Imagine you are a tank of gas in a car. Auto-immune and chronic illness patients run on 'e'. We run in the red. Every day. Because our bodies, even in our sleep, are fighting a war. So our baseline is in the red.

 

When we become super-fatigued, our line has gone from the red into absolutely nothing. Dry. Empty tank, and I mean literally.

 

So  we take a nap, or simply shut down and pass out, as in my case - haha! When our bodies refresh just enough to be in the red again (Not ¼ tank, not 1/2 tank,...in the RED) we can function again, because that is our baseline. But red is not energized. Red is not 'refreshed'. It is running on 'e'. It is simply conscious, and that's it.

 

It brings to mind Maslow's hierarchy. For those of you who don't know, Maslow said human needs run in a pyramid, from the bottom to the top. At the bottom is basic survival. That is the first need that must be filled before we go up the pyramid into the next need. At the very top of the pyramid is self-actualization, which many never reach, because we have all these needs in the middle which must be met before advancing.

 

Chronic illnesses keep our bodies, our somatic systems, in the very bottom of the pyramid. Survival. Simply living on a biological level. Air, water, breath. Our illnesses won't let us advance up the pyramid. We are simply SURVIVING. We will never run up a biological pyramid, where, say - the next need is becoming fit. Running a 5k, or even a marathon. We are running on empty.

 

So the next time you, as a patient, try to explain your fatigue to someone who simply does not get why you can't take a nap and feel better, maybe try to explain it like this.

 

Or if you are a spouse or friend or co-worker who doesn't understand why your partner/friend/family member can't get on with it - hopefully, this will explain it a little better for you!