Emotional stress
"Post Exertional Malaise", or PEM, is one of the defining characteristics of ME. It means that exertion literally makes you sick, with malaise taking the form of extreme, medical fatigue, nausea, pain of various kinds (neural, joint, muscular), migraines, disturbed and unrefreshing sleep, restless legs, elevated and irregular heart rate, significant digestive disturbances, brain fog, memory and speech impairments...and those usually in combination with each other. One of the leading theories is that this exertion exacerbates the neuroinflammation present in ME, which affects so many bodily systems. What isn't readily understood by many is that exertion can be emotional or mental, not just physical, which can also trigger PEM. I spent a lot of time reducing all sorts of stressors in my life, eliminating activities - and people - that would be negative triggers, and reducing my focus to those things that were positive influences and helped to give me strength. I find my