By nature we are all different, some of us find it easier to make friends than others, it's just the way we're wired & there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, when you factor in a chronic illness like M.E, making friends & socialising becomes even more difficult. There are many factors as to why but I'm just going to highlight a few of the main ones:

Like going to the shops, some people love shopping online {even if they're able to go the shops, it's just easier} and others hate it. I remember talking to someone about this and they said that they don't like shopping online, they'd much rather go to the shops when they need something. My response was simply, "I have no choice but to shop online". You see shopping with M.E, or indeed any chronic illness has a lot of difficulties. Let me explain....

Of all the symptoms that come with having M.E, I feel like exhaustion is the most commonly known one, with maybe pain and cognitive issues coming in next. What people may not be aware of is that there are so many more symptoms that we experience. Some of these symptoms I personally don't really talk about but I thought today, I would highlight some of the lesser know symptoms related to Gastrointestinal Issues that many with M.E experience.

For my next M.E Awareness article, I thought I’d highlight one of the key symptoms of M.E ~ Post-Exertional Malaise or PEM. Some of you may be very familiar with this term and some of you may have never heard it before, and if you fall in the latter group, hopefully you’ll find this article informative and give you a little bit of insight into the symptom of M.E.

I know pacing & planning can seem a little daunting & feels like a lot of work! However, it is such a beneficial factor to managing your M.E symptoms, that learning how to do it, really is worth it & will help you in the long run.