Our bodies tell us everything we need to know, but often we
ignore the warning signs that something is wrong. Once Vikki
reconnected with herself physically, the mindful healing began- what therapists call ‘working phenomenologically’. It’s terribly
hard when you have an illness nobody understands;
it can be a frustrating and lonely experience.
Fortunately, Vikki had a good support structure, but if
you haven’t, remember there is always help out there
in the form of counselling. You don’t have to be alone.
OUR EXPERT SAYS
At last, I had done what so many
said was impossible, and I was
determined never to take my life
for granted againBeverley Hills | MA MBACP
PsychotherapistThe therapist asked me
to write a list of things that
made me happy, and do
some of them every day.
I could think of nothing
- and this was my first
breakthrough. I’d been so
overwrought at work for
so long that I didn’t know
what I liked doing. How
had I let that happen? It
sparked something inside.
I didn’t care what anyone
else told me; I would
recover, no matter what.
I read more, and began
daily meditations. To keep
my brain active, I started
working towards a degree
with the Open University.
I cleaned up my diet, and I
got outside more.
I read about something
called ‘graded exercise
therapy’ – an NHS-
approved treatment that
follows a programme of
steadily increased activity.
Confident this could be
the right approach for me,
I began taking short walks
nearly every day.
The first walk, in early
2015, only took me to
the end of our road, and
afterwards I cried with
exhaustion. It felt like
knives were stabbing my
thighs as I walked, and
once home I couldn’t even
get myself a glass of water,
but I did it again two days
later. This time, it wasn’t as
difficult. I quickly learned
to recognise when my
body had had enough, and
within six months, I could
walk well over a mile.
Most of my symptoms
gradually faded, and while
the fatigue was the only
remaining part, I started
playing badminton.
By early 2016, I was
swimming and playing
rounders once a week.
We celebrated my
progress with a holiday. In
August 2016, we went to
Rome, but I was nervous
about how I’d cope. My
husband reassured me
that we didn’t have to do
anything in particular, and
could just relax.
His optimism helped
bolster my own, but I
needn’t have worried. We
threw ourselves into that
holiday, and were amazed
when my fitness tracker
reported I’d walked 14,000
steps one day. I did 11,000
the next. I kept waiting
for the fatigue to knock
me off my feet, but aside
from sore leg muscles, I
felt great.
The day after we
returned home, I applied
for a part-time job at a
pet shop. Standing up all
day was hard, but after
a few weeks my body
adjusted. In time I went
up to working three days
a week, continued my
studies, and maintained
my physical exercise.
While ME will affect
some people for the rest
of their lives, in February
2017, I declared myself
recovered. It had been
six long years of fighting
every single day but, atlast, I had done what so
many said was impossible,
and I was determined
never to take my life for
granted again. I would do
everything that made me
happy, and work to spread
that happiness to others.
I now have a blog on this
topic – Life’s a Beach.Action for ME estimates
17 million people around
the world suffer from
ME, and are often driven
people who forget self-
care. It doesn’t surprise
me. In a world that
idolises success, it’s easy
to sacrifice everything to
be the best. I learned the
hard way that success is
nothing without health.
In November 2018, I
stepped on stage to collect
my first-class degree
with honours. As I shook
the Dean’s hand, I was
bursting with pride. I was
surrounded by the love of
family and friends who’d
stuck by me, I’d earned
my degree, and I’d done it
all while battling a vicious
illness that nobody truly
understands.August 2019 • happiful.com • 55Vikki graduated in 2018, with
first-class honours