I am writing to express my appreciation of George Monbiot’s perceptive article (‘You don’t want to get better’: the outdated treatment of ME/CFS patients is a national scandal, 12 March). I have lived with severe fatigue for more than three years, following a mild Covid infection. It is difficult to describe what it is like and it is not surprising that it is not well understood. My experience is that it is necessary to overcome my instincts to push myself, since running out of energy results in even more limited stamina over weeks or months.
It must appear to others that I am neither constantly exhausted nor pushing myself. But if I give in to the instinct to do more, I push myself back into a state of self-perpetuating exhaustion, where my expectation of what I can manage lags behind my declining stamina.
