How can occupational therapy help me to manage my fatigue and other persistent symptoms?

Living with fatigue and other persistent symptoms can often make it difficult to do the things that are important to you, whether that’s returning to or staying in work, engaging in physical activities, managing home life, participating in leisure activities, nurturing important relationships, or simply finding more ease and balance in your everyday life. As an occupational therapist, I support people living with persistent fatigue due to conditions such as ME/CFS, long COVID, fibromyalgia, burnout and brain injury to find practical, achievable ways to do the things they care about alongside life’s difficulties.

I take a holistic approach, meaning that together we look at your whole routine, what’s important to you, and the physical, social, and psychological factors that may be getting in the way. Together, we explore personalised strategies to adjust how you do things, problem-solve ways to navigate barriers, and weave meaningful activities into your routine. In addition to core OT principles, I draw from behaviour change science, neurorehabilitation, mindfulness, as well as psychological models such as acceptance and commitment therapy and compassion focused therapy.

The goal of occupational therapy for fatigue is to help you feel more confident in your ability to engage in what matters most alongside your symptoms