You see it on just about every list of treatment/management options for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome -- "Lifestyle changes." It's one of those simple phrases that is so broad that it becomes almost meaningless; what kind of lifestyle changes do you need to make? How many? To what part(s) of your life?
We're an easy group to overwhelm, so I'm certain I'm not the only one who's stared at that phrase and though, "I'm sure I DO need to change my life, but where do I start?"
The answer is different for everyone, but all of our lives have some things in common: we all have to sleep, eat, exercise (or not), deal with stress, and take care of responsibilities. To help you get started on the momentous task of changing your lifestyle (or help you identify additional things that may need work), I've put together 10 Important Lifestyle Changes for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
What lifestyle changes have helped you? What could you use help with? Share your comments below!
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The biggest changes for me is thinking I have to have a spotless house 24-7 and do it all myself. My hubby has taken over the grocery shopping, the laundry and since my 27 year old daughter moved back home she does all the cleaning. I know its OK to not cook a big meal every night. Hotdogs or frozen pizza are OK to serve my family. I have learned to say NO when people ask if I can do things for them. I save my energy to take care of me, my dogs and do anything my elderly parents need done.
I am at a turning point in my life in dealing with a major lifestyle change of staying employed or accepting that my health is more important and I can no longer do the mental and pysical work I have done for the last 23 years in the banking industry! I pushed myself to the point of needing open heart surgery done and have not been able to return to work for over a year because of the chronic fibro pain and fatigue has been 10 times worse since the surgery! I dont know where to turn, because my job is extremely demanding and stressful and my body can no longer handle even the slightest stress or I have a huge fibro flare! On top of that, I am constantly fatigued not only from fibro but also sleep apnea & restless leg syndrome/periodic limb movement. Its easy for my doctor and rheumatologist to tell me to find something less stressful when they are not the ones who feel like they have been hit by a mack truck every morning they wake-up!
Recently I began the Atkins diet. I am losing weight and have more energy — unfortunately I am still brain fried! Oh, well.
The work of planning menus, shopping lists, and cooking is a big addition of effort, but I am losing weight and I do feel that it is worth it.
I went to a seminar shortly after joining a fibro support group and learned about pacing. That concept was so foreign to me as I have always been a doer and a person on the go. This is no longer who I am. Fibro & Chronic fatigue have both turned my world upside down & inside out. I was laid off from my job 1 year ago now and after attending the fibro group for a few months I realized I really needed to stop, slow down, take a long hard look at my life and self and start taking care of me. No one else has or will. I decided to file for SS disability and have not regreted my decision. I am scared as I have always been on the go and worked since I was 15 (over 30 years) and have always been financially secure. Well no longer. In the first few months I was laid off I slowly started cooking for myself and slowly cleaning my house again. It has been 6 years since I was in the car accident which caused my fibro. I had the CFS for years before. But all I was doing was going to work, going out to eat and going to bed. I did that for close to 6 years. I washed clothes when I ran out of clean ones. haha Bad, I know, but it is what I did. Now I am cooking for myself and slowly getting this house cleaned after 6 years. I have a little wooden sign on my wall that says, ” The Dust Can Wait” and it can. It has been here for however long it has and it will wait for me to get to it when I do. When I take on a task what I do is take my kitchen timer with me and set it for 10, 15, 30, 45 or even 60 minutes depending on how I feel at that time. When it dings I take a break and then go back to what my task was. Now I have to say that this has and is still hard for me because I am the type of person who has gone through the house and cleaned it all at once. I can no longer do that and to stop in the middle of something and then come back is off the charts for me. I just don’t do that, but I do now. I have to. And as a result it may take me days or weeks or even months to finish something but at least I have done so and that feeling I have from it is wonderful. It is tough because I want it all done and I want it done now, but that is just not how my body is now. My life has changed and will change more so I just have to slow down and listen to it and follow its lead instead of me pushing it beyond its limits.
Exercise and strength training has helped me more than anything. I refuse to take medicine and many days I don’t feel like working out but I do it anyways.