When I first started brain retraining using DNRS for my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Chronic Lyme Disease the idea that movement and exercise was being mislabelled as a threat in my brain was a radical idea. I recently wrote about this here. In this post I am listing some practical tools that have helped me to reintroduce movement into my life:

• I did a lot of visualisations of myself exercising using the visualisation technique I learnt from DNRS. Rehearsing with visualisations that involved exercise and movement allowed my brain to rewire and see energy expenditure as safe. A few weeks into doing this I recall catching the train to a doctor’s appointment. Prior to brain retraining some days walking up the ramp to the other side of the platform was a big deal for me, as I was walking over it I would usually be thinking about how much energy I was using and other activities I needed to save energy for later that day. Because I had been doing visualisations of more energy intense activities I noticed this particular morning that I walked over the ramp with ease and without any of these thoughts. This was the first time I could see the power in visualisation. It also wasn’t just that my thoughts about the movement had changed but that my brain had changed and didn’t see this movement as unsafe anymore, which allowed my physical body to move with more ease.
• With my visualisations even if it’s not one where I’m running or moving, I will tuck into the story snippets about exercise or sport or how easeful movement is. For example, visualisations where I’ve just finished a sports game, or visualisations focused on seeing a city with the ease of walking around just a small part of the bigger story. This trained my brain to see this sort of movement as normal and to not be hyper-focused on it.
• I remember my first Pilates Class I went to I noticed I was having thoughts such as “oh no, I’m overdoing it, I’m going to struggle tomorrow”. Realising that I was still having these thoughts was a breakthrough for me. I changed them to thoughts such as, “I am strong, my body is strong, movement is safe, I’ve got this”. Unlearning habits picked up when sick has been like peeling layers of an onion. I was learning to surf recently and I realised I was being very careful and somewhat apprehensive. I had to consciously remind myself of the younger, grittier, determined me who didn’t hold herself back as I worked through the lessons and channeled her fearlessness and energy. Being aware and curious of my thoughts during movement and changing them to higher level thought patterns has been essential.
• I’ve started using mantras a lot during exercise, especially now I am starting to push a lot with cardio which is new for my body. Some of the mantras I repeat to myself during exercise include, “I am glowing with health and happiness”, “I am strong and healthy”, “my body is fit”, “I am so grateful for a body that moves in this way”.
• Recently I was cycling and having a hard time getting up some hills, instead of thinking it was hard because “I’ve been sick” or “I’m still healing”, I reframed this and realised that my body is one that hasn’t trained cycling up hills in awhile, of course it’s going to feel hard, that’s normal! It’s fitness related not fatigue/illness related. On this note I noticed I often go to the excuse of, “oh it’s because I’ve been sick and I’m not strong yet”, I’ve decided I’m at a place now where I can ban that thought pattern! What if I was just someone coming back to exercise now after some time off? There’s a lot less fear using that mindset and is another way to further detach my identity from illness.
• One thing I always like to focus on is elevating my emotions when I’m moving, this way I’m teaching my brain that movement is safe. Elevating emotions helps to reinforce new pathways in the brain, in ‘The Brain That Changes Itself’ by Norman Doidge, he talks about how a hit of dopamine can reinforce brain pathways quicker. I do this by basking in the joy I feel exercising, or using the technique of bringing a colour through the body mid movement (I’ve written about using colour as a tool here). When I compare that to my old thoughts where I’d be fearing my post exertional malaise it makes sense that I am healing and am able to tolerate more movement now. The picture of myself above was taken on a break on a bike ride recently on the Basque Coast. As I caught my breath at the top of a hill I sat and really tuned into feelings of joy and gratitude, taking in the view and the freedom I felt cycling. I did this because I try to take any opportunity to feel gratitude, but I also wanted to ensure I kept my emotions elevated so my brain continues to learn that movement is safe. I love that photo because I can see how joyful I was in that moment.
• When I am hiking elevating emotions feels easier because the scenery is incredibly beautiful. Anytime I see a pretty bit of scenery, or flowers, I really ensure I bask in the joy of what I’m seeing and let it move through my body. Sometimes I give the view a colour and pull it through my body. With practice, I can often just think “let’s elevate” and feel a change in my body, this has come from months of practice with my DNRS rounds. Honestly I’ve taken this too far a few times where I become so joyful and happy I find myself bounding down the hiking trails with tears in my eyes. Reminding myself of my progress and how far I’ve come is a guaranteed mood booster for me.
• A few months ago I tried jogging and I was listening to this podcast episode by my neuroplasticity coach Tessa Malcarne at the same time. It explains how symptoms are just messengers from our brain, it really inspired me to push myself and see where I am limiting myself with old beliefs. She has a great example in it of a patient who spends more time in bed than they need to as it’s been wired into their brain to ‘need’ that rest. At first I thought that example was a bit radical, I thought of myself when I was bedbound and how it didn’t feel like a choice, I needed that bed! The way she explains it helped to shift my mindset and prompted me to keep pushing my boundaries and ingrained belief systems.
• Whenever I feel like I’ve pushed myself a little over the edge, instead of having thoughts such as “whoops, I’ve overdone it” or “I’m beyond my training zone”, I remind myself that this is an opportunity to teach my brain safety. I actually try not to even say “ebb” or label that I have overdone it (I’ve written more about moving away from labels such as “ebb” or “training zone” in an old post here), instead I really focus on tapping into feelings of elevation and joy. I know my visualisations are a way to teach safety, but to me being in an ACTUAL moment is different and perhaps even more powerful for teaching the brain. The more I can respond with non-reactivity to any symptoms that may arise and be joyful and elevated, the more my brain will change its association to movement/activity and the more I will be able to do next time. I almost get excited when I am given the opportunity to be non-reactive now because I know that it’s an opportunity for deeper healing!
• Similar to above, I am always trying to move away from thoughts around pacing myself or training zones and to identify any subconscious limitations I’m imposing on myself. This is hard to do because often I don’t even notice I am holding myself back in certain areas. I have found spending time with people who have no idea about my health history has been good for this, as they assume I can do everything. For example, I did a bike tour in Japan and just acted like it was a normal thing for me and the guide had no idea, and I was totally fine. Spending time with new people made me notice areas where I was having self-limiting thoughts and holding myself back.
• Balancing pushing and honouring the need for rest has been a tricky one to learn. However, something I am learning is that my body is usually more capable than I give it credit for. The more I surrender my fear around movement and take risks, the more capable I seem to be. If I’m ever unable to do something or do push a little too much, I always ensure I respond with joy and positivity. I focus on how far I’ve come instead of lingering on feelings of frustration about where I want to be. I am learning that without pushing myself and taking some risks I’ll never realise my potential, I think it’s better to overdo things now, rather than hold myself back with fear.
• I often used to come back to a quote, from this podcast episode featuring my neuroplasticity coach Tessa Malcarne. In it she says “our bodies are biologically wired to move…when we were hunter and gatherers we walked 13 miles a day”. For some reason this struck a chord with me, and reminded me that it is SAFE to move and my nervous system just needs reminding. This helped to remove a lot of my fear around movement

I hope these help others reintroducing movement into their life. I have loved becoming active again and know now without a doubt that with time my body can do anything. Also note that of course I’ve had moments of frustration, it’s been an up and down journey. I still have days when my nervous system says no, but with time these are becoming less and less. With time it’s also becoming easier to redirect thought patterns on days when frustration strikes.

Note: My blog may contain some affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase at no extra cost to you. I only link to products or programs I have personally used