Hypermobility: Practical Pacing with peer support (Members only)

Self-management of hypermobility syndromes is vital, and can also be hard work. Especially as some healthcare professionals aren’t always in a position to give the level of time, information, and support we need in order to successfully self-manage.    

Alongside our popular ‘Living Well’ series run by expert professionals Jo Southall and Kim Clayden, and our other self-management resources, the HMSA has created our own peer-led Practical Pacing course. This course is all about fostering a practical peer support environment in which to start setting strategies for managing symptomatic hypermobility in your everyday life, during challenging periods, through crashes and recharging periods, and as your symptoms change over time. Among other things, we'll explore when to seek, and how to identify more intensive professional support when needed.

This course isn’t about sitting and listening – it’s an interactive course with a combination of short webinars, Q&A discussion sessions, and online peer support to help each attendee create their own pacing and self-management plans and to share your experiences.

This time, the three-session course will be run by one of our volunteers, Hannah Ensor – an expert patient with an unspecified connective tissue disorder and PoTS. Hannah has nearly twenty years experience supporting other people with hypermobility syndromes, both as individuals and in group situations. 

We strongly recommend that anyone signing up completes all 3 sessions (they aren’t designed to be done separately) – but that can include watching the session recording. Please note that the Q&A part of each session (like our other support group sessions) will not be recorded, but we plan to share top tips from the Q&A session in the linked online support group.    

This time we are running the course for members only.  Zoom links will be sent each week to all who have registered.

To sign up for this course, become a member here, then go to the members-only events page and register. 

Session 1: Wednesday Sept 4th 7-8pm    

Topics covered:   

• Getting to know your body: symptoms, identify those things that aggravate, and those that help.
• Exercise   

Session 2: Wednesday Sept 11th 7-8pm 

Topics Covered:  

• Creating basic pacing strategies  - tips and suggestions to get you started

Session 3: Wednesday Sept 25th 7-8pm 

Topics covered: 

• Managing crashes, and flare-ups
• Recovery plans