| Fibromyalgia More Condition_Symptoms | | | | care of yourself. |
| - Reduce Stress and Reduce Your Fibromyalgia | | | | 2. Practice body awareness. People who deal |
| Symptoms | | | | with chronic pain, as in fibromyalgia, become |
| Stress and pain are irreversibly linked in | | | | accustomed to ignoring their bodies; it's one way |
| fibromyalgia. For many people, some kind of | | | | they cope with the pain. If you learn to |
| stressful event is what initially triggers | | | | recognize your body's cues that you are |
| fibromyalgia. It often shows up after a serious | | | | becoming tense, you can use a relaxation |
| illness, some kind of emotional or mental shock or | | | | technique or exercise early on, before stress |
| with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). | | | | becomes unmanageable. At the same time, you |
| There is probably a genetic tendency toward | | | | don't want to lose that protective lack of |
| fibromyalgia, and many people believe that stress | | | | awareness about pain. Take breaks every so |
| unmasks the disorder. | | | | often and just sit quietly and pay attention to |
| Fibromyalgia is thought to be a central nervous | | | | how you feel. Learn where you feel stress |
| system disorder in which either pain-sensing | | | | first. Do you get heartburn? Do your shoulders |
| nerves are excessively sensitive, or the brain is | | | | get tight? Once you learn that, you can |
| extremely sensitive to pain impulses. People with | | | | periodically scan to see if your body is showing |
| fibromyalgia have poor functioning of the HPA | | | | tension. |
| axis—hpyophysis-pituitary-adrenal | | | | 3. Change the way you think. This takes |
| axis—which is our body's system for | | | | practice, but it gives you a chance to respond to |
| responding to stress with neurochemicals like | | | | situations instead of reacting. |
| adrenalin and serotonin. We don't know how pain | | | | 4. Keep a stress journal. This has two |
| sensation and an abnormal stress response are | | | | purposes. You can journal about stressful |
| related, but we do know that people with | | | | incidents and use the journal as a tool to help you |
| fibromyalgia experience more pain when they are | | | | identify situations that are stressful to you. This |
| stressed. | | | | can help you either avoid repeating these |
| Just having fibromyalgia is stressful. Dealing with | | | | situations or be better prepared should they be |
| constant pain, fatigue and mental cloudiness is | | | | unavoidable. Journaling about a stressful event |
| stressful. Not being able to accomplish things is | | | | also helps you debrief and de-stress after the |
| stressful, especially if it affects your employment | | | | event. |
| situation. That can lead to financial stress. The | | | | 5. Learn stress management techniques, such as |
| fact that few people understand what you are | | | | visualization, meditation and breathing. These |
| going through and expect you to behave | | | | techniques decrease the level of neurochemicals |
| "normally" is stressful. Dealing with a chronic | | | | circulating in your body, and help decrease both |
| illness and lifestyle changes is stressful. That's | | | | stress and pain. |
| the everyday stress load; adding anything to it | | | | 6. Physical therapy, stretching and massage can |
| tends to tip the scale and cause the fibromyalgia | | | | help decrease muscle tension and stress, and help |
| symptoms to be worse. | | | | minimize pain. |
| Stress reduction is an important part of managing | | | | 7. Talk to a counselor who specializes in stress |
| your fibromyalgia. | | | | management and pain treatment. He or she can |
| Here are a few ways that may help alleviate | | | | help you learn new ways to manage stressful |
| some of your stress: | | | | events. |
| 1. Good self care. Eating a nutritious diet, getting | | | | If you decrease your stress, you will probably |
| the right amount of the right kind of exercise, | | | | experience less pain and fatigue from your |
| establishing regular sleep habits and giving yourself | | | | fibromyalgia. Changing your lifestyle so that you |
| grace are all part of taking good care of | | | | are taking care of yourself can help prevent |
| yourself. They are important. You will feel | | | | flare-ups and give you a better quality of life. |
| worse, and be able to do less if you do not take | | | | |