Learn how pacing can help you balance activity and rest, manage your energy and keep doing the things that matter to you.
Living with arthritis or persistent pain can mean having good days and harder days. When you're feeling good, it's natural to want to make the most of it.
You might do more than usual, only to find that later that day or the next day you're more sore, stiff or tired and need extra time to recover. Once you feel better, you do more again.
This is often called the Boom and Bust Cycle.
What is pacing?
Pacing means balancing activity and rest to help you manage arthritis pain and fatigue. It can help you break the boom and bust cycle of doing too much, needing extra time to recover, then doing too much again.
It's not about avoiding activity or giving up the things you enjoy. It's about finding an amount of activity you can manage more consistently, rather than pushing until pain or fatigue makes you stop.
Think of pacing as protecting tomorrow.
This might mean:
- breaking a larger activity into smaller parts
- taking a break before you really need one
- alternating harder and easier activities
- spreading bigger jobs across your day or week
- changing position regularly
- stopping while you still have a little energy left.
There's no perfect amount of activity that works for everyone. It can take some trial and error to find the balance that's right for you.
The 4 Ps
The 4 Ps are a useful way to think about managing your activity.
Pacing: Balance activity and rest and take breaks before you really need them.
Planning: Break larger activities into smaller steps and spread them across your day or week.
Prioritising: Decide what's most important to you. Not everything needs to be done today, and it's okay to ask for help.
Positioning: Think about how you're using your body. Changing position, changing how you do a task or using equipment may reduce strain on your joints.
Find your pace
Start with one activity that often leaves you sore, tired or feeling like you've “overdone it”.
Next time, try stopping a little earlier or taking a planned break. Notice how you feel later that day and the following day.
On harder days, you may need to adjust your plans, choose gentler activities or take more breaks. When you're feeling better, gradually return to your usual activities rather than trying to catch up all at once.
The goal isn't to get it perfect. It's to find a more consistent rhythm that works for you.
Try one small change
Think about one activity that often leaves you paying for it later.
What could you change next time?
Stop a little earlier, take a break before you need one, split the activity into smaller parts or alternate it with something easier.
Small changes can help you learn what works for your body and keep doing the things that matter to you.
