In January 1997, Naomi became ill with what turned out to be ME. Not understanding the illness she tried to keep going until she attended a course with Action for ME. There she learnt that she needed to stop and pace herself. These exercises are a consequence of that time and come with her desire to pass on the things that she has found most helpful. It is her desire that you will meet the God who is our loving heavenly Father through these exercises.

 

Read on for more of Naomi's story.

 

Severe flu, painful muscles causing tears just peeling carrots, arms too weak to hold a hairdryer, these are just some of the symptoms of ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome).

 

We had spent 7 years in Zambia, where my husband was the Doctor in a bush mission hospital. I cared for our 2 sons, and helped where I could. I managed a school for disabled youngsters for the last 2 years. I had malaria and dysentery with diarrhoea which weakened my body.

We returned to the UK in 1993 and my health did not pick up.  In January 1997 I caught a virus and went downhill from then on.  My husband knew it was ME but we did not know how to treat it. We knew I had to slow down but I did not realize that I was still pushing myself.

In November 1998 I went on  a residential week  run by the charity “Action for ME” and that was the turning point. I  knew I had to stop completely and give my body the chance to heal itself. I learned the value of pacing , deep relaxation and meditation. I was concerned before I went that I would open my mind to things that were unhelpful in my Christian life, however God reassured me that He would meet me during these times, and that I would use them for helping others. But it was about a year before I saw  any improvement.

Looking back I made very slow progress over the next few years, with many setbacks.  I was housebound with a downstairs bedroom as I was unable to do stairs, needing to rest after the simplest of tasks, like getting dressed, and having a  wheelchair when outside. Very slowly I gained more independence. Shopping on my own was great, so was sending the wheelchair back.

My Christian faith gave me strength through the long dark days. God was always there, I could scream and shout at Him and He never stopped loving me or giving me encouragement. It also meant I was less likely to shout at the family!

 

My health has continued to improve. I've tried some of the many things that can help those with ME, acupuncture, complimentary medicine, Bowen technique and a process to switch off the adrenaline.

As always, I know that it is God who ultimately does the healing,  but He uses many different people and therapies.

 

In July 2006 we celebrated our silver wedding, with a meal for family and friends, followed by a time of thanksgiving, during which we highlighted how God had helped us during the 25 years. We interspersed the chat with hymns and prayers. All those with enough energy finished the day with a Barn Dance.  It was thrilling to be able to keep going all day, chatting, dancing, singing. It is so encouraging that, although tired the next day, I did not crash!

 

I no longer need long rests: as my strength improves I'm looking to see what God has for me next.

 

In between times I have been teaching relaxation with Christian meditations to people from our Church.

I have now recorded a CD with 4 exercises. The first is just teaching relaxation, the other three are visualising journeys to heaven, based on the last 2 chapters of the book of Revelation. They combine relaxation and speaking face to face with our loving heavenly Father, allowing Him to minister, heal, challenge and encourage. These exercises can be used by anyone feeling stressed or wanting to meet with God in a different way. People have found them helpful to switch off at the end of the day.

 

I see this as the fulfillment of Gods promise given to me back in 1998 that I would learn things that would help others as well as myself.

 

If you are interested in stories of other people who have recovered from CFS/ME please go to www.cfsrecoverystories.com.  My story is one of the 50 in this book.