Fibromyalgia: Tips for coping

Are you looking for some everyday tips for fibromyalgia symptoms? You are not alone. According to the NHS, around one in 20 people suffer from the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia. There is no "pill" to end fibromyalgia symptoms. However, there are ways of managing symptoms to keep them from disrupting your busy life.

Why is coping with fibromyalgia important?

Learning how to self-manage symptoms with medication, diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits is vital to improve your mood, improve your sleep, and get relief from fibromyalgia pain. For instance, many people with fibromyalgia are often caring for others, either by parenting or care giving, but they allow little time to take care of their own health and wellbeing. This is a problem because a chronic disease such as fibromyalgia comes with its own set of limitations. Those limitations stem from fibromyalgia tender points, chronic fatigue, and ongoing pain and stiffness.

The limitations of fibromyalgia can be lessened if you get the facts. Learn more about fibromyalgia and how it is treated. Seek the latest information on fibromyalgia and lifestyle habits. Get answers to your questions about fibromyalgia, and take proactive steps to focus on your health. With increased fibromyalgia support, you can get your life and priorities in order. Useful places to look are the Fibromyalgia Association UK and FibroAction.

Here are some simple coping strategies you can use to help yourself live well with fibromyalgia:

• Minimise stress in your life. There is speculation that stress may play an important role in triggering fibromyalgia symptoms. In fact, many people with fibromyalgia tell of feeling anxious, nervous, and panicked around the time when fibromyalgia symptoms flare. Some experts find that when fibromyalgia patients reduce stress in their lives, they also experience a reduction in depression, anxiety and fatigue. Sleep becomes more restful and their mind relaxes. Because they feel more in control, the symptoms that were once immobilising subside, and quality of life improves.
• Remove yourself emotionally from stressful situations. Sometimes, people magnify problems, making them seem far greater than they are. The stress reaction is triggered by perception. When you imagine something to be a "life or death situation", even though in reality it is not, your body reacts as if you are in danger. Work at tempering your emotions as problems come up throughout the day. Instead of seeing every crisis as a disaster, learn to view life's interruptions as "inconvenient, but tolerable." You will find that when you see life as something that you can easily handle, you will not feel overpowered when trouble comes.
• Make modifications at work. To keep working part-time or full-time, you must stay mentally and physically able to handle your job responsibilities. To avoid stress and anxiety, you may need to allow more time during the day to fully carry out your responsibilities Talk to your employer and work out a flexible schedule that allows you to come in later and leave later. Or ask your employer if you can work from home one or two mornings a week so you can get more rest. Alternatively, ask if you could take a nap at lunch time to boost your energy. Whatever modifications you make, avoid procrastination. Budget your time, follow your daily "To Do" lists, and limit your outside commitments on work days.
• Work to improve communication skills. Communication is also important with a chronic illness like fibromyalgia. Open and honest communication helps decrease changes of conflict between you and your spouse, family, friends and co-workers. This is especially true when you feel angry or resentful about having unending pain and fatigue. The mental distraction that comes from preoccupation with your illness can hinder productive communication. If you feel overwhelmed with the stress of fibromyalgia, psychological counselling can help you develop appropriate and functional communication strategies to deal with your disease and other issues in your life.
• Learn to say "no". Failing to set personal limits or saying "yes" to too many demands will put you in overload. That will add to your already elevated stress level. To help yourself say "no" to a persuasive friend, think through the situation before you answer. Check your diary, and weigh up the alternatives. Involve family members or friends in the discussion about what to do. Would another commitment stop you from getting the rest, exercise and relaxation you need to feel well? Would it interfere with the priorities that are high on your list? The desire to help others is commendable, but being all things to all people may hinder your healing and make you feel resentful, tired and depressed. It is important to take a firm stand, so say "no", and mean it.
• Keep a daily journal. Writing in a journal every day can become a great tool for self-inquiry. Some people are able to identify a series of events that are associated with the beginning of fibromyalgia symptoms. That can help them understand how and when symptoms start. Keeping a journal can also assist you in tracking your muscle pain and fatigue and in identifying what may cause them. For example, you may write in your journal that you are having great pain and feeling exhausted after several days of gardening. Months later, you might look back on this entry and perhaps recognise a pattern that identifies a relationship between your increased fibromyalgia symptoms and certain lifestyle triggers. Or perhaps you have not slept well in days. Looking back over your journal may enable you to see any emotional or physical problems that have contributed to your sleep problem.
• Soak in a warm bath. Soaking in a warm bath, whirlpool bath, or sauna or standing under a warm shower will serve two purposes. First, it will help you to relax tense muscles, reduce pain, and move more easily. Second, some studies show that the warm, moist heat may raise levels of endorphins and decrease levels of stress hormones. There may be an additional benefit, because healthcare professionals that specialise in sleep disorders have found that a warm bath before bedtime can help sleep be more restful.
• Exercise regularly. According to the NHS a specially chosen exercise programme is important for easing symptoms of fibromyalgia. Because of the pain, trigger points and tender points, ongoing fatigue, and stiffness felt by people with fibromyalgia, many have become physically unfit. Aerobic or conditioning exercises - such as walking, swimming and cycling - have analgesic and antidepressant effects. Aerobic exercise can help enhance your sense of well-being and feeling of being in control. Talk with your GP for help with designing a programme that is right for you.
• Eliminate or reduce caffeine intake. Caffeine is one of the few food products that can induce a stress response. Too much caffeine can greatly increase nervousness, anxiety and insomnia. As you make plans to de-stress your life, try limiting the amount of caffeine you take in, and remember, coffee is not the only source of caffeine. Tea and chocolate drinks also contain caffeine. They also contain ingredients like theophylline and theobromine that can stimulate the heart and central nervous system.
• Use mind/body tools for relaxation. There are many relaxation techniques you can use to ease daily tension, anxiety and pain. You might learn to relax with guided imagery, visualisation, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, deep abdominal breathing or self-hypnosis. When you meditate and experience the relaxation response, your body is allowed permission to switch from the pumping "fight or flight" response into a calmer, more peaceful mood. Studies show that when you step back from problems and use mind/body tools to relax, you produce brain waves consistent with serenity and happiness. In addition, talk with a counsellor about ways to minimise negative self-talk, so that you can become more optimistic about yourself and your illness.
• Evaluate your sleep routine. Make sure your body is totally prepared for rest. You can't sleep if there is light in your room or if a television is blaring in another room. Make sure your room is quiet, dark and cool. Use earplugs if you are sensitive to noise, and use a blackout blind or wear an eye mask to block light. Eliminate afternoon caffeine from your diet, and exercise regularly - although not near bedtime. Sometimes a snack that is high in carbohydrates can help induce sleep because it boosts levels of serotonin in your body. Serotonin is a chemical messenger that helps regulate mood, appetite and sleep.
• Consider joining a fibromyalgia support group. Support groups are geared towards meeting the needs of people with fibromyalgia. Support groups, which are often educational, are not psychotherapy groups, but they do provide patients and their families with a safe and accepting environment where they can vent their frustrations, share their personal stories, and receive comfort and encouragement from others. Ask your GP for some recommendations, or check with Fibromyalgia Association UK or FibroAction for support groups in your area.
• Make time for yourself each day. Work towards achieving an overall lifestyle balance. Make time to do the things you "want" to do as well as the things you "have" to do. People with fibromyalgia are faced with special demands that other healthy people do not have. The task of coping with pain and fatigue each day makes it necessary to keep your priorities in order so you have the energy to reach your daily goals.