Having Friends for Dinner when you have Chronic Pain or Fatigue

I have heard so many clients with Pain and Fatigue saying they no longer have friends over because it is exhausting.

When I ask them more about this the answer is almost always the same. By the time I have cleaned the house, gone shopping and cooked dinner I have no energy left to enjoy talking to my friends.

I ask them these questions:

• Do you have to clean the whole house? Can you ‘get away’ with just a couple of rooms or would a quick clean of the bathroom do?

• Do you have to cook from scratch? Could you have a takeaway, buy frozen food, ask friends to bring a dish? Have you got a close friend that you can have a practice run with, or ask to co-host?

The answer is almost always the same.

But I have always cooked from scratch, that’s what my friends expect.

I couldn’t possibly not clean – what would they think?

I can’t sit up at a table for that long!!

Is it possible to do things differently?

Try it out and see what happens.

You might find it’s ok, and you might actually enjoy it!

Amanda Mason, Specialist Careers Consultant @vitality360, & Beverly Knops, Executive Manager and Specialist Clinician in Fatigue and Pain