Pacing isn’t always easy. What we need to do to help us recharge (whether for mental or physical health, or both) is often not obvious, because it varies depending on what level we are functioning at. Curling up with a good book can be unmanageably exhausting at one level, but a lovely recharging break at another.
 
This A4 recharging ladder poster is a way to note what helps when – both to help yourself remember and to help other people understand your choices. It comes as either an unlaminated version so you can write your pacing guide as a reference point to help you through rough patches, or as laminated, so you can plan your day/week/recharging period.
 
It has 6 boxes on the LHS to write your symptom level - from red (severe), through amber to green (pretty good - for you) and corresponding boxes for the things that will help you recharge at that level - and help you climb up to the next rung on the ladder.
 
How to use the recharging ladder:
To support your self management, complete the sheet by writing your personal functioning levels in the left hand column of spaces, and the activities that help you recharge when you are at that level in the corresponding gap between the ladder rungs.
 
Everyone’s functioning levels will be different. Your top rung should be something realistic for you personally – for example something you would be well enough to do on one of your better days, not something you might only manage a couple of times a year. Your bottom rung should also be a familiar level of functioning – a level you will routinely be at when you have done too much, or had a particularly busy (for you) few days.
It can take time and effort to work these out, so you might find it helpful to list your recharging activities on a separate piece of paper, then sort them into the appropriate levels – and only write them onto the actual recharging ladder once you have the outline planned.
 
(Get in touch using the ‘contact us’ button at the top of the page if you would like to place a bulk order for these)