Pacing is a way of managing your energy by balancing activity and rest so that your body stays within a sustainable range, often called your “energy envelope.”

Many people find it helpful to imagine their energy like a battery that drains as they do things, or as a small number of “spoons” that get used up throughout the day. These metaphors capture the reality that energy is limited, and that how you spend it matters.

Without pacing, activity is likely to rise above what the body can handle. Symptoms can flare, leading to a period of complete rest, and once someone starts to feel a little better, activity rises again can cause the cycle to repeat. Pacing aims to help people stay within their sustainable range more often, reducing flares and making daily activity feel more manageable.

The graph below illustrates this pattern: when activity rises above the shaded sustainable range, symptoms can flare and rest becomes unavoidable, before the cycle begins again.

A great introductory video on pacing, created by Long Covid Physio, offers a clear and practical explanation of the basics.

Research and lived experience show that pacing helps people maintain a more predictable and manageable daily rhythm.

Pacing can help you:

Without pacing, some people experience a “yo-yo” pattern: periods of increased activity when symptoms ease, followed by crashes that require extended recovery. Over time, these repeated crashes can affect quality of life and reduce overall functioning.

This cycle reflects the challenge of managing fluctuating symptoms and limited energy. Pacing provides structure and clearer guidance to help keep activity within a tolerable range.

People often think of activity only as physical movement, but anything that uses mental, emotional, or sensory effort counts. Activities can include:

The energy required for ‘activity’ is highly individual. Something that feels small to one person may be draining for someone else.

Rest is just as important as activity when you are pacing. It is not a setback or a sign of being unproductive. It is a key part of managing your health. What counts as good rest is different for everyone. Things that used to feel relaxing, like watching TV or listening to music, might now feel too stimulating, and that is completely valid.

Rest might involve:

Pacing is not only about balancing activity and rest. It can also mean adjusting how you do things so that tasks use less energy. Small changes can make everyday activities more manageable. This might include:

For some people, pacing is not possible because their illness is too severe to allow any reliable amount of energy.

For others, pacing is possible in theory but very difficult in daily life. Essential tasks such as washing, preparing food or caring for others can take more energy than a person has available, even with careful planning. This is not a sign that someone is pacing incorrectly. It reflects the reality of their symptoms and the demands of daily life.

Pacing is easier when you can understand what your body is doing before symptoms appear. Many people rely on how they feel, but symptoms often lag behind physiological changes. By the time symptoms worsen, your body may already have been operating beyond its sustainable energy range.

Technology can help bridge that gap. Visible uses high-accuracy heart rate and movement data to show, in real time, how much demand is being placed on your body. This supports pacing in several ways:

Visible detects changes in physiology that indicate rising exertion levels, before symptoms worsen. This helps you slow down or rest at the right moment, not after a crash has already begun.

Because everyone’s limits are different, Visible helps you learn what “too much” looks like for you. Day by day, it builds a clearer picture of your safe activity window.

Visible highlights patterns that may contribute to symptom flare-ups. Recognising these patterns early can help you prevent future crashes.

Seeing your physiology reflected in data can reduce self-doubt, help you communicate your needs and support decisions around rest, pacing and planning.

By giving insight into exertion and recovery, Visible helps people make confident choices about everyday tasks, social plans and essential activities.

Pacing is deeply personal, shaped by health, environment, responsibilities and support. It requires patience, flexibility and self-compassion.

Visible can help by offering moment-to-moment guidance, real-world data and a clearer understanding of your limits, but you remain the expert on your body.

Pacing isn’t about perfection. It’s about protecting your health so you can do what matters most, in ways that work for you.

👉 Take a look at our article on HR-monitored pacing to learn more.