Stage 2 - Disability Ownership Modelâ„¢
You have adapted - the crash cycle has not.
You are not failing to adapt,
you are still finding out what works.
Body: Chronic pain and fatigue measurably impair executive function and working memory. Research published in Clinical Psychology Review (Berryman et al., 2014) found that more than 50% of people experiencing chronic pain show clinically significant cognitive deficits. The exhaustion you feel is not a failure to try harder. It is a system running on fumes - and demanding a recalibration, not another push.
"The exhaustion you feel is not a failure to try harder. It is your system running on fumes and demanding a recalibration."
The old baseline does not apply anymore. A new one needs to be found. And you can find it precisely - not by guessing, but by measuring. I call it your Action Floor. Find it and it will give you useful information about how to structure what will work for you.
What it looks like when you have found your Action Floor and you're nearing the end of Stage 2.
Imagine waking up on a Wednesday that does not start with dread. You look at what is ahead and you know - actually know, not guess - how much energy you have to spend safely and you pick your tasks accordingly. You do not over-pile on because feels like a higher energy day. You do not collapse into guilt because it is red.
You have a number. Your floor number. And every plan you make starts there. Your calendar does not reflect who you used to be. It reflects who you actually are in this body, right now. You are not managing your condition. You are running operations.
"For the first time since everything changed, the gap between what you planned and what you did is predictable - not a mystery that means something is wrong with you."
Before you plan anything, find your Action Floor.
Effort Required : 10 mins/day for 1 week
1
Five Days of Measurement (Action Floor Calculator)
For five days, you track three things: what you did, how you felt while doing it, and whether doing it affected the following day. No interpretation yet. No planning. Just honest observation of what your body actually does when you are not forcing it.
2
Calculate Your Floor
At the end of day five, the Action Floor Calculator produces one number: the sustainable daily output your body can repeat without a crash following. That number is not a ceiling. It is a floor. You build upward from there.
3
Map Your Days (Traffic Light System)
Green day. Yellow day. Red day. The Traffic Light System gives you three operational modes based on your real energy state, and tells you what category of task belongs in each. You stop wasting green days on red-day tasks. You stop punishing yourself for not doing green-day work on red days.
4
Build the First Real Week
One week's plan - built from your floor number, with traffic-light task matching. Not a rigid schedule. Not a commitment to perfection. A plan that was designed to work with your body, not against it.
5
Reconnect with Joy
Find what still feels alive. Refill your energy with what you used to love in a renewed way that fits you as you are now.
I would describe Étienne’s coaching style as caring, structured, reassuring, and action-oriented. He knows how to create a safe space where I can freely express my questions, fears, and ambitions without feeling judged. His attentive listening, precise restatements, and insightful questions have allowed me to step back and better organize my thoughts. Among his key strengths, I would highlight his ability to help me discover my own answers, to respect my pace, and to transform vague thoughts into a clearer, more realistic, and concrete vision.
Samira
Recent client
Stage 2 Action Floor Kit (PDF)
CAD $9
- Action Floor Calculator
- Traffic Light System Framework
- Joy Excavation
Not useful? Email me within 14 days for a full refund. No proof of work required.
Sometimes the floor comes back lower than expected.
That is Stage 2 information, not a verdict. It is the starting point. If the number feels discouraging, it is still a number you can build from - and building from the right place is everything.
When the Action Floor calculation returns something that stops you in your tracks, a conversation is often helpful. We look at that number together, name what it actually means, and build the first week's plan from exactly where you are - not where you think you should be.
One session. No commitment to anything beyond that.
Not sure this is your stage? Take the free assessment
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