Self Care

Self care is vital if you have Fibromyalgia. Putting yourself first is difficult for many women. And as women make up the vast majority of Fibromyalgia sufferers their health and well being can worsen without self care.

Women, traditionally have been seen as carers. Women care for babies, women care for children, women care for their parents.  But with a finite amount of energy and time in any one day, women need to care for themselves. If they become too exhausted, too ill or too stressed then they will be in no fit state to care for anyone.

Looking after children or elderly parents, who have their own health issues, can put pressure on women with Fibromyalgia to put their own health on the back burner. 

But as Fibromyalgia sufferers with a host of overwhelming symptoms ranging from widespread pain, chronic fatigue, brain fog, depression and anxiety etc. we are already over burdened.

Without self care we become even more physically, mentally and emotionally drained which worsens our symptoms.

Self CareTips

There are lots of physical things we can do to look after ourselves in a better way but we need the right mind set.

Guilt and a sense of duty are often the main barriers to self care. But do we feel guilty when we take medication? No, we take medication to make us feel better and more willing and able to care for those we love.

Most of us are ready and willing to take prescribed medications in an attempt to make us feel better. But there are other types of therapeutic activities that can help our health and wellbeing.

Sleeping

Getting enough restorative sleep should be your number one priority if you have Fibromyalgia. Elsewhere I have written more about sleeping tips.

Spending time in nature

Spending time in nature is a natural anti-depressant. As well as the fresh air, the calming colour of green and the lack of hustle and bustle we have chance to relax.

Reducing stress

Reducing stress is a big issue for women with Fibromyalgia. There are many ways we can find to reduce stress.

I found shopping in a busy supermarket incredibly stressful, so now I shop online and have my groceries delivered.

I found taking my grandchildren to noisy amusement parks too stressful. So now we visit more peaceful places like nature reserves or forests.

Relaxing

Finding time and ways to rest and relax is critical to managing your Fibromyalgia symptoms. My favourite way is to take a long Epsom salts bath. This has the double advantage of a ‘me time’ calming and relaxing soak and the benefits of stress relieving magnesium sulphate.  Epsom salts are simply magnesium sulphate.

"You may already know what helps you relax, like having a bath, listening to music or taking your dog for a walk. If you know that a certain activity helps you feel more relaxed, make sure you set aside time to do it." MIND

Eating healthily

There are lots of foods that trigger an inflammatory response in our bodies. And for Fibromyalgia sufferers, inflammation equals pain and fatigue. Making the connection between what I ate and a Fibromyalgia flare that involves more pain, more fatigue and more depression was a light bulb moment for me.

We all know the baddies in our diet – sugar, processed foods, saturated fats and refined carbohydrates. So by reducing or eliminating these baddies from our diet we can make way for foods that nourish us and provide us with the minerals and vitamins we need. 

Exercise

Finding the right type of gentle exercise and having time to do it daily is a major key to reducing or eliminating many Fibromyalgia symptoms. 

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