Coping with Fibromyalgia

On top of managing the pain and fatigue caused by fibromyalgia, you might have to also deal with depression and the frustration of living with a widely misunderstood condition. The best way to overcome this frustration is with education. Providing your family, friends and co-workers with knowledge about the condition will help them understand what you are experiencing. It's not that you want them to necessarily have sympathy for you, just understand and be aware that sometimes you will have good days and sometimes you will have bad days.

Above all, stay positive! This can be extremely challenging at times but a positive attitude will allow you to be more effective at reducing your stress level which can cause less pain.

Don't stop your life altogether. If you quit your job or stop all activity you can spiral into a state of constant depression and frustration. Set aside some time each day to relax. Whether you have a nap, watch TV, read a book, whatever you like, just set aside some time to yourself where you can relax. You may need to explain to your family that they need to just leave you alone for an hour or two but if you explain to them the benefits to you and them of this relax time they will probably understand better than if you just tell them to go away.

Get a good sleep! This is so important because with fatigue you will experience more pain. Try not to nap too much during the day so that you are able to sleep soundly at night. Avoid caffeine before bedtime and try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day and make sure you set aside enough time to get a good sleep.

Exercise is very important. This is one of the hardest elements of self care as it is very difficult to exercise when you are in pain. As you build up your strength you will notice that exercise can decrease your symptoms and it can help you sleep at night. Do not over exert yourself as you will set yourself back the next day. Try to go for a walk everyday. Start at 10 minutes and work your way up. Swimming and water aerobics are also great exercises as the water reduces the tension on your muscles. Just be careful because you may not notice that you are getting tired due to the less resistance in the water and you can risk over doing it.

Maintain a healthy diet and make sure you get enough nutrients. You may need to supplement your diet with a multi-vitamin.

There are also many support groups available that you can join to discuss the experiences you are having and how to deal with stressful situations that arise.