Activities and Ending The Push-Crash Cycle
For many people with chronic illness, the idea of “doing nothing until you feel better” is not only unhelpful, it can make things worse. Doctors may have told you to rest constantly, but endless stillness can keep you stuck in a frozen state, reinforcing fatigue and symptoms rather than reducing them.
The recovery path from chronic complex conditions is not about restricting life in the way we have been taught: Instead, this path is about learning how to engage with life in a way that supports your nervous system and rewires your brain into new patterns. The right activities at each phase of your recovery can create small shifts in energy, reconnecting you to yourself and your environment without overwhelming your system.
This article will help you begin to identify activities appropriate for your current state and explain why it matters.
Why Activity Helps Regulation
Recovery from chronic illness is deeply tied to nervous system regulation, brain rewiring and emotional integration. Many people live in a perpetual state of fight / flight / freeze or fawn, where rest doesn’t feel restoring, and activity is unbelievably exhausting. This is why we need the right kind of engagement; one that signals safety to the nervous system, and one that isn’t driven by “push” energy or past patterns.
The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) has two main branches:
- Sympathetic (fight / flight): Keeping you on high alert.
- Parasympathetic (Rest and Digest): Supporting restoration and healing.
When the nervous system is dysregulated, and the brain is fixed in its neural pathways, you can get stuck in shutdown or collapse (freeze), making every activity, every movement feel impossible. Even small steps of connection and engagement can begin shifting the nervous system and brain toward balance.
Neuroplasticity research shows that small, repeated actions create new neural pathways: Your brain rewires in real time. Even one minute of a somatic healing activity or listening to a piece of music can start shifting patterns of fatigue, dissociation, or hopelessness.
Research shows:
Polyvagal Theory explains that connection; to self, others, or nature, is beneficial for shifting from a frozen state into a more regulated one.
Dr. Gabor Maté’s research discusses how suppressed chronic stress creates patterns of nervous system dysregulation, leading to illness, addiction and behavioural loops.
What is The Push-Crash Cycle
The push-crash cycle is a pattern many people with chronic illness find themselves trapped in; one where bursts of activity are followed by periods of extreme fatigue, pain and worse symptoms – often called a “flare-up” or “crash”.
It is generally thought to happen when someone pushes through symptoms on a “good” day, trying to get as much done as possible, only to collapse afterwards, sometimes for days, weeks, or even longer. This push-crash cycle reinforces the belief that energy is unpredictable and that any movement forward or expansion of activity comes at a cost. But the real issue is that the nervous system and brain are stuck in a boom-and-bust survival pattern, unable to regulate energy or thinking or behaviours in a steady way.
Breaking free from this cycle
Breaking free is about doing things differently. The way forward is to learn how to retrain the nervous system and brain, so that you can move between activity and slowing down without triggering a “crash” response.
That’s where Energy Cycling comes in. Instead of constantly trying to ration energy through restriction or pulling back, Energy Cycling shifts the way you think of and use energy so you can break free from the push-crash cycle. It’s the beginning of doing things differently.
By building a rhythm of structured pauses and balanced activity, you teach your system that using energy is safe, preventing the extreme highs and lows that have kept you stuck. This is a way of expanding your capacity, and it actually works, so you can do more of what matters to you without fear of crashing.
What If You Feel No Motivation?
If you don’t feel drawn to activities right now, that’s okay. Lack of motivation, disinterest, or emotional numbness are symptoms of nervous system dysregulation and being in a shutdown state. When the brain perceives ongoing stress or exhaustion, it downregulates interest, curiosity, and engagement as a protective mechanism.
But here’s the good news: you don’t need to feel motivated to start shifting your state. Research shows that even small, effortless actions, like hearing a familiar song, or feeling fresh air on your skin, or moving your fingers through a soft fabric, can begin to nudge your nervous system toward a place of possibility. The goal is to gently offer your brain and body something different to respond to.
If motivation isn’t there yet, start smaller. Let a moment of connection, however tiny, be enough for today. These small shifts will add up, and over time, they rebuild the pathways to engagement, interest, and energy.
Don’t Fake It
This approach is about accepting where you are, and starting from there, rather than forcing a smile or pretending to feel better than you do. You don’t have to “think positive” or fake it for recovery. In fact, it’s best to not push away your real emotions.
When you try to override exhaustion, frustration, or grief and other emotions with forced positivity, it can make things worse. Being inauthentic tells your nervous system and brain that your real experience isn’t valid.
Recovery begins with recognising where you are, while actively creating openings for change. You can feel fatigue and other symptoms and still take a moment to listen to music or a guided meditation. You can feel numb and shut-down and still sit near a window to look out or breathe in some fresh air. You don’t have to pretend to feel good before taking steps that support your nervous system. You don’t have to pretend that you enjoy the experience or that you suddenly “feel better”. You don’t have to pretend anything.
This is about adding in small, real moments of connection: not covering up pain with fake positivity. It’s a great step forwards along the recovery path to acknowledge what’s true for you right now and offer yourself something nourishing, without pressure or expectation.
Amari's Perspective
A doctor once told me to black out the windows, as I hadn’t been able to get any restorative sleep in so long and the fatigue and symptoms were so intense. Instead of helping, it made me feel worse, trapped and even more disconnected from life. Recovery came when I began engaging with life, even in the smallest ways.
Engaging with life may feel difficult right now, but here are practical suggestions you can adapt to your current level of capacity.
Choosing the Right Activities
Depending on your current window of tolerance, I am suggesting some activities below. This list is not exhaustive, but is here to help you begin to think about this. The activities below are divided into three categories, so you can consider what suits your current condition:
If You Are Mild
If you have some energy and mobility, focus on grounding activities that reconnect you with nature and creativity.
✔ Movement in Nature: Walking, Qi Gong or swimming are great to build upon.
✔ Hands-On Connection: Gardening, pottery, or working with wood.
✔ Creative Flow: Playing an instrument, painting, journaling, making something with your hands out of natural materials.
✔ Intentional Social Time: Spending time with trusted people or animals.
✔ Somatic Practice and Emotional Healing: Healing practices that target nervous system regulation and emotional integration.
If You Are Moderate, or Uncertain
If you experience fluctuating symptoms, try gentle activities that still offer lots of engagement.
✔ Sitting in Nature: Feeling sunlight, watching trees sway, listening to birds.
✔ Connecting Touch: Holding warm tea, running hands over fabric, soft touch practices.
✔ Light Creative Expression: Sketching, arranging flowers.
✔ Listening-Based Activities: Healing audio meditations, gentle music, inspiring talks and audiobooks.
✔ Short Somatic Healing Practices: Hand-on-heart practices, simple breathing exercises.
If you are Severe
If you are bedbound or very limited in energy, you still have options.
✔ Lying in bed, listening to nature sounds.
✔ Holding a soft object for comfort (a teddy, a blanket, a smooth stone).
✔ Visualisation: Imagining a beautiful place, future healing, or soft light.
✔ One-minute breathing focus: A single deep inhale and exhale, focusing on release.
✔ Meditations
✔ Short Somatic practices: Hand-on-heart practices, gentle breathing exercises.
✔ Holding hands with a trusted loved one, even for a moment.
Whether mild, moderate, or severe, there is always something you can do today to signal safety to your nervous system. Each small action creates momentum, and recovery is built on these consistent steps.
Next Steps for Recovery
📖 Explore More Reading – Discover my summary of When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté on how suppressed stressors and buried emotions shape chronic illness.
🎧 Try a Somatic Healing Practice: Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a safe, practical way to release anxiety and regulate your nervous system. Explore EFT here
🧘 Listen to a Guided Meditation: This meditation was designed specifically for chronic illness recovery to support your nervous system and rewire patterns of stress.
➡️ Work with Me: If you’re ready for personalised support, read more about my Coaching Framework here – or, if you already know you’re ready, see my availability to Book a Session today.
With warmth and care,
Amari 💗
💗 Meet The Author 💗
Amari Love
Amari Love is a coach and writer specialising in Mind-Body Recovery Coaching for chronic illness. With postgraduate degrees in Writing and Film, and having completed additional studies in Somatic Practices, Gut Health, Mind-Body Practice, Emotional Healing and Meditation, she brings a rare blend of intellectual insight and structured, experience-based guidance.
Drawing deeply from her own journey of recovery after decades of chronic invisible illness, Cancer and Long Covid, her work is grounded in the principles of TMS (The Mindbody Syndrome), Neuroplasticity, Somatic Healing and Emotional Integration, supported by a practical approach to mind-body work.
Amari is a registered health coach with the UKI Health Coaching Association, reflecting her commitment to high standards of integrity and compassionate, science-backed care. She is dedicated to making this path visible, so that others, and future generations, have access to real solutions that go beyond symptom management..
Her work is designed to help you rewire your brain, restore your nervous system, and reclaim a life of clarity, balance, and freedom.
Disclaimer: The content in this article is shared for educational and reflective purposes only. It is not intended to replace personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions about your health or wellbeing.
