Thank you man, appreciate your ongoing support. This would have helped me 5 years ago haha, but the next best time to start something is now, so now you know this idea!
Hey brother , could you do a video just on chronic back and neck pain ? There are soooo many other conditions and it just seems like some people may not receive the message being that all your videos are about CFS , just a thought my man , thanks for what you do
Or, in my case 23 years ago. Not a single doctor in all that time, with maybe a dozen specialists, has offered a single actionable suggestion to me. They are utterly useless with ME/CFS, although the last specialist did say '(with ME) you have a real thing'. Lol, that's progresss. This nervous system approach will accomplish far more than any doctor you're likely to see. Did I mention that doctors are useless with ME/CFS? Beyond useless, more likely to do harm, in fact. A majority seem incapable of ever admitting that they were absolutely wrong about ME for 40+ years. Even today, most have never read the published research. It exists but medical boards pretend that there is nothing known. No biggie, right? Just more people affected by ME than breast cancer, Parkinson's, and MS combined - with a completely disabling illness taking millions of people from productive lives for years at a time.
This is super helpful. Have been going talking to doctors for 3 months and they have been asking to just reduce stress, eat well and sleep well but no one explained what's happening with me and why I can't relax although I have 10% of stress I have handled
After decades of having ME/CFS I finally understand the principle of PEM (Post-Exertional Malaise)🙏🏼 thank you! And yes: when you see a picture of it, it stays in your mind ☺️Please continue with these diagrams 🤗
the content of your videos is very helpful. I also appreciate your style: you speak in a quiet calm voice, no music, not a lot of bright images. Some CFS videos are so loud and energetic that I just can't do it. thank you!
@@cfsrecovery And thank you so much for not having loud music at the end! ❤ A lot of us fall asleep during videos (no matter how interesting!), and music at the end can scare you awake and make your heart pound, which sure isn’t pleasant!
Are you for real? I say it because you're too good to be true. I am sure you got this illness to be able to recover and guide others in their wayS to a live full of health. God has blessed you.. Keep doing this wonderful job!!
Thanks 🙏🏼 for another video and great analogy. True the body’s job is to bring us to homeostasis and that’s the blue area where we feel better & I agree that takes time that we shouldn’t rush. 👍🏼
Exactly! I think this pendulum example paints the perfect picture, especially for when people feel symptoms they somewhat understand what's going on. Not knowing why you're feeling horrible only adds to the anxiety!
Nothing worse then when you crash & you know there is no way out but rest up..Just hoping it will only be a less then a week crash.. Thanks for the information Helps to keep us on track to recovery 😇
Think this is the best explanation I've heard yet! Really loved this, saved the video into my recovery ME you tibe section so I can watch it over and over again and not forget this ever!!!! So useful.
I think this is one of my most important informational videos I put out because it really breaks it down in the simplest way possible. Glad it really helps you understand things a lot better😀 thanks for your support!
This is incredible. I wish more people could see this!!! Lately I can feel myself being more in the blue but have crashed a couple times recently, I think I have been feeling so good I pushed too much. But over the last few months I really have turned a corner. This analogy helps so much
I've been following your page for 6 months now, and I just ran into this gem! It was easy to engage with this well thought out visual explanation of how our nervous system find balance and what our symptoms mean when it comes to recovery. Much appreciated, I will become a thriver!
Thank you Miguel. GREAT VIDEO. The issue I have is that I can have a day with low symptoms...feel good so do stuff...feel good ....the symptoms do not 'hit' me til the next day . then I am like 'Oh i did too much !' . So I have never been able to find that blue zone. Trying now to stop myself doing too much even on a good day - do some stuff but not over do it. Finding the baseline is tough. That Dr who taught u this mind /body stuff needs a frikken medal. I wish a Dr had told me the stuff u learnt 15 years ago ! I may not have gone through this living hell .
I'm so glad that is it timely for you Lisa! Thank you for your kind words and I hope you understand that the flare ups and all are all part of the journey. When you accept that, it becomes way easier!
Thank you, I'm glad it makes sense! This is one of the concepts that really help me understand what was going in my body and explain why I would feel better and worse, and why those symptoms would come and go at seemingly random times
people are suffering from cfs for years i can't handled it for a month straight i completely gave up and diagnosed with cfs and started learning it from u now i feel somewhat better
What you need to understand it that all recovery starts from your brain. You need to retrain your brain to handle symptoms, have more patience with yourself and to be believe that you can recover!
This ”diagram” is just great Miguel!! It not only is good for me to illustrate the importance of how to start introducing activities in an amount that I don’t get to much symptoms, it also is great when explaining to other people how this process of living with ME works and how to recover from it. Thx thx thx!!
Wow! This analogy is so helpful and interesting. Thank you for all you are doing to help so many of us out there! Looking forward to your future videos and interviews
@@cfsrecovery Hello Miguel. I am still struggling somewhat as I am working on myself to calm my nervous system down and to build my reserves. Just want you to know that you are very helpful and inspirati
Don't forget the most important issue - the lymphatic system. There is much more lymph fluid in the body than blood. Blood feeds the body, lymph filters the body. We must keep the lymph moving by either moving, exercising, rebounding, etc and/or deep diaphragmatic breathing. The lymphatic system is the most important factor for human health. It is all-too-often overlooked.
Glad you understand it! I try to simplify the concept and give analogy's so that people understand what they're going through. More understanding = less anxiety about what's going on
Yes, very similar. For migraines check out my brain retraining video, I used to get horrible migraines triggered from the smallest things like bright lights and loud noises.
I am a visual learned and my nervous system doesn’t want me seeing anything that it is going to do next lol. Now I can see the big picture! Thank you so much for helping us with your own experience.
Lol. I'm thrilled that I could help you see the big picture and provide insights based on my experiences! It's great to hear that my content resonated with you as a visual learner. Understanding our nervous system and how it impacts our actions can be a game-changer in the journey toward recovery. Best wishes to you!
@@cfsrecovery I'm doing good but not 100%. I'm learning new things everyday from this illness. 3 weeks ago i eat noodles and that was my huge mistake. I got fatigue again. In this illness what we eat is also the main thing. Now I'm focusing living a normal day without any symptoms for atleast 6 months. Then I'll think about doing cardio exercises. .... please continue your videos. Those are hope and motivation for us ❤️. (& Sorry for my poor English because Its not my first language)
i was doing ok till my son and granson came to live with me now i feel so bad he was 3 when he came now he is 4 only 61 days to go of looking after him then he will be gone this has helped me understand what i need to do thank you so much
Dear Miguel., I am so grateful i found you. After 20 years with cfs you made me and so many people understand this painful mystery. Thank you so much!! Can you please help me out with this two big issues: 1. How to deal with the endless fatigue? What can I say to myself in order not to be so devastated from it? 2..Do you familiar with the symptom of extreme intolerance to coldness? It is if i became an animal with "cold blood" (damaged thermostat?)… warm closes don't help much. Bless you
Thank you for your kind words ❤️😊. Have a look at these videos to get a better understanding of what's going on and how the body is trying to recalibrate itself. th-cam.com/video/Z5Bd6uM_oWE/w-d-xo.html Also, here's a playlist I created that will help you deal with symptoms if you're looking for more info on specifics: th-cam.com/play/PLJT8-UVmfsmKHgGkCQPKkmHgZL11LqvJa.html. I hope these helps! 😊
Very clear analogy Miguel, thanks a lot! One question: if we stay in the blue zone all the time, we won't be able to expand our activities over time, right? Or will we? I thought that, in order to make progress and be able to do more and more over time without many symptoms, I regularly need to push my nervous system a little bit till a 2 or 3, as you call it. I thought I won't make progress if I only stay within the blue zone. But now I am confused, because you write that we should stay in the blue zone most of the time and let our bodies stabilize and heal. Please explain. Thank you for all you work and inspiration!
Hey there. You're welcome for all the content. Yes I did say you should try to stay in the blue zone **most of the time** and let the body stabilize and heal. "Most of the time" is important here. This means that you CAN venture outside that safe zone every now and then because you do need that stimulus to progress.
@@cfsrecovery Hello Miquel. Got a question about this answer. Is the blue zone expanding anyway if you stay in the blue zone or will it only expand when you stimuate the progress by venturing outside now and then. My theory/thinking is that the blue zones expands when the fear becomes less with the time. Am i ok with this thought? Keep up the good work. May God reward you for helping people.
I’m worried that I’ve got to the no return phase. Pushing through and enduring really stressful situations, because I had to, has caused more symptoms. I always thought my nervous system would calm, but stress kept coming and now I’m such a bigger mess. This is very informative, but I’m scared. Thank you
Great chart thanks. with work I tend to dive into those reds. When I get long breaks from work I guess I go blue. But then work again back to reds I see the pattern now. It’s a loop need permanent blue zone
Well it's really good that even when you go into the red during work days you're able to come back to the blue zone quite quickly. (quite quickly as in within a day or 2), so that's awesome and that means your body is on the right path to healing. Your next goal would be to be able to do whatever you're doing right now without feeling all the symptoms. If you can get through your typical week without feeling any symptoms or at least less symptoms than 2-3 weeks ago that's a tell tale sign that you're on the right path. Continue to adjust your activity and stress levels outside of work
@@cfsrecovery Thanks for the information. It’s actually when I’m between jobs is when I eventually go into the blue. So months go by without working. However I do feel I am improving getting stronger despite the symptoms returning
@@cfsrecoverythat is impossible if you are bedridden. If i would not move even a Finger than maybe no symptoms but we all have to eat right. That causes symptoms, how to avoid that?
Dang well it sounds like your body stabilized in a state of chronic pain. That happened to me and that’s why I I just could not get out of my bed without feeling absolutely horrible. This is where the brain retraining is necessary to get you out of the hole
Nice analogy!! I'm currently reading Dan Neuffer's book CFS Unraveled and it's so helpful...in your diagram here are the two sides representing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?
Hi Karen, I've heard many good things about that book! I'll have to look into that someday. As for the diagram, no. The two sides represent your body out of balance. I explain the diagram at around 1:50 in the video!
@@cfsrecovery ok got it thanks! Dan Neuffer has a similar analogy but he talks about being careful not to go outside your "envelope" of energy, and as you little by little increase your efforts, then your "energy envelope" gets bigger--similar to your "blue zone" that you talk about here. I love your videos, thanks!💖
i think the biggest problem at least for me is that i have no memory of the blue zone for more than 10 years now. Brain retraining doesn't get me to the point of blue zone. :(! That's probably the biggest problem with people having this shit. We can't get into the blue zone so we cant get new experiences of the no symptoms zone. Just constant pain 24/7 all over in different places
Good question, to be honest it’s not my place to say because I don’t understand your exact situation and legally I can’t recommend you anything. I can only share what I’ve experienced. I would advise to reach out and discuss this with your doctor! Hope you understand.
I am one of those you mentioned, Miguel, who rests all day and still seems to be getting worse. I understand now how to react to symptoms, I am trying my best to stay calm and neutral (about symptoms at least), yet I have been getting worse for the past two months. I can't rest any more than I am already - I do almost nothing as it is. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. It's quite frustrating.
You are not doing nothing wrong, Laura! I understand it can be quite frustrating but it really takes a lot of resilience and acceptance to get through it and brave the journey to recovery. Don't give up!
How are you now? If you find more rest is really not working... The polyvagal theory says that when you feel you can't move, your nervous system is in a freeze state. And what it needs is assurance that it is safe to move. So try to move a little bit maybe every 20 minutes, even if it's just to lift your finger and remind yourself that you can indeed move. You could also raise a limb, or rock gently, or squeeze and release muscles Your mental state is important to reinforce the safety message. So believing that this is just temporary helps. Doing somatics like gently stroking your skin reminds yourself that your body is intact and safe. Looking around the room with curiosity, reminds your limbic system that there is no threat to your ability to keep pumping blood and keep breathing air. So even though your symptoms are unpleasant, they don't mean danger to you.. Although you may feel quite miserable with symptoms, you keep reminding yourself by movement and messages that you are safe, because misery can quickly feel life threatening giving stress messages to your nervous system which will make it stay longer in the freeze state because it is trying to protect you from danger
Good question, to be honest it’s not my place to say because I don’t understand your exact situation and legally I can’t recommend you anything. I can only share what I’ve experienced. I would advise to reach out and discuss this with your doctor! Hope you understand.
I'm probably not crashing anymore I'm finally coming back to full capacity but I'm still very mindful you help me a lot and I'm dealing with long covid-19
@@cfsrecovery nothing at all I do have hypomobilty but my father had CFS got over it I've read lit people with hypomobilty get more sycosomatic problems I've had migraines in past nitnow severe fatigue not as bad now sinus problems ok now after few ops drs say migraine if body to find to guess what you want I've had what Claire weekes described can't take deep breath in past and OCD
So what if my system is now afraid of everything? A friend coming by to bring flowers sends my body into panic? It's gotten worse since losing my job and being bedbound for the most part
Yup, this definitely sounds like a hypersensitive nervous system. In someone with a hyper-sensitive nervous system, these symptoms can be more pronounced and more easily triggered. This can lead to a cycle where emotional distress leads to worsening neurological symptoms, which can in turn lead to further emotional distress.
Hello Miguel sir.... greetings....i am completely cfs patient from last 2 years ...completely dependent on someone.....but i am trying seriously reback my self from last 6 months ....in 6 months 2 times major setback s ....but by god grace i am able to do some activities in limited period.... everything is bearable....except internal tremor s 24/7 mAssive range after resting also no stoping...as well as dizziness, vertigo, massive pains,.how much time it will take dis apperance of tremor s theirself .... kindly clarify my dear friend..... thank you
Yeah but why can i do less and less after it calibrates? If it would come back to the same point where it starts thrn no Problem but people ending up with a lower baseline.thats the big Problem here
to be honest it’s not my place to say because I don’t understand your exact situation and legally I can’t recommend you anything. I can only share what I’ve experienced. I would advise to reach out and discuss this with your doctor! Hope you understand
Good question, to be honest it’s not my place to say because I don’t understand your exact situation and legally I can’t recommend you anything. I can only share what I’ve experienced. I would advise to reach out and discuss this with your doctor! Hope you understand 🙂
I have ME/CFS for yrs. Haven't been in the blue zone for almost 20 yrs even though am mainly home bound. Do a couple of minutes of stretching. Read. Paint. Not sure this is for me.
i have buring sensation lower back pelvic area.some time hands.leg.my sugar clostol tyroid b12test are normal.am so worried about that.some time i feel low balance.low bp70.then what is the reasons and soluations sir?. at a time i feel pelvic area buring.some time lower back.and hand.
I have fibromyalgia. I notice if I happen to have a good day n I decide to clean my house I am done the next day. My question. Is there anything I can do to heal fibromyalgia? I am on meds. I was diagnosed a month ago n it’s been unreal. Thank you for your video.
I’ve felt constant symptoms for years, even when resting at home for days (maybe due to anxiety) I usually feel better with friends..how can I make sense of that? I sometiems feel less symptoms in morning at night usually and sometimes good days but rare. Thanks
Hey man, when you're with your friends your mind is focussed on the enjoyment and the conversation of being with them. All the symptoms essentially come from an overactive nervous system that is constantly looking out for stress, so when you remove yourself from stressful environments (even mentally), your body is no longer processing the dangers. Have you watched my long video where I break down the science behind my recovery?
I wish there were more people like him, getting paired up with him as my doctor was a miracle. I’m trying to interview him but he’s just so dang busy and he’s on vacation for the next two months. But he’s agreed to be on camera and share his work!
Love the visual, thanks! How do you get started when you´re so severe that you lie in bed with noise-cancelling headphones and an eye-mask all day and can´t even watch your videos? How did YOU get started to even get into the blue zone when you were so severe?
I’d work up to the edge of what you can tolerate (it may not be much) and go a bit outside of that zone, flare symptoms, wait and rest until it calms down, and repeat the process all while staying calm and composed. Consistency is the key as you’ll find it rather difficult to stay calm and composed in the beginning especially in a hypersensitive state.
Did you find anything that would speed up the recovery time once you had overtaxed your system? At my worse, it took 3 days to return to baseline and even baseline was pretty miserable. Thanks
Not really, just decent rest and time. It's like baking a cake. You can have the best ingredients and tools, but at the end of the day, even with all that, you still need to let the cake bake in the oven for x amount of time. Let's say it's 45 minutes for the perfect cake, you can't double the temperature and cut the time in half, the cake will come out totally screwed up. So with a recovery like this you just need to give you body the tools it needs to heal (rest, decent food, relax your brain by staying away from too many screens) and then just give it time for your body to work its magic.
Meditation, somatic experiencing and other things can help the nervous system. Not sure I believe that only time heals. But yea knowing your baseline for exercise/movement is important.
Almost 10 years cfs. 2 years fibromyalgia so not able to work. In a chair or bed. If i do physical work im gonna pay it with heavy pain and fatigue. And im to tired to move anyway. No idea how i can rest my body... Édit : i guess my only option is brain retraining and Anti depressant and diet
@@cfsrecovery not sure how to answer that. Keto diet improved my pain by 30%. Other than that im always tired and in pain. i wake up miserable. But somehow i avoid depression. I rest as much as i want because not working anymore. Nothing to stress me.
Thank you for a great video! Just to make it clear (in my confused little head)., even if i would get up to a two with symtoms, its doesn't matter how perfect i will act (to get back to basline) there is no such thing as straight line back to baseline. Like, i will feel better after 3 days.., and then you will just feel better and better and better because you behave and think "perfect". It will always be a back and forth no matter how good at recovering i am? (it feel like this is exactly what you have said in the video, i just had to get it out of my head). :D Feels like the biggest mistake we do is to think "ah great, feeling better now" and pretty much expect the body to act like a common cold, were you do, in some ways, just feel better and better until you are well.
I have some videos that may help your situation and dealing with those pots symptoms, check them out. Hopefully these help! Heart Rate Issues: th-cam.com/video/k67xEsLe11M/w-d-xo.html Internal Vibrations and Tremors: th-cam.com/video/4wxdebRbbZA/w-d-xo.html
ME/CFS is not a burn out. It has many different components, an exitable nervous system is just one of them. So, it definitely helps, to take care of that. But don't forget, that for example 67% of ME/CFS patients do have diagnosable and often treatable congenital immune deficiencies. Many patients also have thyroid and/or adrenal issues. There also seem to be metabolic issues in many. So, having a balanced nervous system is important for health, there's not arguing that! But with ME/CFS many times this is just not enough. For me personally the most helpful so far has been (diagnosing and) treating my immune deficiency and taking antihistamines for MCAS. After 25 years I'm finally seeing some progress and stability. ☺ I've done yoga, meditation, psychotherapy etc, those are all great for peace of mind. But for my physical health it didn't help.
He's a good man! I was going to the gym and I finally felt my movements once I felt I was at a 2 I've been resting for 4 days and my symptoms subside instead of 2 months which I'm coming back to base at a normal level thank you sir
WANT TO SPEED UP RECOVERY? LEARN MORE ABOUT RECOVERY ACADEMY ⬇
www.cfsrecovery.co/recovery-academy
what meds did you go on
Dude, you have no idea how helpful this would have been for me 3 years ago. You are going to help thousands of people.
Thank you man, appreciate your ongoing support. This would have helped me 5 years ago haha, but the next best time to start something is now, so now you know this idea!
How are you now?
Hey brother , could you do a video just on chronic back and neck pain ? There are soooo many other conditions and it just seems like some people may not receive the message being that all your videos are about CFS , just a thought my man , thanks for what you do
Or, in my case 23 years ago. Not a single doctor in all that time, with maybe a dozen specialists, has offered a single actionable suggestion to me. They are utterly useless with ME/CFS, although the last specialist did say '(with ME) you have a real thing'. Lol, that's progresss.
This nervous system approach will accomplish far more than any doctor you're likely to see. Did I mention that doctors are useless with ME/CFS? Beyond useless, more likely to do harm, in fact. A majority seem incapable of ever admitting that they were absolutely wrong about ME for 40+ years. Even today, most have never read the published research. It exists but medical boards pretend that there is nothing known. No biggie, right? Just more people affected by ME than breast cancer, Parkinson's, and MS combined - with a completely disabling illness taking millions of people from productive lives for years at a time.
This is super helpful. Have been going talking to doctors for 3 months and they have been asking to just reduce stress, eat well and sleep well but no one explained what's happening with me and why I can't relax although I have 10% of stress I have handled
This is the best I've felt in months. I am so thankful I found your channel. Thank you for all you are sharing Miguel. You are changing lives!❤
Wow, thank you! I appreciate your encouraging words. 😊
After decades of having ME/CFS I finally understand the principle of PEM (Post-Exertional Malaise)🙏🏼 thank you! And yes: when you see a picture of it, it stays in your mind ☺️Please continue with these diagrams 🤗
Thanks Lisa! I’m glad the diagram got through to you, I’ll incorporate more diagrams in my videos 👍🏼
the content of your videos is very helpful. I also appreciate your style: you speak in a quiet calm voice, no music, not a lot of bright images. Some CFS videos are so loud and energetic that I just can't do it. thank you!
I appreciate that! Glad this video is able to help you 😀
@@cfsrecovery
And thank you so much for not having loud music at the end! ❤ A lot of us fall asleep during videos (no matter how interesting!), and music at the end can scare you awake and make your heart pound, which sure isn’t pleasant!
Are you for real? I say it because you're too good to be true. I am sure you got this illness to be able to recover and guide others in their wayS to a live full of health. God has blessed you.. Keep doing this wonderful job!!
Thank you so much! 😊❤️
I am a visual learner, and this makes so much sense! ❤ Thanks for all you do!
You are so welcome!
Thanks 🙏🏼 for another video and great analogy. True the body’s job is to bring us to homeostasis and that’s the blue area where we feel better & I agree that takes time that we shouldn’t rush. 👍🏼
Exactly! I think this pendulum example paints the perfect picture, especially for when people feel symptoms they somewhat understand what's going on. Not knowing why you're feeling horrible only adds to the anxiety!
Nothing worse then when you crash & you know there is no way out but rest up..Just hoping it will only be a less then a week crash.. Thanks for the information Helps to keep us on track to recovery 😇
Think this is the best explanation I've heard yet! Really loved this, saved the video into my recovery ME you tibe section so I can watch it over and over again and not forget this ever!!!! So useful.
I think this is one of my most important informational videos I put out because it really breaks it down in the simplest way possible. Glad it really helps you understand things a lot better😀 thanks for your support!
The diagrams are great!
I would love to hear more about the nervous system
Noted! More nervous system content coming soon
This is incredible. I wish more people could see this!!!
Lately I can feel myself being more in the blue but have crashed a couple times recently, I think I have been feeling so good I pushed too much. But over the last few months I really have turned a corner. This analogy helps so much
Thank you 🙌🏻
I've been following your page for 6 months now, and I just ran into this gem! It was easy to engage with this well thought out visual explanation of how our nervous system find balance and what our symptoms mean when it comes to recovery. Much appreciated, I will become a thriver!
Amazing mindset! 🙌 We're more than happy to have you!
Thank you Miguel. GREAT VIDEO. The issue I have is that I can have a day with low symptoms...feel good so do stuff...feel good ....the symptoms do not 'hit' me til the next day . then I am like 'Oh i did too much !' . So I have never been able to find that blue zone. Trying now to stop myself doing too much even on a good day - do some stuff but not over do it. Finding the baseline is tough. That Dr who taught u this mind /body stuff needs a frikken medal. I wish a Dr had told me the stuff u learnt 15 years ago ! I may not have gone through this living hell .
I'm so glad that is it timely for you Lisa!
Thank you for your kind words and I hope you understand that the flare ups and all are all part of the journey. When you accept that, it becomes way easier!
This is such a great diagram. Makes so much sense.
Thank you so much, this is great content! Everyone with CFS should see this.
Thank you for the kind words. I tried to simplify this concept of “the Jody rebalancing itself” as much as I could!
I feel like this is a game changer. So simple but it makes so much sense!
Thank you, I'm glad it makes sense! This is one of the concepts that really help me understand what was going in my body and explain why I would feel better and worse, and why those symptoms would come and go at seemingly random times
Soooo helpful.. Im doing a brain retraining program and now I understand why my coach focuses on relax journeys.. thank you! Amazing info! ❤
Glad it was helpful 😊
Thank you! I have been searching for a diagram like this to understand myself and help my wife and family understand.
Glad you found this video!
Thanks a lot for this! Really helpful to hear the ups and downs are part of the process.
Glad it was helpful! Yes they are...you need to embrace that to get to the true road to recovery!
This is the best explanation I’ve ever seen thank you 🙏🏽
Thank you Karen!
people are suffering from cfs for years
i can't handled it for a month straight
i completely gave up
and diagnosed with cfs
and started learning it from u
now i feel somewhat better
What you need to understand it that all recovery starts from your brain. You need to retrain your brain to handle symptoms, have more patience with yourself and to be believe that you can recover!
Excellent analogy and explanation...Thank you!
Thanks Nicola!
This ”diagram” is just great Miguel!! It not only is good for me to illustrate the importance of how to start introducing activities in an amount that I don’t get to much symptoms, it also is great when explaining to other people how this process of living with ME works and how to recover from it.
Thx thx thx!!
You're very welcome! 🙌
This video is incredible ❤️
Thank you so much! 😊❤️
Perfect. Thank you.
You're welcome! Glad it helped! 🙂
Really well presented information. Thanks for doing this.
Thanks Richard, I try to simplify it as much as I can! I would've loved somebody to tell and show me these things back when I was in the hole
Great video Miguel. Thanks
That’s brilliant Miguel
Thanks jill!
This is amazing my guy….keep’em coming.
Thanks Corey 👍🏼
Wow! This analogy is so helpful and interesting. Thank you for all you are doing to help so many of us out there! Looking forward to your future videos and interviews
Thank you for watching Kim and I hope you can take this and apply it to your situation 🙏🏼 where are you now in your recovery?
@@cfsrecovery Hello Miguel. I am still struggling somewhat as I am working on myself to calm my nervous system down and to build my reserves. Just want you to know that you are very helpful and inspirati
@@kimnovak3068 I see, take it slow and continue having good habits, it will take time for your body to stabilize 👍🏼 you got this
Don't forget the most important issue - the lymphatic system. There is much more lymph fluid in the body than blood. Blood feeds the body, lymph filters the body. We must keep the lymph moving by either moving, exercising, rebounding, etc and/or deep diaphragmatic breathing. The lymphatic system is the most important factor for human health. It is all-too-often overlooked.
Thanks for sharing! 😊
Great info thankyou
What a fantastic person you are! 🙏
Thank you Carina!
This is a great example
Great 🙌
This is fantastic!!! Love it.
Thanks so much!
Thanks. I am happy that I found your videos just 2-3 days ago. Able to relate to it. You do explain and make it so simple for us
Glad it was helpful 😊
Yes please more diagrams!
Duly noted! 😊
Super helpful explanation!!!
Thank you!
Thank you!! This makes so much sense.
Glad you understand it! I try to simplify the concept and give analogy's so that people understand what they're going through. More understanding = less anxiety about what's going on
❤phenomenal teaching! I’ve never heard of this over the past 40 years! Wow 😊. So thankful for your lessons that you have learned and now sharing!
So glad you found value in this!
Thanks for this great video, explains it so well 😊
You’re very welcome Charly!
This is genius
This is awesome!
Thanks dude!
You are incredibly smart, ty for these videos 🫶🏻
Glad you like them!
This is amazing, keep it up, thank you!
Thanks Jake!
Love the illustration!
Thank you so much! 😊❤️
More Diagrams please!!! You are such a visual learner. But love your analogies. Embedded in my brain.
I am definitely a visual learner haha. If I find something interesting and I see an example of it I usually don't forget it!
Yes please do more diagrams like this!
I'm glad you found value in this one.
This yet again was an amazing video
🙌🙌
Yes!!!! More please
Yes!
So very similar to threshold with chronic migraine.
Yes, very similar. For migraines check out my brain retraining video, I used to get horrible migraines triggered from the smallest things like bright lights and loud noises.
Thanks bro this is very helpful
Glad it was helpful 😊
I am a visual learned and my nervous system doesn’t want me seeing anything that it is going to do next lol. Now I can see the big picture! Thank you so much for helping us with your own experience.
Lol. I'm thrilled that I could help you see the big picture and provide insights based on my experiences! It's great to hear that my content resonated with you as a visual learner.
Understanding our nervous system and how it impacts our actions can be a game-changer in the journey toward recovery.
Best wishes to you!
Hey man, great video!
Thank you shaan!
So helpful!
Glad it was helpful! 😊
Thank you for the e Mail that brought me here! I appreciate this very much. ❤
You are so welcome 😊❤️
good vidio sir
I appreciate it 😊
Respect to you dude 🙏🏻How deeply & perfectly you explain this ❤️❤️❤️ from India
Thank you kuldip! How are you doing now?
@@cfsrecovery I'm doing good but not 100%. I'm learning new things everyday from this illness. 3 weeks ago i eat noodles and that was my huge mistake. I got fatigue again. In this illness what we eat is also the main thing. Now I'm focusing living a normal day without any symptoms for atleast 6 months. Then I'll think about doing cardio exercises.
.... please continue your videos. Those are hope and motivation for us ❤️.
(& Sorry for my poor English because Its not my first language)
Really great video. Makes a lot of sense.
Glad it was helpful! 😊
Thabks for the help ❤
You’re welcome! 😊
i was doing ok till my son and granson came to live with me now i feel so bad he was 3 when he came now he is 4 only 61 days to go of looking after him then he will be gone this has helped me understand what i need to do thank you so much
You’re welcome! 😊
So them staying with you was stressing you out?
Are you ok now?
Dear Miguel., I am so grateful i found you. After 20 years with cfs you made me and so many people understand this painful mystery. Thank you so much!!
Can you please help me out with this two big issues:
1. How to deal with the endless fatigue? What can I say to myself in order not to be so devastated from it?
2..Do you familiar with the symptom of extreme intolerance to coldness?
It is if i became an animal with "cold blood" (damaged thermostat?)… warm closes don't help much.
Bless you
Thank you for your kind words ❤️😊. Have a look at these videos to get a better understanding of what's going on and how the body is trying to recalibrate itself.
th-cam.com/video/Z5Bd6uM_oWE/w-d-xo.html
Also, here's a playlist I created that will help you deal with symptoms if you're looking for more info on specifics: th-cam.com/play/PLJT8-UVmfsmKHgGkCQPKkmHgZL11LqvJa.html. I hope these helps! 😊
@@cfsrecovery Great! Thank you very much (:
Very clear analogy Miguel, thanks a lot! One question: if we stay in the blue zone all the time, we won't be able to expand our activities over time, right? Or will we? I thought that, in order to make progress and be able to do more and more over time without many symptoms, I regularly need to push my nervous system a little bit till a 2 or 3, as you call it. I thought I won't make progress if I only stay within the blue zone. But now I am confused, because you write that we should stay in the blue zone most of the time and let our bodies stabilize and heal. Please explain. Thank you for all you work and inspiration!
Hey there. You're welcome for all the content.
Yes I did say you should try to stay in the blue zone **most of the time** and let the body stabilize and heal.
"Most of the time" is important here.
This means that you CAN venture outside that safe zone every now and then because you do need that stimulus to progress.
@@cfsrecovery Hello Miquel. Got a question about this answer. Is the blue zone expanding anyway if you stay in the blue zone or will it only expand when you stimuate the progress by venturing outside now and then. My theory/thinking is that the blue zones expands when the fear becomes less with the time. Am i ok with this thought? Keep up the good work. May God reward you for helping people.
That is right according to John Sarno and TMS
I’m worried that I’ve got to the no return phase. Pushing through and enduring really stressful situations, because I had to, has caused more symptoms. I always thought my nervous system would calm, but stress kept coming and now I’m such a bigger mess. This is very informative, but I’m scared. Thank you
I can confidently tell without a doubt that there is no “point of no return” phase in recovery
Great chart thanks. with work I tend to dive into those reds. When I get long breaks from work I guess I go blue. But then work again back to reds I see the pattern now. It’s a loop need permanent blue zone
Well it's really good that even when you go into the red during work days you're able to come back to the blue zone quite quickly. (quite quickly as in within a day or 2), so that's awesome and that means your body is on the right path to healing. Your next goal would be to be able to do whatever you're doing right now without feeling all the symptoms. If you can get through your typical week without feeling any symptoms or at least less symptoms than 2-3 weeks ago that's a tell tale sign that you're on the right path. Continue to adjust your activity and stress levels outside of work
@@cfsrecovery Thanks for the information. It’s actually when I’m between jobs is when I eventually go into the blue. So months go by without working. However I do feel I am improving getting stronger despite the symptoms returning
@@cfsrecoverythat is impossible if you are bedridden. If i would not move even a Finger than maybe no symptoms but we all have to eat right. That causes symptoms, how to avoid that?
Genius 👍
Thank you 👊🏼
I never ever feel no symptoms in the blue zone 😞😞
Dang well it sounds like your body stabilized in a state of chronic pain. That happened to me and that’s why I I just could not get out of my bed without feeling absolutely horrible. This is where the brain retraining is necessary to get you out of the hole
Nice analogy!! I'm currently reading Dan Neuffer's book CFS Unraveled and it's so helpful...in your diagram here are the two sides representing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?
Hi Karen, I've heard many good things about that book! I'll have to look into that someday. As for the diagram, no. The two sides represent your body out of balance. I explain the diagram at around 1:50 in the video!
@@cfsrecovery ok got it thanks! Dan Neuffer has a similar analogy but he talks about being careful not to go outside your "envelope" of energy, and as you little by little increase your efforts, then your "energy envelope" gets bigger--similar to your "blue zone" that you talk about here. I love your videos, thanks!💖
Did you also have pots? Or a lot of lightheadedness?
I had a ton of that, I made a video about it on this channel. I talk about all the symptoms I experienced.
Wow! This is extremely helpful! Thank you so much! Do you have a print out on your website explaining this? I want to hang on my wall.
Glad you found it helpful.
No we don't have the illustration on our website yet. Probably a screenshot of that part of the video can help?
i think the biggest problem at least for me is that i have no memory of the blue zone for more than 10 years now. Brain retraining doesn't get me to the point of blue zone. :(!
That's probably the biggest problem with people having this shit. We can't get into the blue zone so we cant get new experiences of the no symptoms zone. Just constant pain 24/7 all over in different places
I hear ya. Here's a little quiz - from the information in the video what does that mean if you haven't been in the blue zone for more than 10 years?
Yeah clear, he is doing to much, but sometimes there is no way doing less than what to do?
What medication did you take and for how long to allow your body to find that blue zone
Good question, to be honest it’s not my place to say because I don’t understand your exact situation and legally I can’t recommend you anything. I can only share what I’ve experienced. I would advise to reach out and discuss this with your doctor! Hope you understand.
@@cfsrecovery I understand man no worries , just want to know if it was like something to relax your nervous system to allow you to heal a bit
I am one of those you mentioned, Miguel, who rests all day and still seems to be getting worse. I understand now how to react to symptoms, I am trying my best to stay calm and neutral (about symptoms at least), yet I have been getting worse for the past two months. I can't rest any more than I am already - I do almost nothing as it is. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. It's quite frustrating.
You are not doing nothing wrong, Laura!
I understand it can be quite frustrating but it really takes a lot of resilience and acceptance to get through it and brave the journey to recovery.
Don't give up!
How are you now? If you find more rest is really not working...
The polyvagal theory says that when you feel you can't move, your nervous system is in a freeze state. And what it needs is assurance that it is safe to move. So try to move a little bit maybe every 20 minutes, even if it's just to lift your finger and remind yourself that you can indeed move. You could also raise a limb, or rock gently, or squeeze and release muscles
Your mental state is important to reinforce the safety message. So believing that this is just temporary helps. Doing somatics like gently stroking your skin reminds yourself that your body is intact and safe. Looking around the room with curiosity, reminds your limbic system that there is no threat to your ability to keep pumping blood and keep breathing air. So even though your symptoms are unpleasant, they don't mean danger to you..
Although you may feel quite miserable with symptoms, you keep reminding yourself by movement and messages that you are safe, because misery can quickly feel life threatening giving stress messages to your nervous system which will make it stay longer in the freeze state because it is trying to protect you from danger
What kind of medication helped? I'm in a similar situation.
Good question, to be honest it’s not my place to say because I don’t understand your exact situation and legally I can’t recommend you anything. I can only share what I’ve experienced. I would advise to reach out and discuss this with your doctor! Hope you understand.
I'm probably not crashing anymore I'm finally coming back to full capacity but I'm still very mindful you help me a lot and I'm dealing with long covid-19
I've always got symptoms shoulders hurt all-day I
Did the doctors find anything from the tests and scans?
@@cfsrecovery nothing at all I do have hypomobilty but my father had CFS got over it I've read lit people with hypomobilty get more sycosomatic problems I've had migraines in past nitnow severe fatigue not as bad now sinus problems ok now after few ops drs say migraine if body to find to guess what you want I've had what Claire weekes described can't take deep breath in past and OCD
Go for a 5 minute run... thats HILARIOUS 😂. I'm still working on a consistent 10 minute walk
mg you help me with everything
Always glad to help! 😊
What do we do when we stabilize at a point when there's symptoms 24/7? How do we find the blue again?
Please watch this and hopefully it helps:
th-cam.com/video/V95bVeCjVuI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=8rHeJ82LFmpZt06r
So what if my system is now afraid of everything? A friend coming by to bring flowers sends my body into panic? It's gotten worse since losing my job and being bedbound for the most part
Yup, this definitely sounds like a hypersensitive nervous system.
In someone with a hyper-sensitive nervous system, these symptoms can be more pronounced and more easily triggered. This can lead to a cycle where emotional distress leads to worsening neurological symptoms, which can in turn lead to further emotional distress.
@@cfsrecovery So the way I respond to symptoms and the brain retraining will calm that down?
Hello Miguel sir.... greetings....i am completely cfs patient from last 2 years ...completely dependent on someone.....but i am trying seriously reback my self from last 6 months ....in 6 months 2 times major setback s ....but by god grace i am able to do some activities in limited period.... everything is bearable....except internal tremor s 24/7 mAssive range after resting also no stoping...as well as dizziness, vertigo, massive pains,.how much time it will take dis apperance of tremor s theirself .... kindly clarify my dear friend..... thank you
Yeah but why can i do less and less after it calibrates? If it would come back to the same point where it starts thrn no Problem but people ending up with a lower baseline.thats the big Problem here
I totally understand 👍 Please check this link. I hope it helps!
th-cam.com/video/poowTjEEfHc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RSxWwshYHVEvH7lW
How did you calm your nervous system down please? antidepressants havent helped me and they ration diazepam/benzos very heavily here.
Please watch this and hopefully it helps: th-cam.com/video/AVG54aLsWf8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pQkH1yiysizTADF4
this is a great way of explaining it, thank you! If I may ask, what sort of medication did you take to calm the nervous system?
to be honest it’s not my place to say because I don’t understand your exact situation and legally I can’t recommend you anything. I can only share what I’ve experienced. I would advise to reach out and discuss this with your doctor! Hope you understand
Perfect, i always i geel angry with my body when it crashes. Not never againn❤❤
That's a very great decision and step you're making 😊❤️
But I’m chronically tired even when I do nothing ever. Does this stuff not apply to people who have severe anxiety from CPTSD?
What meds did you take
Good question, to be honest it’s not my place to say because I don’t understand your exact situation and legally I can’t recommend you anything. I can only share what I’ve experienced. I would advise to reach out and discuss this with your doctor! Hope you understand 🙂
I have ME/CFS for yrs. Haven't been in the blue zone for almost 20 yrs even though am mainly home bound. Do a couple of minutes of stretching. Read. Paint. Not sure this is for me.
I totally understand where you're coming from. Please check this link. I hope it helps!
th-cam.com/video/fgZdVnCXSqM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zEFwEGy79Jc5psbO
i have buring sensation lower back pelvic area.some time hands.leg.my sugar clostol tyroid b12test are normal.am so worried about that.some time i feel low balance.low bp70.then what is the reasons and soluations sir?. at a time i feel pelvic area buring.some time lower back.and hand.
Please check this video out: th-cam.com/video/KgMOGjWnwKs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=NmQ0714JWsA8To9m
I have fibromyalgia. I notice if I happen to have a good day n I decide to clean my house I am done the next day. My question. Is there anything I can do to heal fibromyalgia? I am on meds. I was diagnosed a month ago n it’s been unreal. Thank you for your video.
Please check this link. I hope it helps! th-cam.com/video/nWvsSpNqjjY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FQmQpFOhfvcvGey_
I’ve felt constant symptoms for years, even when resting at home for days (maybe due to anxiety) I usually feel better with friends..how can I make sense of that? I sometiems feel less symptoms in morning at night usually and sometimes good days but rare. Thanks
Hey man, when you're with your friends your mind is focussed on the enjoyment and the conversation of being with them. All the symptoms essentially come from an overactive nervous system that is constantly looking out for stress, so when you remove yourself from stressful environments (even mentally), your body is no longer processing the dangers. Have you watched my long video where I break down the science behind my recovery?
Any tips on finding a psychiatrist like yours? ☺️✨
I wish there were more people like him, getting paired up with him as my doctor was a miracle. I’m trying to interview him but he’s just so dang busy and he’s on vacation for the next two months. But he’s agreed to be on camera and share his work!
Is it true each time we crash we risk permanently lowering our functional baseline (blue line)?
There’s no such thing permanently going backwards with this, despite what you’ve read online!
Love the visual, thanks! How do you get started when you´re so severe that you lie in bed with noise-cancelling headphones and an eye-mask all day and can´t even watch your videos? How did YOU get started to even get into the blue zone when you were so severe?
I’d work up to the edge of what you can tolerate (it may not be much) and go a bit outside of that zone, flare symptoms, wait and rest until it calms down, and repeat the process all while staying calm and composed. Consistency is the key as you’ll find it rather difficult to stay calm and composed in the beginning especially in a hypersensitive state.
How do you get to blue when you’re stuck in red?
Did you find anything that would speed up the recovery time once you had overtaxed your system? At my worse, it took 3 days to return to baseline and even baseline was pretty miserable. Thanks
That’s actually very quick, it use to take me like 2-3 weeks. I was pretty bad
Not really, just decent rest and time. It's like baking a cake. You can have the best ingredients and tools, but at the end of the day, even with all that, you still need to let the cake bake in the oven for x amount of time. Let's say it's 45 minutes for the perfect cake, you can't double the temperature and cut the time in half, the cake will come out totally screwed up.
So with a recovery like this you just need to give you body the tools it needs to heal (rest, decent food, relax your brain by staying away from too many screens) and then just give it time for your body to work its magic.
Meditation, somatic experiencing and other things can help the nervous system. Not sure I believe that only time heals. But yea knowing your baseline for exercise/movement is important.
Almost 10 years cfs. 2 years fibromyalgia so not able to work. In a chair or bed. If i do physical work im gonna pay it with heavy pain and fatigue. And im to tired to move anyway. No idea how i can rest my body... Édit : i guess my only option is brain retraining and Anti depressant and diet
What have you tried so far that hasn't worked?
@@cfsrecovery not sure how to answer that. Keto diet improved my pain by 30%. Other than that im always tired and in pain. i wake up miserable. But somehow i avoid depression. I rest as much as i want because not working anymore. Nothing to stress me.
Thank you for a great video! Just to make it clear (in my confused little head)., even if i would get up to a two with symtoms, its doesn't matter how perfect i will act (to get back to basline) there is no such thing as straight line back to baseline. Like, i will feel better after 3 days.., and then you will just feel better and better and better because you behave and think "perfect". It will always be a back and forth no matter how good at recovering i am?
(it feel like this is exactly what you have said in the video, i just had to get it out of my head). :D
Feels like the biggest mistake we do is to think "ah great, feeling better now" and pretty much expect the body to act like a common cold, were you do, in some ways, just feel better and better until you are well.
I have some videos that may help your situation and dealing with those pots symptoms, check them out. Hopefully these help!
Heart Rate Issues: th-cam.com/video/k67xEsLe11M/w-d-xo.html
Internal Vibrations and Tremors: th-cam.com/video/4wxdebRbbZA/w-d-xo.html
ME/CFS is not a burn out. It has many different components, an exitable nervous system is just one of them. So, it definitely helps, to take care of that. But don't forget, that for example 67% of ME/CFS patients do have diagnosable and often treatable congenital immune deficiencies. Many patients also have thyroid and/or adrenal issues. There also seem to be metabolic issues in many.
So, having a balanced nervous system is important for health, there's not arguing that! But with ME/CFS many times this is just not enough.
For me personally the most helpful so far has been (diagnosing and) treating my immune deficiency and taking antihistamines for MCAS. After 25 years I'm finally seeing some progress and stability. ☺ I've done yoga, meditation, psychotherapy etc, those are all great for peace of mind. But for my physical health it didn't help.
He's a good man! I was going to the gym and I finally felt my movements once I felt I was at a 2 I've been resting for 4 days and my symptoms subside instead of 2 months which I'm coming back to base at a normal level thank you sir
You got this! 🔥
@@cfsrecovery I'm finally doing more but I'm still very mindful