Accepting
- The hardest part for me was having to accept that i can no longer run around and do everything for everyone.... I have problems sleeping at night, so i was lucky to find a job working night shift 3 nights a week. on tose days i do nothing but sleep/rest and cook the family meal. Thursdays when i wake up i go grocery shopping. Fridays i do laundry and mop floors and dust. Saturday i iron. Anything else i fit in when i can. Cant say i am feeling "better" for it, but it is the way i can cope with it. I miss being the whirlwind i used be, i miss my baking marathons, its hard some days just to think up what to cook for dinner, i miss gardening, but i am learning to relax more and i am spending more time chilling out with my daughter.
- —Guest Lin
Pacing Yourself
- I set a kitchen timer. I work for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off I rest for another 15 minutes. Also I unload the dishwasher in stages: dishes, glasses, cutlery with rests in between.
- —Guest Catherine
pacing and why I havnt grasped it yet
- I am a functioning fibromite who is still at the phase that just doesn't see how I can hold down a responsible job and use pacing as s tool. I know what I should do I am intelligent woman but switching off your psyche of achieving a target is not so easy. It's like King Canute telling the sea to stop....that didn't happen either. I am the one that people turn to as the fixer and I have always played that role. I make things happen for other people and yet I cannot see the blindingly obvious in front of my face. I have got to sort this out
- —Guest nikewood
Pacing and others
- I have been put on disability because of all the stress from my job. It has only been about a month. It seems that my days "off" are as busy as my work days were. I am hoping that after Christmas I can start truly pacing myself. I know what my body can handle and have learned the signs. But it seems that my most difficult thing is to tell everyone else "no". That's where my pacing gets out of whack. And it's always an emergency that has to be done and you feel like a hill if you say no. (Yes, I am a fixer. I can't help myself. I have to help people.) So that is going to be my New Year's Resolution. Just say, "NO!"
- —Guest Tammy
Shut it Down & Don't Regret It!
- I'm 52 years old and my fibro specialist believes I've lived with this condition since childhood. After trial & error, I've found that what works for me is to take my pain medication in late afternoon, then plan to stay home & perform only very simple tasks after that.
- —Guest Lana Bienvenu
Great ideas on pacing!
- These are all great ideas. I also like the idea of using a timer. I have Lyme Disease also, which causes manic behaviors. I'm kind of a computer addict, and I talk too much. Then I crash.
- —Guest Margaret Horn
Use timer for pacing
- Often I start a task and it expands and expands, and I exhaust myself on it. If I set a timer, it reminds me not to go further, if I expect to get other things done that day. Try to plan your day with complementary tasks: one sitting and writing another moving around. Also, you can use a timer to teach yourself to change positions when standing or sitting to avoid extra pain. After a while it becomes instinct.
- —Guest Susanja
eaglehaslanded
- I guess I'm lucky where resting is concerned. Have struggled with Fibro,& CFS for many yrs. & it's just myself & hubby in the house. I sleep when I want..(or can.) If I have a "good" day, for me, I do more than if I wake up & the day feels like hell, already! I am NOT a mor ning person. Pain is at it's height then. I have a dog & cat to tend to. Some days they just have to fend for themselves. As long as they have food & water. My husband travels, for work,one week out of each month making it extremely hard as he's really my only "care giver". Might I add we live way out in the country & no close neighbors. Most days I just wear my nightie. Only bother with undies & regular street clothes IF I feel well enough to go out & shop. I broke my leg this past Jan.,& that has caused my whole body to flare BIG TIME! :( Needed 2 operations & still walking with use of a walker. Decided to make my bedroom downstairs. No more having to navigate climbing more than I have to.
- —eaglehaslanded
Early to Bed & Early to Rise
- I`ve recently found, that since I`m a "morning person", if I get up before everyone else and do my work up, (as much as I can), I feel good about myself...like I`ve actually accomplished something! After that, whether I`ve got a lot done or not, that`s usually it for the day. I go for a 20 minute walk, get lunch and go to bed for an hour and a half. After my sleep, I get supper and after supper, I do something for myself- enjoyment, which usually involves reading, sewing or checking my e-mails.
- —Guest Shirley
Beeper
- I have a beeper - I set it before each bout of rest and activity - when the beeper goes, I stop what I'm doing. It stops me getting carried away and using up too much energy. It also helps control visits from friends, and seems less rude than saying 'Right, that's your half hour up, off you go!'
- —Guest Meg
Karen Matthews
- I never miss my rest at lunch time. My lunch is an hour and a half. I get through my day a lot easier. Routine also works very well for me. Dealing with guilt feelings on the days that I could not do everything I need to, was the most difficult for me to handle. I will advice every one to get rid of guilt feelings as soon as possible, because it only brings on more stress, which makes the symptoms worse.
- —Guest Karen Matthews
HOW TO PACE YOURSELF
- The day must begin with yourself and end with yourself, with self-matters at all times. ie Brain foggged, wake -up - have flask pre-boiled water from night before and a berry teabag. Sip this whilst diaphragmatically breathing to aid the CNS blood system to obtain some 'relief'. Take supplements with either slice of pear or apple. No jumping out of bed - pace- into the bathroom- prepare bath with epsom salts, lavender ois, geranium oil, rosemary oil x 5 drops each. Maje this time your time to allow myofascia to relax. Stretches in bath=no gravity=no pain. Slowly allowly FOR TOWEL TO DRY YOU.Apply black pepper and lavender cream (or buy black pepper aromatherpay oil and add 3 drops to the pure cream. Dress. Eat breakfast of correct foods. No use dashing to work/school etc - traffic not going to go away - so put on clasic channel radio or soothing cd's in car and home and workplace. Brain's ANS hears and informs Sensory Nervous System to slow down. Take 5 min break hourly. Eat 3 hrly.S
- —Guest sharon levin
Rest, activity of 30 min to 5 hours/rest
- I find that I can only do one activity (defined as getting out of the house or doing anything that takes a lot out of it) usually a day and when I try to do more, I live to regret it.
- —Guest theblondielou
No More Caffeine
- I gave up caffeine a week ago and I can already feel the difference. There is still a lot of room for improvement, but this is a start. I am tired of fibro ruining my life. I'm starting on the dietary changes, so I'll be in this section often. Try it, it was a simple fix.
- —Guest onmymom
clothing and other stuff
- CFS for 12 yrs, -shopping for clothes/underwear is very tiring, my strategy: 1. Only wear black slacks - every top goes with it - Tshirts, good tops in non-iron easy dry fabric for going out - long evening top for weddings/etc 2. 4 pairs of black shoes - flat sandals, flat full shoe,low heel for good, evening shoe plus a pair of crocs for around the house 3. 1 of other things, as good a quality as I can afford or gifted, 1 pr earrings - simple, 1 black leather handbag - goes everywhere, 1 watch, 1 necklace - white gold cross my daughters gave me, 1 bracelet, 1 dress ring - everything else in storage 4. Got fitted for a comfortable, underwire basic Berlie bra beige - all are the same. Cotton undies all the same - black. Cotton black socks all the same so I don't have to match pairs. Everything goes with everything else. Everything machine washable and goes in dryer. Hang everything out of dryer, no iron mostly, iron set up permanently for light iron sometimes.
- —Guest Lucy
