I'm NOT Superwoman!

I am sorry to learn that you fell ill.No wonder you have not been active here lately.I think You fell ill from overwork and You were weighed down with your schedule.But there again, you have come to the point where you can't refrain from going on.You ought to have a few helpers.

Yes I did overwork and get ill, really ill to the point that I developed chronic fatigue syndrome and now live on a disability pension. I can tell you it is NOT worth it. I had warning symptoms before the big crash and I quit my job because it was damaging my health. Unfortunately I quit too late because I crashed within 6 months of leaving. Now I have trouble just maintaining my house. If I work too hard I crash again so I have had to learn to nibble at the work that needs doing and know when to stop and rest. I recognise the symptoms of needing a rest now but too often I found myself getting grumpy and irritable and snapping for no reason. That was the first symptom that I was tired and then the pain levels would go up to force me to sit and rest. It has taken me a few years now but I do not have crashes any more I just nibble at the jobs I have to do and I ask for help. You are young so if you manage yourself carefully you should be ok. I was in my 50's and going through menopause at the same time. I thought nothing could hurt me, I was wrong. I know all about being too weak to walk. At my worst I could barely walk at all and had trouble getting out of a chair. You do not want to end up like that. I should warn you that a cold or a virus is often the first warning of chronic fatigue. I had the same thing happen to me and I was off work for a month but I never realised that my body was warning me to stop and slow down. Be careful. I am told that at my age there is a very low chance of recovery while young people usually recover fully so you need to make changes and learn to rest and ask for help if the workload is too high.

I go through spells of simplifying things and then I let it slowly build back up until the stress gets to me again. I've done this over and over throughout my life so I don't think there's much hope at this point! When things get to me (or when I get sick and have to stop for awhile), I start doing things one at a time and trying to find better/easier ways to do what needs to be done, while eliminating what doesn't, at least for awhile. Eventually, I can sort out what's necessary, both for health and cleanliness as well as for my mental well being, and what I can let go of completely. It's surprising what I've found to be not worth the effort over time. I no longer feel obligated to knit things for the babies or to make gifts or to play the guitar if I don't want to. I know you have different things to concern you, but the idea is the same. It takes some introspection and some self discipline, but I think each of us has to decide what's important and what isn't. You might want to talk to your partner and make some changes together.

I had to learn to delegate and let go--just because someone didn't do something up to my standards doesn't mean that it's not done right. It was very hard for me to let other people do things but it was absolutely crucial that I did! Are you living off grid because of personal beliefs or through necessity? If it's voluntary you may have to consider relaxing your standards somewhat. Remember, there's a reason people didn't live past 40 or 50 before we had electricity!

I think this could be an issue with delegation. I have trouble with it too, so most of the time I run myself ragged. Specially with my current job. Yesterday, I came in at 6am and did not leave until 6pm! I get so tired. I came in early again today, but I'm thinking of leaving early, as I'm already feeling the start of a flu! I may be quick, but I'm not Superman too!

I know exactly how it feels to be totally run down. I was working and working and finally I shut down. But at the time of the body giving up, my marriage broke up as well. That threw me for a loop. It's been about four years now and I have not recovered yet. I thought it would only be a short time, but I am still spinning from everything. Cutting back on workload is next to impossible. The only thing that could be done is to revisit all the things that need to be done and only do the important ones. Lets other chores go. Maybe do some once a week or once every two weeks. But if everything you do needs to be done daily, then there is no other option but to continue until you shut down again.

I used to work two jobs all the time....then one day my bosses made me very angry...I figured how to live without the second job that was really wearing me down and I quit.....and I am so glad I did. I used to work weekend nights at my second job...I so enjoy being home now instead of going from on job to another...and yes...I did get sick every year in the winter because I was so worn down...I hope you find a solution to your schedule!

Can you maybe get some of the volunteers to take on some of the stuff that you're running yourself ragged doing? Could they help with cooking or washing - maybe have a communal clothes washing once a week that they help with? I did have one time when I had recently become a single parent and I was running a business, keeping a house clean (ish), looking after two kids and I made myself quite mentally ill from the stress of it all, and also had some physical symptoms too. It;'s really difficult to cope when there isn't any help available - you jsut have to do what you can to find a bit of time for yourself. Not very helpful advice in your circumstances though I know!

I haven't, but my husband has. I understand there's really not much you can do to change your lifestyle. You have to work as hard as you do, and you can't put that burden on anyone else. My husband has the same dilemma. He works 50 hours a week at a very stressful job. What can he do about it? He needs his job in order for us to survive. If he tries to find another job he won't get paid as well, and we are barely making ends meet as it is. I work too, and go to school. I cannot pick up the slack for my husband because we need both incomes to stay afloat. I guess I would suggest taking vitamins. That may help your body and your immune system continue to do what you do.

Stress will do that to a person. Have you considered hiring someone at least part-time to do things such as overseeing the volunteers? That would give you some breathing room without adding to your partner's workload. You may also want to consider altering what is available within your space. I'm not certain how limited your current facilities are, but it sounds as though they are a bit too limited for what you need. You need to strike a balance between living lightly upon the Earth and having what you need in order to live a reasonably happy life.

I am sorry to learn that you fell ill.No wonder you have not been active here lately.I think You fell ill from overwork and You were weighed down with your schedule.But there again, you have come to the point where you can't refrain from going on.You ought to have a few helpers.By the way,if "runs his butt off" means losing weight.