me I couldn't even raise my arm to brush my hair the pain in my joints and muscles was excruciating the palpitations in my heart I felt my heart was going to explode memory loss I couldn't string a sentence together things were seriously going wrong and getting worse but I didn't know what was happening to me I would crawl on my hands and knees out of bed to get to the bathroom to have a shower we'd be like pins and needles the final straw was sitting a set of traffic lights - Mummy Mummy Mummy wake up we're on Green you've gotta go so my life I'd hide away nobody could see inside my world and nor did I want them to two years when I eventually I was told by a consultant you've got depression do you know you're making this up I believe that and I thought I was going mad at that point but I wanted to beat this I wasn't gonna accept that so I did a lot of research Benchley I went to seeing him knowledge East and I had a diagnosis of chronic fatigue and it was great in a funny kind of way fantastic we've got ants or to know what to do to them be told the hope that I had was taken away we don't know what to do with you you're gonna have to live with this the rest of your life these were dark dark days for a long time I felt isolated lonely in my world nobody understood and at that point I was going to take my life I then had a lightbulb moment after the long dark days and actually I'd written Emily needed me they needed them and these two children gave me my meaning and purpose back in my life they kept me going so I took action I had a choice I could create change to my life I accepted what was happening and thought right I just need a magic wand that's all I need is a magic wand to get my life back so I became my magic wand I worked with my positive mind not be a people pleaser anymore nurture me much - and I also worked my nutrition I start off every day with the smoothie or a juice and also work with my pacing so if I want to do what I want to do throughout that day I'd have it and have it again I worked with pain management to hot and cold showers and also worked with movement I was in so much pain I didn't want to move so I started with gentle walks and built up to yoga and it was okay to go and ask for help it's okay not to be okay so I worked with an app and a hypnotherapist and this all became my magic wand life's good now I'm fit healthy and well I'm in a really good place I'm still rebuilding and it's hard work but I believe in me and you can recover so I often tell people it's like living on the cliff edge you've right on my edge of that cliff edge if you drop over that cliff edge it's a long way back up so why do we live our lives on that cliff edge all the time pushing ourselves under so much pressure we all do it it's okay to take a rest why do we feel guilty to take a rest so I was in Wales recently and I was standing underneath this cliff and looked up and thought my god that's a long way and boy do I know it because I've been there but actually I started taking those steps at the other side of the cliff and you can do it you can get there a people to a part of my recovery was I was so passionate about helping other people who were going through a similar journey that I was going through so I decided to start from a single little thought I started a charity called Stella's fatigue Foundation and along with passionate committed team we have helped over 15,000 people start to change their lives and know they've got hope my other passion is about early intervention prevention so I go into workplaces and I help people with their strategies giving them knowledge and education of how to take better care of themselves so they don't make mistakes that I made and burnout so who here is living 24/7 under a lot of pressure if that sounds like you I'm giving you a thirst warning sign today you can't sustain that take better care of and I'll leave you with a message today what will you change today because it starts with you [Applause]

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 339,797

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Health, Life, Recovery

Id: Oht0-qKeUGE

Length: 13min 24sec (804 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 03 2020