This post is adapted from the article ‘Making peace with fluctuating energy: Pacing, self-compassion and clear communication’, which I wrote for the autumn 2026 edition of The Pituitary Foundation‘s quarterly magazine, Pituitary Life.

One of the biggest day-to-day challenges many of us living with a health condition face is lower or fluctuating energy, even when that condition is well managed. Although not everyone is affected the same way, learning how to adapt can make daily life more physically and emotionally manageable. Energy can shift over time and is influenced by many factors, so what feels like a ‘new normal’ at one stage may continue to change. The following tips are based on lived experience and share practical ways to learn to pace yourself, build self-compassion, and work with your energy as it evolves.

Understanding your energy budget: the ‘spoon theory’

Firstly, and frustratingly, what may work one day might not work the next. You may or may not already be familiar with the ‘spoon theory’ (created by Christine Miserandino), which helps demonstrate how people living with chronic conditions that affect their energy, or cause fatigue, can manage their energy resources.

If your ‘spoons’ represent your energy and you live with a condition that limits this, you will start the day with fewer ‘spoons’ than someone without a health condition. The number of ‘spoons’ per day you have is unique to you, and every single thing that you do or happens to you that day uses up your daily ‘spoons’. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

This way of thinking can help make sense of why a day that feels manageable at the time can lead to exhaustion the following day. You might be bursting with energy on Monday morning, for example, and pack your day full of work tasks, personal admin and maybe even catching up with a friend in the evening. But then, come Tuesday morning, you might really feel the impact of this, finding it harder to get the day started (with fewer spoons!), which might lead to frustration. Recognising this pattern is key to understanding how your body responds and learning to plan with that knowledge.

Building a realistic rhythm

Learning to pace yourself can take time, and it’s rarely a linear process. When energy is higher, it can be tempting to do as much as possible while you feel able. But over time, many people find that consistently pushing to the limit on ‘good’ days often leads to having to stop completely on the days that follow.

Pacing starts with redefining what a ‘good’ day looks like. Rather than measuring success by how much you get done, it can help to focus on, and prioritise, what is genuinely necessary or meaningful to you. Choosing a small number of priorities and leaving space in your day can make energy dips easier to manage and recovery quicker. This doesn’t necessarily mean giving up or lowering expectations forever. As energy improves or becomes more predictable, those boundaries can change. The key is learning to notice patterns and responding to them with flexibility rather than frustration.

Let go of guilt and be kinder to yourself

Ultimately, the advice ‘listen to your body’ really does apply, even though it can sound vague. Guilt about needing more rest or having less stamina than before is common (though unfounded), but it can be energy draining in itself. If your body is telling you it needs rest, and you have the opportunity to rest, that’s not indulgence or failure. It’s a form of self-care that can make it easier to enjoy time with others or engage in work and activities that matter to you later on. Reframing rest as something purposeful, rather than something to feel bad about, can be a powerful shift.

Set expectations and help others understand

Explaining your energy limitations to friends, family or colleagues in advance can make a significant difference. It can reduce anxiety around plans, ease feelings of guilt, and help others understand that changes or cancellations are not personal. You might find it helpful to read more about the ‘spoon theory’ and share it with those you spend your time with to help them understand and respect your need to pace yourself. They’ll want to support you as best as they can, and the more knowledge they’re equipped with about how you can manage your energy ‘budget’, the more they can help you to thrive.

If you’d like support finding a rhythm that works with your energy rather than against it, you can find out more about how I work with clients, or book a free, no-obligation First Step Call.

With thanks to The Pituitary Foundation for first publishing this piece in Pituitary Life.