Survive Holiday Shopping With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I certainly hope you're not planning to head out shppping on Black Friday! For those of us with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS), that's a nightmare scenario.

• Crowded, noisy places can send us into anxiety attacks.
• All the chaos is likely to make brain fog kick in to overdrive.
• Having to run through stores to get those doorbusters, then stand in long lines to pay, is probably more physical exertion than most of us can handle.

Holiday shopping, on any day is a little frightening and overwhelming to me. I only survive it by making lists, planning carefully, dragging my husband along most of the time, and using a cane or wheelchair when I need to (in spite of how strange it may feel).

As you think about those dreaded shopping trips this year, it can help to have ways to take the dread out of the deed! Read this:

• 10 Ways to Surivive Holiday Shopping With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

What helps you get through holiday shopping, or the season itself, without crashing? Share your tips and experiences here, or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome community forum (under Newsletter & Blog topics.)

Suggested Reading:

• Pacing 101
• The Holiday Survival Guide

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