“The Fix I Refused: How Movement Saved Me from the Fatigue Spiral”

“The Fix I Refused: How Movement Saved Me from the Fatigue Spiral”

By Mike, The Adapted Adventurer

"You're not lazy. You're not broken. You're just stuck in a cycle that movement can help unlock—if you're willing to gently push through."

For a long time, I believed my fatigue was stronger than my will.

I thought I needed more rest, more naps, more silence. I gave my body what I thought it wanted—stillness. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that I was giving my fatigue everything it needed to grow stronger.

And it was winning.

I’m writing this now not because I’ve figured it all out—but because I’ve finally broken through a cycle I didn’t even realize I was trapped in. And I want to speak directly to anyone else who’s feeling that same kind of tired:

The kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix.

The kind of tired that turns days into fog.

The kind of tired that whispers, “Why even try?”

If that’s you, I get it. I really do.

I live with multiple sclerosis, and the fatigue isn’t just physical—it’s emotional. Mental. Existential. It strips the motivation right out of you, until even getting out of bed feels like a marathon.

But here’s the truth I couldn’t hear until recently:

Movement is not your enemy. It might actually be your medicine.

I didn’t believe that before. In fact, I rejected it—especially when someone I love tried to tell me. My partner, Chris, was always encouraging me to move, to do something, to try. She wasn’t pushing me out of impatience—she was pushing me because she still saw life in me when I didn’t.

And I pushed her away. I shut down.

Because in my mind, rest was the cure.

It wasn’t.

What I needed was to wake up—to get out of my own pity loop and give movement a chance. Not a miracle cure. Not a dramatic transformation. Just a simple act of doing something with my body.

So I went to the gym. Slowly. Gently.

And what I found there wasn’t exhaustion—it was energy.

Not in the first five minutes, maybe not even in the first day. But by Day 2, 3, 4… something started shifting.

The fog cleared a little.

My brain got quieter.

My body felt… not healed, but heard.

I’m not saying it’s easy.

But I am saying it’s possible.

If you live with MS or any chronic illness and feel like movement is too much, I want you to know—I said the same thing. I felt the same thing. And I was wrong.

You’re not lazy. You’re not weak.

But you might be stuck.

And the only way out of the cycle is through.

Even if it's just a few steps. Even if it's just five minutes.

Because the truth is:

Movement isn’t a punishment. It’s a promise.

A promise that you’re still here.

That your body, no matter how damaged, still wants to live.

That there’s still something worth fighting for—you.