The Why Factor for Fibro Flares

Flares are something that each of us struggle with on a daily basis. We constantly ask the question, why today? Is there something special about today? Did I do something wrong yesterday? What could possibly be the reason for my pain?

Most of the time we have the answer, we are either over-worked, over-tired, over-stressed, or a combination of all three. If you live in a perfect world, you can chalk the day up to experience, move on, and never make the same mistake in your life again-- in a perfect world.

I don't live in a perfect world, as I'm sure, neither do any of you. And when our world is imperfect, or worse, crashes down around us, we Fibromites tend to find flares as part of our norm, rather than infrequent.

Stress and life's crises always come about. Sometimes they are unavoidable, like when your position at work changes due to downsizing, and sometimes life can slap you in the face, like when someone you love passes away suddenly.

Recently I've had a lot of stress in my life. I've had a few things come up that were unavoidable, like a promotion and I've also had a lot of things slap me in the face. I've had family and friends pass away recently, some relatives got sick, and I've even been dealing with a recent problem in our parish with a priest that I won't get into here. It's not that I don't want to share, it's just that I don't believe this is the place to.

Yes, I believe that everyone should be able to vent and make their opinions known about religions, parishes, and priests, HOWEVER, this is a blog about Fibromyalgia and I want to keep it that way. If you'd like to leave a comment about your personal beliefs, or you just plain want to know what's up in my life, please do so via my email: Kimberley@kimberleylinstruth-beckom.com. And I welcome and thank you for your comments and chat.

I'm not going to go into unavoidable stresses here because these stresses, though very valid, are not the subject for today. I'd like to talk about the slap in the face stresses because if you don't deal with those in a healthy way today, you could be paying for it tomorrow.

So how does one deal with shock? Well, put simply, you deal with it minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. This process may seem new to you in your Fibro-frenzied panic, but I can assure you that it's the same process you went through when you first discovered you had Fibromyalgia. You dealt with your pain and worry minute by minute during your days as a newly diagnosed patient and when you deal with a shock, you should go back to your roots and take as many baby steps as you need to deal with your illness and your shock as best as you can.

The stress of shock can lead to a flare and you have to deal with that by listening to your body, know what it's asking for. It may cry for attention minute by minute, or it may wait until the end of the day to tell you what's wrong.

Remember your vitamins. During these hard times, it's best to keep up with your daily intake of good vitamins and supplements. The best kind are food based, or naturally occurring and easily absorbed through the body.

Exercise and stretch when ever possible-- even at work. This will help you to focus more on your tasks and less on your aches and pains.

Drink plenty of fluids to keep hydrated. Sports drinks are best in the summer due to the heat and outdoor activity. And speaking of the outdoors, make sure you have some down time in the sun too.

Most people tend to think that the sun is their enemy, but our bodies actually crave the vitamins it provides through absorption. So lather up the sun screen and have some fun in the sun.

These are just a few of my suggestions. I'm sure I'll have more as I go through my own pains in life. Keep on keeping on!

Stay fabulous!
Love and friendship,

Kimberley

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