Activity pacing: moving beyond taking breaks and slowing down

Abstract

This brief communication responds to the paper by Jeong and Cho (Qual Life Res 26(4):903-911, 2017) that has described activity pacing in limited terms of adjusting activities through going at a slower rate and taking breaks. Activity pacing was reported as not involving goal setting, in comparison to other strategies for long-term conditions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This brief communication aims to challenge this limited perception of activity pacing in light of numerous studies that recognise pacing to be a more complex strategy. Pacing is considered to be a multifaceted coping strategy, including broad themes of not only adjusting activities, but also planning activities, having consistent activity levels, acceptance of current abilities and gradually increasing activities, and one that includes goal setting as a key facet. It is essential that pacing is both defined and measured as a multifaceted strategy in order to assess the outcomes of pacing, and for meaningful comparisons with other strategies regarding efficacy for the management of long-term conditions.