Fibromyalgia Pain Relief
Many people who suffer from fibromyalgia have a difficult time leading a healthy lifestyle due to the pain, fatigue, and other debilitating symptoms that go along with it. Ironically, a healthy lifestyle is often what helps alleviate those symptoms. When I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia after years of suffering from unexplained chronic pain, I learned that physical activity was the #1 recommended treatment for the pain. I thought it was a cruel joke - how could I exercise when I could barely get off the couch? But over the years I’ve learned that there are many factors that come into play, not just being physically active. For example, emotional pain that is not processed in a healthy way can cause an immense amount of physical pain.
A significant portion of my chronic pain has been a physical manifestation of the major traumas I have endured throughout my life, and some of my pain is physical due to injuries and genetics. As I have healed my emotional pain through therapy, coaching, a healthy lifestyle, medications, and consistent self-care, my symptoms have become more manageable. This is because our body is not made of separate parts, but a whole system. The mind-body connection is important when managing a chronic condition like fibromyalgia.
So where do you start when managing the painful flare-ups that come with having fibromyalgia?
First is your lifestyle. Living a healthy, balanced lifestyle is the highest form of self-care and biggest expression of self-love. It signals to your mind, body, and spirit that you are worthy of receiving love and being taken care of. During a fibromyalgia flare-up, this can look like allowing yourself to rest and nourishing your body with the wholesome foods it needs. In times when pain is less severe, it is important to listen to your body and only accomplish what you can physically and mentally handle without pushing yourself past your limits and triggering another flare-up (I had to learn this the hard way).
Avoiding foods that trigger fibromyalgia flare-ups is another key factor in managing symptoms. This goes for anxiety, migraines, and auto-immune disorders as well. For example, caffeine should be limited when anxiety is high, and following an anti-inflammatory diet is helpful for those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Keeping a food diary is a helpful way of identifying foods that trigger flare-ups, eventually serving as a guide towards an ideal diet plan for fibromyalgia.
Mindfulness is another act of self-care that helps alleviate pain and stress levels. This article from Mayo Clinic explains how a daily mindfulness practice can be helpful for people living with chronic pain. Many studies have been conducted into this phenomenon, and it is widely accepted as a method of pain and stress management among healthcare providers. Kaiser Permanente provides a free catalog of guided visualizations for patients to prepare for major surgeries. Many of their surgeons even require that patients listen to these recordings because it has such a positive impact on healing and recovery time.
Stress management is a very important tool for managing fibromyalgia flare-ups and chronic pain. This is because stress releases hormones such as cortisol that increases inflammation and lowers our pain threshold. Mindfulness helps with this by allowing our mind to observe pain and life’s stressors from a non-judgmental perspective, which allows our minds to stop associating with the pain directly. During periods of increased pain, we can focus on our breath, tune into our body, acknowledge the pain, and handle it with a calm and level head.
Another element to fibromyalgia flare-up relief is practicing self-compassion. In our modern society, resting when we need to is often looked down upon as “lazy”. This is a deeply held belief in our world today, and being a hard-worker is often equated to being of value as a human (all humans are invaluable, including you!). This belief surrounding hard work is deeply damaging to those already suffering from fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and other debilitating diseases and disorders. During a fibromyalgia flare-up, it is easy for depression to take hold as feelings of shame, worthlessness, and helplessness set in. The voice in our head can become critical and negative. To avoid slipping into this mindset, we can learn to extend compassion towards ourselves just as freely as we give it to others. Here are a few affirmations you can say when feeling low during a fibromyalgia flare-up:
I am deserving of rest
I am giving my body what it needs
My worth is not defined by my productivity
Other health factors that impact fibromyalgia flare-ups include quality of sleep, positive social interactions, having healthy relationships, being financially secure, having a sense of purpose, and doing the things we enjoy, like our hobbies. Health is multi-faceted, and managing fibromyalgia and chronic pain is no exception. By working towards building a healthy, balanced life, you can give yourself the amazing gift of feeling fulfilled while managing your chronic pain and other fibromyalgia related symptoms.
Fibromyalgia is not just physical pain, but often comes with other disorders and symptoms. These often include anxiety, depression, nausea, strange tingling sensations, hair loss, restless leg syndrome, chronic fatigue, headaches and migraines, sensory sensitivities, muscle tension, and many more. These symptoms can be debilitating and interfere with living an active, healthy, balanced life. When just one thing in life is out of balance, a painful flare-up can occur. This balancing act can lead to frustrating setbacks in the journey towards health, creating even more stress and continuing the cycle of pain. Fortunately, we have the ability to give ourselves grace and move at a pace that is in alignment with our own bodies. This is why it is so important to cultivate a lifestyle that nurtures your entire being while respecting your personal boundaries.
As a Chronic Pain Coach, I specialize in helping people manage their pain by working towards a healthy, balanced lifestyle and developing effective coping strategies. I work with my clients to identify their unique challenges and work through them. I also teach my clients practical techniques for managing their pain, such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and relaxation exercises. If this is the type of support you need in your pain journey, schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me to see if we’re a good fit for each other.
