Article written by Dr. Michelle Strydom MD, Photo by Liza Summer
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms seen by a doctor in general practice. In this section I am referring to fatigue, lethargy and exhaustion due to something other than a hard day’s work or lack of sleep. This is where a person experiences excessive fatigue after minimal physical or mental exertion, has lack of motivation, lack of energy, poor concentration, dizziness, muscular aches and an altered sleep pattern with frequent waking or sleeping more than normal (hypersomnia). These symptoms can follow a viral infection, for example infectious mononucleosis (Ebstein Barr Virus), influenza and hepatitis, as well as other chronic diseases such as cancer and multiple chemical sensitivity and environmental illness (MCS/ EI). (Viral infections are discussed on page 453, cancer on page 257 and allergies including MCS/EI on page 206). However in most cases, people with chronic fatigue do not have any evidence of a viral infection or another disease to explain the fatigue.
Apart from the above scenarios, chronic fatigue, lethargy and exhaustion is a fear, anxiety and stress disorder. Therefore to understand why you are chronically tired, you need to first read through the chapter on page 180 which has essential background information. Pay special attention to the discussion on 1 John 4 v 18 on page 191.
If you suffer from chronic fatigue that is not due to another illness or lack of sleep, I recommend that you get your blood glucose levels (i.e. blood sugar) tested. It is a very quick and simple test. If your blood sugar is normal, then you simply have exhaustion which means you are in stage 3 of stress which is in fact called the “exhaustion stage”. Part of stage 3 of stress involves a depletion in the body’s potassium stores and this causes the fatigue. You are experiencing fatigue and exhaustion due to long term fear, anxiety and stress in your thought life because you are insecure in relationships.
You don’t like being around people because you don’t trust them and you don’t want to be vulnerable. You don’t even trust yourself in relationships and so you have a spirit of fear that will cause you to withdraw in fear. You don’t feel loved and you don’t even know if you can give love yourself. 1 John 4 v 18 says that he who fears has not been made perfect in love. You are afraid because you feel as though God doesn’t love you, you don’t love yourself and you feel like others don’t love you and that has taken you to the 3rd stage of stress. The chapter on page 523 will help you deal with those issues that are robbing you of your peace, including the fears that come from relationship breakdowns.
The fear and anxiety in chronic fatigue syndrome is due to drivenness to meet the expectations of somebody. It is a performance disorder.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is primarily caused by fear, anxiety and stress in your thought life with an autoimmune component that triggers the hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemia is not a proper autoimmune disease but it has an autoimmune component to it. This brings in an additional spiritual root which is a low self-esteem, guilt, self-accusation and self loathing.
Henry Wright unraveled the mystery behind chronic fatigue syndrome by getting involved with many people over several years who have this problem and this is what he found:
The fear and anxiety in chronic fatigue syndrome is due to drivenness to meet the expectations of somebody (usually a parent, especially a mother) in order to “measure up” and receive love and acceptance. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a performance disorder.
While exhaustion as a result of stage 3 of stress is an insecurity disease, chronic fatigue is a performance disorder. It afflicts individuals who spend all their life being what somebody else expects them to be. Chronic fatigue syndrome is often called the “white collar disease” because it usually hits professionals when they are at the peak of their careers. After they have achieved what they were supposed to achieve to meet the expectations of somebody, they crash. As they crash the low self-esteem, guilt, self loathing and self-accusation comes – this is the autoimmune component that triggers the hypoglycaemia. So now your blood sugar levels are too low and your brain does not get the fuel and energy that it needs. As a result you experience fatigue, brain fog and disorientation.
Henry Wright told the story of a Jewish girl in Florida who came down with chronic fatigue syndrome plus five other diseases at the height of her success as a real estate agent. When she was growing up she wanted to be a school teacher because she loved children. However, when you are a Jewish girl and you have a Jewish mother, and you are in Florida, it is real estate because that is where the money is. At the height of her career with a six digit figure income, she crashed with disease and could no longer work because she hated being a real estate agent. She wanted to be a teacher. So at the height of her pleasing her mother she crashed in guilt, performance, anxiety, fear and self loathing.
There are many people who don’t even know who they are because from childhood they have been so busy conforming to the expectations of their parents and others. They forgot that they had an identity from God from before the foundation of the world and they don’t know what it is. Well why don’t you go ask Him? Quit being what other people expect you to be and be who God created you to be. Follow your heart and don’t let anybody stop you and this disease will leave you in conjunction with that decision.
Your sense of self worth and value should be coming from who you are in Christ – it should not be based on your achievement. To be healed of chronic fatigue syndrome you need to renew your mind with the Word and change your thinking in this area. You need to separate your “who” from your “do”. God’s love for you is not performance based and you need to see yourself as God sees you. I share more about this in the chapter “Who You are in Christ” on page 498.
Finally, pray with me: “I take authority over the spirit of fear and command you to go in Jesus’ Name! I release myself from performance, perfectionism and meeting the expectations of others. In the Name of Jesus I release myself from fear of failure that drives me to do everything right and which tells me that who I am is what I do. I determine in my heart this day to make an allowance for weakness and mistakes for it is written that His strength is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12 v 9) and “Though the righteous shall fall seven times, the Lord will lift them up!” (Proverbs 24 v 16). I release myself from the fear of man and what others think of me. I release myself from guilt and I take authority over the unloving accusing spirit that accuses me to myself – you are a lying spirit and I break your power in the Name of Jesus and command you to be gone. I release myself to follow the desires of my heart and to be who God created me to be. I release myself to be who He saw from the foundation of the world.
I release myself from the fears and insecurities that have come from broken relationships for it is written in Romans 8 v 15 that God has not given me to bondage to the spirit of fear but I have received the spirit of adoption whereby I can cry out Abba Father! I release myself from hardness of heart that I have that will not let me trust and be vulnerable without fear. I release myself from the fear of giving and receiving love. Father I open my heart right now to receive Your perfect love which casts out all fear. I release myself to the love of the Father and the love of the Lord Jesus Christ as a work of the Holy Spirit.
In the Name of Jesus I command the chemistry imbalance in my body to be broken and I command the blood sugar and potassium levels to normalize. I speak strength back into my body and clarity of thinking. By the stripes of Jesus I am healed! (Isaiah 53 v 5) Amen!”
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