I thought I was dying, my life completely shattered into tiny pieces of broken glass.

I lost six whole years of my life.

I lost my home, I lost my business.

I lost my marriage and I lost May to chronic fatigue syndrome.

I was completely burned out at the time.

I was in my early thirties, but I actually felt more like I was 100 and 30.

That's what it felt like every single day.

It was like being injected with poison.

My body was shutting down.

My family and close friends couldn't see behind my smile what was going on.

I called it my world.

So what's my world Feel like?

I want to take it that place.

Now put your hands up here.

Who's had flu before?

Put your hands up.

If you've had jetlag, put your hands up honestly, Who's had a severe hangover to the point?

You'll say you'll never, ever drink again that we will do a day away.

Feel what that's like to remember it.

Headache, sickness.

Everything aches in your body.

You feel disconnected from life and all you want to do is going live, breathe in a dark room and go to sleep and knowing after a couple of nights you're gonna feel better.

Papa knew.

If n maybe an Alka Seltzer and you're good to go well times that by 10.

10 again.

And that's what it's like to live with chronic fatigue.

And also, after having a couple nights sleep it never, ever leave you.

It stays with you.

Who here's a perfectionist people, please.

Yes, Person doesn't like saying no.

The martyr strives to do the best, wants more out of life.

Does this sound like you?

Could this be you?

So what did my life look like before?

I was a very busy person.

I lived my life to the full.

I used to push myself, but got a bit of spare time.

You know what I'd do?

I'd fill it and still it again.

Phyllis again, this was made.

I've lived off that adrenaline Loved it.

Bring it on.

Give me more, More, more, more, more.

I was a young businesswoman.

Very successful driven Bye Targets lived off chocolate.

Any chocoholics here?

What was made living off coffee and these were my coping strategies to live off that high energy at wake up.

Morning at least.

How's 5 a.m. Most mornings.

Hey, Makeup Sutan heels on offside.

Ghost my day raring for that pressure to keep me running on that adrenaline, knowing that I'd come home into the evening very late.

That was okay.

And I enjoyed it.

I thrived off it.

I've been got married and was blessed with my two Children.

Edgerton, Emily.

Life felt good.

Well, I felt complete for May.

I'm dead.

I started to feel that my tiredness, my normal tiredness, didn't feel quite right.

Something was wrong.

I became more more tired than tigers became deeper.

But I just kept going on.

It was fine.

I can keep this life going, I guess.

What?

My first warning sign came in and I chose to ignore it because I'm the perfectionist.

I can keep going, keep going on this adrenaline.

So we had a family holiday.

We went off to Florida on our due to land.

I have appreciating headache pain I had never, ever experienced in my life.

My head felt like it was gonna explode, and I felt just very, very unwell.

But a different type of wellness.

We landed arrived at the airport.

I was delirious.

I was completely out of it.

Next minute I remember Team of Paramedics around May gave me a big shot of injection.

Not me out for two weeks.

End off the holiday returned back home.

Life became normal again.

Catch driving.

Pushing myself?

Yes, well, second warning sign.

And this was a warning sign that could not be ignored.

This time I went to New York for a long weekend with my girlfriend.

What we do in New York tickles.

It's party, party, party time.

We had great fun.

We shopped till I dropped.

We did a lot of sightseeing.

Still kept pushing myself.

Arrived back home on I contract the virus for three months that never ever left me.

I couldn't even raise my arm to brush my hair.

The pain in my joints and muscles was excruciating.

Palpitations in my heart felt my heart was going to explode.

Memory loss couldn't string a sentence together.

Things were seriously going wrong.

Getting worse.

I didn't know what was happening to May.

I would crawl on my hands and knees out of bed to get to the bathroom.

Have a shower.

We'd be like pins and needles.

The final straw Waas set Sitting of set of traffic lights to Mommy.

Mommy!

Mommy, wake up.

We're on green.

You've gotta go.

So my life I'd hide away Nobody could see inside my world And nor did I want to.

Two years went by Eventually I was told by consultant you've got depression.

You know you're making this up.

I believe that.

I thought I was going mad at that point.

But I wanted to beat this.

I wasn't gonna accept that.

So I did a lot of research eventually went see an immunologist and I had a diagnosis of chronic fatigue and it was great in a funny kind of way.

Fantastic.

We got answer to know what to do to them.

Be told I hope that I had was taken away.

We don't want to do with you.

You're gonna have to live with this the rest of your life.

These were dark, dark days.

For a long time I felt isolated, lonely in my world.

Nobody understood.

And at that point, I was going to take my life.

I've been had a light bulb moment to be long, dark days on actually, hydrogen.

Emily needed me.

They needed them.

And these two Children gave me my meaning and purpose.

Back in, they kept me going.

So I took action.

I had a choice.

I could create change to my life.

I accepted what was happening, right.

I just need a magic wand.

That's all I need is a magical want to get my life back.

So I became my magic wand.

I worked with my positive mind No beer people pleaser anymore.

Nurture me much my inner self On dhe, I also worked my nutrition.

I start off every day with the smoothie or juice and also work with my pacing.

So if I want to do what I want to do throughout that day, I'd have it in a heartbeat again.

I worked with pain management, hot, cold showers and also worked with movement.

I was in so much pain, I didn't want to move.

So I started gentle walks and built up to yoga, and it was OK to go and ask for help.

It's okay not to be okay.

So I worked with on that path and a hypnotherapist, and this all became my magic wand.

Life's good now unfit, healthy?

Well, I'm in a really good place.

I'm still rebuilding and it's hard work.

But I believe in me and you can recover chronic fatigue.

So I often tell people It's like living on the cliff edge.

You're right on my edge of that cliff edge.

If you drop over that cliff edge, it's a long way back.

So why do we live our lives on that cliff edge all the time?

Pushing ourselves under so much pressure A ll do it.

It's okay to take a rest.

Why do you feel guilty to take a rest?

So was in Wales recently.

Andi are standing underneath this cliff on Dhe, locked open For what?

My girl.

That's a long way.

And, boy, do I know it because I've been there.

But actually I started taking those steps of the other side of the cliff, and you can do it.

You can get that.

A pivotal part of my recovery was I was so passionate about helping other people who were going through a similar journey that I was going through.

So I decided to start from a single little thought.

I started a charity called Salute Fatigue foundation and long with passionate, committed team.

We have helped over 15,000 people start to change their lives.

No, they've got hope.

My other passion is about early intervention prevention.

So I go into work place.

Steve and I help people with their strategy, is giving them knowledge and education had to take better care of themselves So they don't make mistakes that I made and burn out.

So who here is living?

24 7 under a lot of pressure pushing themselves?

If that sounds like you, I'm giving you a first warning sign today.

You can't sustain that.

Take better care of yourselves.

I'm leaving with a message today.

What will you change today as it starts with you?

Thank you.