For fibromyalgia patients, stress can also make the condition worse and can trigger particular physical symptoms. People who suffer from fibromyalgia often have trouble knowing their personal limitations, which can make it hard for them to know when they are in danger of overexerting themselves. When
fibromyalgia patients physically overexert themselves, this can often lead to increased stress, which results in increased pain. A vicious cycle can easily develop, because the pain can lead to more stress, which, in turn, can lead to more pain. For this reason, stress management can also help greatly with fibromyalgia pain management.
There's no, if, and or buts when it comes to keeping stress in check with fibromyalgia. Any type of stress can trigger an unforseen attack that can last hours. The good news is, with a bit of preplanning, you can reduce those common flare-ups tremendously by doing a great precautionary exercise.
How to Reduce Stress
1. Begin by meditating and finding where stress lurks in your body. To do so, sit in crossed leg position, with your palms up, closing your eyes, and quieting your mind. You can do this in bed, propped up with pillows, comfortably. Fixate on your breathing. Breathe in for the count of five and out for the count of five. Set your senses inward locating various stress points. Don't concentrate on releasing stress, rather, just find where it is lurking. Just feel it - is it in your shoulders? Chest? Upper spine? Stomach? Hips? Joints? Feel it with total acceptance. Realize that it is part of your life at this moment. Then just keep breathing in and out, fluently, effortlessly with total acceptance of your body at this moment. Don't try to relax your body - just be. At some point, you may feel a release of tension and pain. Often, this takes several meditative episodes to do so. When it happens, you will experience joy and gratefulness that flows throughout your inner being. Practice this EACH morning before you begin your day. It takes less than 10 minutes.
2. With this new knowledge check your body throughout the day as you go about your daily routines noticing where stress inhabits at that moment. Feel it deeply to ensure you are keeping it in check. Imagine that it is first noticed in your stomach and as the stress monitor increases, it begins to build up bubbling to your chest, making way to your shoulders and surging into your throat.
3. Your job is to keep that stress at stomach level from now on. Do not let that barometerrise so that it escalates up to your throat causing extreme havoc for the day. When you feel it rising, STOP, SLOW DOWN, AND IMAGINE PUSHING IT BACK DOWN TO THE STOMACH.
4. This is a great time to begin calming breathing exercises or get the new GPS for the Soul app. and get your BPM (beats per minute) in check. Remember, no excuses, nothing is more important than your health! Getting your stress in check now becomes a MAIN priority EVERY day.