Springtime Struggles: Navigating Chronic Fatigue During Seasonal Activities
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes - 12 minutes
Post summary:
Chronic fatigue can impact a person’s ability to plan outings during the spring
Various strategies can help such as bloom tracking, taking photos, practicing appreciation, and recognizing external pressure
All links are at the bottom of the post
There is a video of a bee inside a magnolia flower at the bottom of the post
The flowers of the Eastern redbud, Japanese cherry blossoms, and magnolia trees bring a breath of fresh air to the otherwise depressing NYC concrete landscape I am surrounded by. Unfortunately, they are only in bloom for a few weeks. Even more unfortunate, these trees are not everywhere - they live in various parts of the city (I won’t go into tree inequality and its correlation to racist housing policies, but trust me - it is a thing). Every season, I have big plans to trek to my favorite tree gazing spots; the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for the cherry blossom festival, the bay ridge pier to see the okame cherry trees, and Prospect Park to hang with the magnolia trees. Having chronic fatigue, however, causes barriers to participating in these activities, often leaving me in bed, exhausted, and disappointed.
If you don’t know, chronic fatigue is a condition in which a person experiences extreme exhaustion without any specific medical cause. The “chronic” part means that the person has been experiencing fatigue for a long time. Symptoms can vary, but my symptoms include muscle aches, weakness, temperature fluctuations, digestion discomfort, and headaches.
I wish I could say I always respond to my bodymind kindly when it has its limitations. But, as someone who has an overwhelmingly deep need to be connected to the land, not being able to do what I want, even for a day, can put me in a low mood. I have come up with various strategies, though, to help me make the most of the season even if I can’t do the things I want 100% of the time. What I write is not only intended to be an educational piece for you, but a reminder to myself this spring season. These tips aren’t perfect, but here is what I do:
Keep track of blooming time:
Fortunately, the New York Botanic Garden website and Central Park website have bloom trackers! The Central Park’s tracker focuses on trees while the New York Botanic Garden tracks blooming trees and other springtime favorites like daffodils. Trees often bloom together, so using the tracker can be helpful to get a general sense of when trees in other locations are in bloom. Once I see that trees are in pre-bloom or are already in bloom, I look at my schedule and identify tasks that I need to do outside and try to figure out how to incorporate visiting a tree that day. Understanding how the bucketing system works helps me to think about my scheduling while keeping in mind my energy levels. For example, if I have a doctor's appointment, I might plan to take a walk to the train station that is a bit further away after the appointment ends. During the walk I can decompress from the visit while simultaneously gazing at whatever sidewalk trees are in bloom.
Take an obscene amount of photos:
Most disabilities are dynamic, meaning that symptoms fluctuate in severity. This term was coined by Brianne Bianness, creator of the No End In Sight podcast (highly recommend you check it out). Knowing that my symptoms fluctuate, I don’t take for granted when my energy levels are feeling good. Taking a ridiculous number of photos of everything I am enjoying outside, like a blooming tree, is one way I make living with chronic fatigue a little easier. For me, the photo captures the tree’s beauty, but also the experience I had with the tree. When I am having a bad fatigue day, those photos gently remind me that nothing is stagnant.
Practice appreciation (in every moment):
I will admit that some of my favorite trees are the ones that bloom because of their dramatic and appealing aesthetics. It is hard to not be in awe of chunky pink flowers clustered together or large white flowers that have a soft and inviting scent. Favoring these visuals, though, can make it hard to notice the other wonderful qualities that the trees have throughout the year....like intricate leaf patterns and swoon worthy bark! If I miss all the tree blooms, or it is the middle of winter, I try to remember that there is always room for me to appreciate living beings just the way they are. Making an effort to incorporate appreciation in the moment is an ongoing practice, and it is helpful for me to follow people who engage in the same practice. Currently, I am appreciating this blog post on the subtle beauty of tree bark and this post about the seven lessons learned from leaves.
Recognize external pressure:
This is a big one - many people feel pressured to have fun when the weather is nice. This pressure, for some, can lead to what is called “summer anxiety.” It is real and I bet you have experienced it! I often feel this sense of urgency when springtime rolls around because so much feels at stake. Winters are often rough not only on my body, but on my mind. Warm weather means that I can finally move my joints with ease or my winter eczema flare will fade away. Or, I can finally get some natural vitamin D in my system and my mind isn’t as gloomy! Despite the anticipation, many of us don't have perfect summers. We have to work and continue our responsibilities even if the sun is shining. Recognizing this external pressure is important for me, as someone who will have to spend time recouping indoors even when everyone is talking about going outside. It isn’t just friends and family who add to this sense of urgency, but organizations, too. Many spaces make a ton of money during warm weather seasons because of their specific offerings. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a cherry blossom festival every year that is visited by thousands of people and all the rooftop farms have back to back events to supplement their income. Capitalism doesn’t take a break, especially in the summer. Taking time to identify the sources that are pressuring me gives me the option to shut out the noise when I need to - like avoiding social media on a bad flare day.
Well, that wraps up all the tips I have on how to manage chronic fatigue during spring - specifically when it comes to witnessing blooming trees. I have other strategies and approaches for different time sensitive activities, too, like sowing seeds. Maybe I’ll write a blog post about that next time? Let me know what you think - I can’t be the only person who benefits from these tips (or am I??)
All the links included in the post:
Video description: close up of a large white flower from the Southern Magnolia tree. The flower petals are large, thin, and round in shape. There are some stamens, which is where the pollen is produced, scattered at the base of one of the petals. The stamens are light yellow with pink at the end. Inside of the flower is a bee moving around the carpel, which is a yellow cone like structure in the middle of the flower. The bee has pollen on its body and is moving so quickly it falls to the side and then returns to the carpel.