4 Tips for Coping With Your Fibromyalgia Symptoms

If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you will most likely have days when your symptoms seem unbearable and hard to manage. Fortunately, there are some ways you can cope with your symptoms, such as those discussed below.

Rest When You Need It

Your condition already makes you feel worn out. However, you may feel unusually tired at times, especially on or after a day of overexerting yourself.

If you are overtired and keep pushing yourself to continue, you will only exacerbate your symptoms. Eventually, your tired muscles will start to hurt worse, risking an episode of fibromyalgia flare.

When you feel as though your limbs are too heavy to lift and you cannot keep your eyes open, give yourself permission to rest. Take a short nap, if necessary, to recharge your batteries.
Participate in Stress-Reducing Activities
Pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion is not the only way you can increase your symptoms. Stress is also a key contributor to muscle pain and tiredness. When you allow yourself to worry without dealing with your emotions, you will make your symptoms flare up.
When you become overwhelmed with worry, talk to a friend or family member about how you are feeling. If necessary, enlist their help with whatever is troubling you. Or, if you are overburdened, ask them to take part of the load to give you time to destress and relax.
To teach yourself how to deal with stressful situations before they happen, participate in stress-reducing activities. Meditation is one way to calm the mind and relax the muscles. Developing a yoga practice can also help your emotional state, as well as assist you in ways discussed in the next section.

Perform Light Stretching Exercises Every Day

When your fibro pain flares up, the last thing you probably want to do is get up and move around. However, laying around can worsen the tightness and tension in your muscles, adding to the pain you are feeling.
If you do nothing else, at least perform light stretching exercises every day. Stretch your arms and legs out as far as possible, or bend over to touch your toes.
Light yoga exercises can also help you manage your symptoms. These exercises elongate your muscle fibers and increase circulation to your organs and limbs. Yoga can also bring your body back into alignment, which can alleviate the stress on your joints.

Prepare Yourself For Days Of Fibro Fog

On days when you are suffering from fibro fog, you will be unable to focus and concentrate fully on your work. If you try to work too hard, you may add to your stress, which in turn makes the fog and your pain increase.
If you had a bad night of pain or your fibromyalgia causes restless leg syndrome during the night, the lack of sleep can bring about your fibro fog. If you wake up and know you are going to have a day when you cannot think straight, rearrange your work schedule.
If you have work that you cannot ignore, ask for help from a coworker. Or, move other, less-pressing work to another day, and give yourself ample time to complete the important tasks. If you cut your to-do list down, you can better focus and reduce your feelings of being overwhelmed.
Even with your best efforts, you cannot always manage and relieve your fibromyalgia symptoms alone. Contact the office of Dr. Parmar Ashok in central California to make an appointment. After meeting with you during your appointment, he can then discuss a treatment plan to help you cope with your symptoms and relieve your pain.