FM: Stress Management Techniques

[Guest guest]

Stress Management Techniques

By: Thorogood

FMOnline vol. 8, no. 12

I am just coming to the end of a seven-week pain management course

which was arranged by my local National Health System hospital

specifically for people suffering with fibromyalgia. The following

have helped considerably with my FM symptoms and with combating

stress—which has a major impact on my symptoms.

Pacing

I have learned to pace my activities. This means that if I have a

task I want to accomplish, I break it down into smaller parts and

take a break from the activity, to ensure that I do not cross my

pain threshold. You can even set a timer to ensure that you don't go

over this level.

I started small. So, for example, if I wanted to mow the lawn, I

would set my timer for five minutes. When the timer rang, I would

stop and do something else or just sit down.

The difficulty was really getting my head around this. My head was

telling me, " You should be able to do this in one go, " but I

persisted. The outcome of this was that it may take me an hour to

mow a small patch of grass but I would not end up hurting or tired

(especially the next day) and I was able to actually finish

something. As time has gone on, I have been able to go for longer

periods without a break--but I still time myself to stop before I

start hurting.

I have tailored this to everything I do: washing the dishes, looking

at my finances, writing a letter, etc.

Breathing

This is really useful especially when stressed or trying to get to

sleep.

I concentrate on each breath. I imagine my stomach as a balloon and

try to inflate it with every breath in. Once I have got my breathing

right, I then count with each breath in and out from one to ten and

back down again. This really, really works and is wonderful when you

are unable to shut your head off when trying to get to sleep at

night.

This is also fantastic for centering yourself and being in the now.

Life is very stressful and we rarely get the chance to live

completely in the moment. By really paying attention to your

breathing, you are completely living in that moment.

Walking—With a Difference

This is walking with a difference. This is not walking to get

somewhere. This is walking for the sheer pleasure of walking—going

nowhere. On a really bad day, I can still do this, even if it is for

only 10 minutes. Even with FM, you can walk with pleasure!

Whilst you walk, open your senses to everything around you. Hear the

birds singing, hear the children playing, really feel the breeze on

your face and the tingle you get when it's cold. Walk with

gentleness. Do not stomp or go aggressively (not that we are really

capable of doing this anyway) but pay attention to the fact that you

are walking on the earth that Mother Nature created.

This is especially beneficial when you are cold. Sometimes the cold

really seeps into my bones and this will definitely bring on a flare-

up. If I am this cold, I go and walk for 10 minutes. When I return,

I am glowing and warm and sometimes too hot. But this is much better

than letting that cold seep deep inside. I sleep much better after

this too.

Stretching

We all know that people with FM need to exercise, but when you have

FM it is easier said than done. Simple stretching can really make a

difference—especially when in the middle of a flare-up. It is

important not to " bounce " any of these stretches though even if that

was the way you have been shown—it definitely makes FM pain worse.

Just a gentle stretch on each of the muscles really works. This only

takes a couple of minutes but I have learned that if I do this when

I get out of bed first thing, or even while in bed, I come around

quicker in the morning and it won't take hours for my body to wake

up. Watch any animal, when they get up after being asleep, they

stretch their limbs!

Being Gentle On Yourself

Sometimes you just need to be a little bit gentler on yourself. And

if you have spent the day lounging around in PJs, so what! Sometimes

we are our harshest critics--so be gentle on yourself!