I've been recovering for almost 4 weeks now. Overall I've gone from feeling about 3/10 to feeling about 7/10 (this is good), with a couple of quite good stretches of 2-3 days each, and some middling stretches, but I've also had a couple of minor setbacks and one moderate setback.

The moderate setback came during week 2 when I had been feeling a lot better, and had had a more active day (2 walks + some activities around the house), but I completely blew it by socializing with extended family that evening and picking up my 45-lb nephew a few times. In retrospect, totally dumb, but I'm much wiser now

I felt horrible the next day, but started to feel better again within a few days. Once somewhat better (say, 6.5 - 7/10), I typically start doing a little more around the house (trips up and down the staircase, more time in the kitchen preparing meals and doing dishes, a bit more time with my family, a bit more reading/emailing/making phone calls, etc). I also start gradually increasing the length of my outdoor walks (from 10 mins extremely slow to 15 mins a bit less slow to 20 mins getting closer to normal speed, etc).

What seems to happen is that at some point, I do just a bit too much - a slightly longer walk, the extra trip or two downstairs and upstairs in the condo, hauling a bag of garbage to the chute, a visit with my girlfriend after a day of light activity, etc. For a normal person, this would be a very easygoing day, but for me, it can really set me back, anywhere from a day to 3-4 days.

This happened again this week. During the early part of the week I had been feeling quite a bit better, and when I went walking on Wednesday, I felt more like myself and extended my walk from about 15 mins to almost 30 mins, then went on a low-key picnic that night with my girlfriend. This seemed to cause another minor setback, and it's taken me a good couple of days just to start feeling OK again.

My question is, in these circumstances is it better to slow everything down , do next to nothing and just rest for a week or so (even if I start feeling better), then very, very gradually introduce light activities again? Or should I keep up a bit of light activity (including, say 10 min slow walks outside), based on the theory that a bit of activity is good for my brain (providing circulation, oxygen, etc). I guess what I'm trying to find is a level of activity that might make my recovery more sustainable. My family encourages me to get outside for a bit but I find the lows (even if temporary) so discouraging that I'm inclined to take everything down a notch for a while.