Wool Goddess

Someone recently suggested I try a new app designed to help people with chronic illnesses manage their energy levels.

On paper, it makes perfect sense. The app is called Visible, and it’s designed for people living with ME/CFS and Long Covid. It tracks things like heart rate variability (HRV) to help with pacing, offering “energy scores” that are meant to guide when to rest and when to do less. There’s a free version and a paid option with a wearable device and subscription.

I can absolutely see how this helps many people. I know it already does.

But I also know very clearly why it’s not for me.

Ignoring red flags is something I am leaving behind

One thing I want to carry into this year is not ignoring red flags.

We talk about red flags a lot in romantic relationships, but they exist everywhere, in society, in expectations, in productivity culture, and even in well-meaning health tools.

After years of living with chronic illness, I know my own patterns. I try to live by the seasons as nature intended. I know my energy traps. I know how to explain my limits to the people who love me. Most importantly, I am aware of how my body communicates with me.

In the early days, the Spoon Theory helped me make sense of it all.

For anyone unfamiliar: Spoon Theory is a way of explaining limited energy. Each “spoon” represents a unit of energy, and once you run out, that’s it. People with chronic illness start the day with far fewer spoons than healthy people, and everyday tasks—showering, cooking, socialising—can use up more than one. It was revolutionary for many of us at the beginning.

But I’m no longer at the beginning.

My nervous system does not want notifications

One of the biggest reasons this app isn’t for me is simple: my phone lives on silent—permanently.

Notifications stress me.

The constant pings and bleeps are overwhelming.

And vibrate mode? That’s even worse.

The physical sensation of a vibrating phone sends ricochets of pain through my body. It’s not a mild irritation—it’s genuine nervous system overload. An app that relies on alerts, reminders, or constant check-ins would do the opposite of regulating me.

No amount of good data is worth that cost.

I’ve learned to use my voice, and I am not giving that away

If I’m honest, the only real regrets I have in life are about the times I didn’t use my voice.

Over the last year or so, I’ve fully immersed myself in unmasking, being authentically me, without softening or shrinking to be more palatable. I’ve always been outspoken, but there was a period where I quietened that part of myself in order to fit in, be liked, or be easier.

I don’t do that anymore.

Now I can say:

No, I can’t do that.

No, I can’t go.

No, I’m tired.

No, I don’t want to.

And I don’t need an app to validate those decisions.

An app won’t stop the judgement

Like many of us with energy-limiting chronic illnesses, I already know this truth:

An app won’t stop the do-gooders.

It won’t stop:

• “Have you tried yoga?”
• “If you didn’t take big pharma meds…”
• “If you just ate clean…”
• “If you drank filtered water only…”

The list is endless.

Judgement doesn’t disappear because you have data.

People who want to minimise illness will always find a way to do it.

Something can be good and still not be for me

I want to be very clear: this isn’t a criticism of the app. I genuinely believe it’s a good tool for so many people, either with existing chronic illness or newly diagnosed, trying to navigate and accept. But I am okay, thanks, my body just needs my snug pyjamas and my warm bed.

I believe it helps people.

I believe it gives some much support to many needing structure and reassurance.

But something can be good without being right for me. We need to normalise that without negativity.

My body doesn’t need more monitoring.

My nervous system doesn’t need more input.

My healing doesn’t come from being scored.

What I need is slowness, quiet, trust and the continued permission to listen inward rather than outsource my knowing.

And crochet.

And that, for me, is more valuable than any energy score.

Would I recommend it to a friend who is newly diagnosed and struggling with acceptance?

YES! Definitely, as I do think it would help them to understand.

Love & healing hugs