When our energy levels dip or crash, our body is sending a very clear message: stop.

It couldn’t be much clearer. Our body slows down, we’re not able to do things, we might get brain fog or all sorts of symptoms. We need to recharge and build our reserves before we can go about our lives again. That means it’s time to rest.

The problem is, we don’t want to hear this message. We want to be at full strength all the time, charging around like we used to. It’s painful to be told to stop, especially if we only had a small bit of energy to use, and now it’s already gone. That tiny glimpse of freedom is bittersweet.

If we ignore the message we can sometimes get away with it for a while, even multiple days, before gravity catches up with us in the form of a Post Exertion Malaise (PEM) induced crash. Because of the delayed reaction of PEM it can be harder to interpret the message our body is sending, but it’s still the same message.

If, like me, you used to overrule your body and just power through, it can take many crashes before your new reality starts to dawn. It can feel like your body is betraying you, but it isn’t, it’s just adapting to your new situation. When we have plenty of energy reserves we can push through, but when we don’t, we can’t.

The cost of not listening is the disproportionate amount of energy we pay to stabilise after the crash, which often takes days, weeks or longer. That’s an unsustainable boom and bust cycle.

If you pit your mind against body, your body will always win, because there’s no magical way to create energy in your body (if you find one, let me know!), so we have to live within our means.

If instead we listen to our body and respect when it’s saying we’ve done enough, we can find a stable balance through pacing and avoid taking out unnecessary energy debt. We also put our mind and body on the same team, where they belong.

All you have to do is listen to the messages your body is telling you, respect the dip and rest when you need to.