Pacing
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A self-management strategy that involves balancing activity and rest to avoid crashing - especially for conditions like ME/CFS.
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Pacing is a self-management strategy for conditions like ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, POTS, and long COVID. It’s designed to help you balance activity and rest so you avoid “boom-and-bust” cycles. By monitoring your energy and staying within your “energy envelope,” you aim to reduce the frequency and severity of post-exertional malaise (PEM).
It typically involves:Identifying your current activity tolerance
Planning tasks with rest breaks
Using tools like heart rate monitoring to stay below your anaerobic threshold
While it can help prevent flare-ups, pacing does not aim to reverse the condition and, for some people, can reinforce a limited activity pattern that feels “stuck.”
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Many patient groups and doctors recommend pacing as a safety-first approach, particularly in early or severe illness.
It can be combined with other strategies (nervous system regulation, brain retraining, gentle rehabilitation) if recovery is the goal.
Some people report that long-term strict pacing without moving towards activity expansion keeps them stuck in a cycle of fear and overprotection.
Pacing is not a treatment or cure — it’s a management tool.
Resources are often free or low cost.
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Basic Costs Overview
Paid options include:
Coaching programmes: £50–£100 GBP / $65–$130 USD per hour
Heart rate monitors: £30–£150 GBP / $40–$200 USD
Online courses: £30–£200 GBP / $40–$260 USD depending on length and depth
Discount-friendly directory
ME Association (UK) – Free pacing leaflets and guides
Solve M.E. – Free pacing webinars and materials
Workwell Foundation – Free pacing and heart rate monitoring guides online
Personal pacing coaches – Many offer free discovery calls and may provide sliding scale pricing for people on disability benefits or with reduced income
Online support groups (ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, POTS communities) – Often share free pacing templates, tracking sheets, and tips
Most pacing resources are free through charities, patient organisations, or online guides
No formal illness-specific discounts are generally needed, but individual pacing coaches may offer concessionary rates on request
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ME Association pacing guide: https://meassociation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/MEA-Pacing-Leaflet-2020.pdf
Workwell Foundation pacing resources: https://workwellfoundation.org
Solve M.E. pacing information: https://solvecfs.org
Pacing & PEM management guide from Long COVID Physio: https://longcovid.physio/pacing
Free YouTube videos on pacing and heart rate monitoring from various clinicians and advocates
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