Tap Into The Community: It’s estimated that up to 2.5 million people are living with CFS. Tapping into online forums and networks will help you feel less alone in your condition, but it also can provide you with a wealth of knowledge in coping with your symptoms and making improvements. Fellow CFS patients share home remedies, tricks and tips, and news about new studies with one another - keying into that database is invaluable.

Stress Management And Reduction: Develop a plan to reduce your stress levels and limit overexertion. Build time into your daily schedule to relax and rest. Being chronically ill is stressful enough in itself, and many doctors believe that stress could be a contributor to CFS symptoms. So, when at all possible, make things easy on yourself by keeping your schedule flexible and your goals attainable. Keep a journal - not only will it help to vent your frustrations, but you can eventually review the pattern in your behavior that triggers good days and bad, and will help you shift your priorities and minimize your stress level.

Maintain A Healthy Diet: If you aren’t already charting it in your personal diary, you should begin to log a food diary. Track not just what you’ve eaten, but how you feel immediately after eating and how you feel later in the day. CFS patients often report that they’ve developed food sensitivities and allergies, and you may not be aware of what foods are triggering your bad days until you consider both foods you’ve just eaten and those you ate earlier in the day or the day before. Try to avoid foods that give you short bursts of energy and will make you crash later, including sugar and caffeine. Bulk up on foods that offer slower energy releases, such as starches and proteins. Also look for foods that are rich in iron or contain high levels of B12.

Improve Sleep Habits: Get yourself into a strong sleep routine - including going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Limit daytime naps and reduce or eliminate your caffeine, alcohol and nicotine intake, as these can disrupt your sleep patterns. As with other aspects of your life, keep a log of your sleep patterns and note anything that may have triggered disrupted sleep.