When I feel fatigue from PH coming on, I’ll take a day to reset

In a recent column, I shared something I’d been too stubborn to say before: Pushing through fatigue with pulmonary hypertension (PH) almost always costs me more than it gives. The harder I push, the harder I crash. After that column, several readers reached out to say they sometimes experience that vicious cycle, too.

Today, I want to discuss what I call a reset day. It’s not a sick day, when my PH symptoms are exacerbated or medication side effects flatten me without warning. Those days choose me. A reset day is the opposite. I intentionally choose it before my body forces the issue, in hopes that my week ahead will land a little more softly. The difference matters.

For most of my life, I believed that rest was a reward I had to earn, usually after running myself into the ground. It’s a common mindset, especially given the pressures of our high-paced society, where slowing down can feel like laziness. However, when I was diagnosed with PH, I could no longer abide by that belief. Now, I’m learning to schedule rest like I would a doctor’s appointment. And slowly, the guilt is loosening its grip on me.

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What surprises me most about this is that no two reset days look the same. During my hardest weeks, when my breath is heavy and my limbs ache before 10 a.m., a reset day becomes necessary. I’ll stay in my pajamas and skip showering without apologies, a small rebellion that feels strange to admit. I’ll pile pillows on the couch and turn on a movie I’ve seen a dozen times so I don’t have to think. Some days, my husband will pick the film, and I’ll find myself initially hooked, only to drift off mid-movie.

For a recovering type A personality who once measured her worth in ticked boxes, doing “nothing” can feel like a failure. But I now know that sometimes it’s as necessary as medicine. Resting hard on a bad day keeps it from spiraling into three lost ones. How many of you can relate to that?

Gentler weeks ask for something different. When my body feels steadier, I’ll sleep in a little later and make a nice cup of tea to sip instead of gulping coffee on the move. I might answer a few emails from bed or fold a load of laundry (just one). Then I’ll stop on purpose, before my body whispers “enough.”

That’s the part I continue to practice: quitting while I still have energy in reserve, because chasing that last little task is what tips me into a crash. Stopping early isn’t quitting. It’s a strategy and a work in progress.

Then there are my favorite reset days, when I’ll head to the beach, plant myself in the sand, and get lost in a good book while the sun works it’s quiet magic. Often, my family will be with me, and we’ll get to unplug and relax together.

These days teach me that rest can be joyful, not just a form of damage control. I come home with that pleasant kind of exhaustion, the kind you don’t have to pay for the next day.

Each version looks different, but they all give my body what it needs. Some days, that’s a beach blanket and a paperback. Other days it’s the couch and a bit of grace.

Planning rest before it becomes a necessity is one of the kindest things we can do for our bodies.

Note: Pulmonary Hypertension News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Pulmonary Hypertension News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to pulmonary hypertension.