What Most People Don't Understand About Why I Drink Instant Coffee

As a person with chronic fatigue, each task I perform in one day consumes a great deal of energy. Because of this, I endeavor to simplify tasks as much as possible.

I wanted to shed some light (via the medium of video) onto a very important issue that is often overlooked and minimized: How a chronically fatigued person feels after performing one activity of daily living.

 

Recently, I ran out of groceries and needed help because I was weak and hungry.

Unfortunately, I was also completely out of coffee. Coffee does nothing for me in terms of bringing up my energy level, but it is a simple daily ritual that I enjoy – and is one of the few things that cheers me.

I called my friend for help. I asked her if she had instant coffee. Her response was, “Oh, I’ll just grind you some coffee and bring over a coffee machine.”

I was about to protest, saying there was a good reason I preferred instant coffee; however, I did not want to look a gift horse in the mouth. She arrived, showing me how to use the coffee maker, and I expressed my gratitude.

The next morning, feeling inspired, I narrated a video containing a sequence of pictures portraying me preparing coffee in an unfamiliar and time-consuming manner.

While taking pictures and making coffee in an unfamiliar way, I began sweating profusely, had to use my inhaler to treat my subsequent shortness of breath and wheezing, then slept for three hours. Despite the fatigue, I got up and edited my pictures into a narrated video.

Generally, editing video is easy for me (physically) because I am seated and relaxed. Standing in the kitchen is way more stressful.

One viewer even remarked she felt tired after watching it. I was overjoyed at this comment because for the first time, I reached one person who genuinely saw my world through my eyes.

I hope you will, too.

Here’s to doing what we need to do to manage our lives!

 

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