Article: At the Limits of Autonomy — How Post-Covid and ME/CFS Transform Life — Deutschlandfunk

[Chandelier]

Die Grenzen der Autonomie - Wie Post-Covid und ME/CFS das Leben verändern

Wie lebt man, wenn der Alltag zur Herausforderung wird, die sich kaum bewältigen lässt? Die chronische Erkrankung ME/CFS stellt nicht nur das Gesundheitssystem auf die Probe, sondern auch das eigene Streben nach Selbstbestimmung in einem stillgestellten Körper.

www.deutschlandfunk.de

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3700-word article and radio piece from German public radio station Deutschlandfunk.

Short AI overview:

The Limits of Autonomy​

How Post-Covid and ME/CFS Change Life​

How do you live when everyday life becomes a challenge that is barely manageable? The chronic illness ME/CFS not only puts the healthcare system to the test, but also challenges one’s own pursuit of self-determination in a body brought to a standstill.​

• The essay explores how Long Covid and ME/CFS radically limit everyday life, forcing those affected to renegotiate autonomy, identity, and time.
• ME/CFS is described as a severe neuro-immunological illness marked by extreme energy limitations and post-exertional malaise (PEM), where even minimal activity can cause long-lasting crashes.
• Daily life becomes an ongoing practice of pacing: carefully managing energy, reducing stimuli, and breaking activities into the smallest possible steps.
• The author reflects on how illness challenges dominant ideals of productivity, self-optimization, and bodily control in a performance-driven society.
• Philosophical perspectives (e.g. Canguilhem, Foucault, Disability Studies) frame illness as a different “order of life,” not merely a deficit.
• Autonomy is redefined: not as freedom to do everything, but as the ability to shape life meaningfully within strict limits.
• ME/CFS exposes systemic failures in healthcare, social security, and recognition, leaving many patients without adequate support or dignity.
• The text argues that learning from chronically ill and disabled people—embracing care, interdependence, and “less”—offers lessons for society facing broader crises.