Normal Human Needs to Help Manage Fibromyalgia -Fibromyalgia Framework Series Finale

Last Updated on May 14, 2022 by melissanreynolds

I can’t believe it is the last part of the Fibromyalgia Framework Series! Normal human needs are an often overlooked component in our wellness journey. You could also call this “lifestyle”. When we live a healthy life that promotes wellness, we reduce the impact of chronic symptoms. However, it is trickier when we have fibromyalgia. 

In this series we have talked:

• Introduction to Fibromyalgia, diagnosis, misdiagnosis and good books
• Tracking our progress
• Sleep
• Central sensitivity
• Pain management
• Fatigue

I hope that you have learnt heaps and have lots of things to try.

Today we are going to delve into normal human needs and a little deeper into how yoga helps me (because it is a set of tools that we can use ourselves anywhere, anytime, without waiting for other people).

 

NORMAL HUMAN NEEDS

I have held this belief for a long time, that we are human beings first and foremost, so there are some crucial keys to wellbeing that ought to be followed, whether we have a chronic illness or not. We cannot heal an illness such as fibromyalgia without having an overall healthy lifestyle. We cannot throw pills at this problem while not looking after our body.

Our body is an interconnected being – what effects one area will effect another.

It is far beyond the scope of anything I can go over here, but I will I briefly outline some general lifestyle tips that will help us to live well, especially once we have begun to address the other parts of this series.

Address other health issues

For me this includes managing myofascial pain syndrome as it definitely contributes to the fibromyalgia and vice versa. For some this will be thyroid issues, other nutritional deficiencies, other conditions such as migraines etc.

Gentle exercise

Gentle exercise is very useful in helping our body to move and loosen up. Every human being is recommended to exercise for wellbeing. I will go into this in more detail below.

Healthy eating

Avoiding any foods we are allergic or intolerant to and making good choices to fuel our body. This is difficult as there are those who are evangelical about the keto diet and those who are sure that the vegan diet is the cure to everything. In all of my research and experience, I can only conclude that avoiding our intolerances, sticking to real, whole foods and seeking personalised advice is best.

Getting enough sleep

Although this is more difficult for us than most, it is a vital human need and why we went over it in depth earlier in this series.

Address trauma

Some of us might need to address any emotional issues that may have contributed to our situation including childhood trauma or very stressful events that have occurred. You could tackle this alone through expressive writing or mindfulness. You may benefit from finding a counsellor.

Managing stress

This is going to be an ongoing and vital part of helping us to manage our condition. We are even more susceptible to stress due to our overactive nervous system.

Human relationships

Human beings are social creatures, even introverted people need some level of social proximity. I was able to make up for the lack of people in real life who understood the fibromyalgia with virtual connections in a couple of great Facebook groups. If you have people who don’t understand in real life, try to find some online. But try to keep it positive, venting can be useful, but so can solutions-focused discussions.

Hobbies

Just because we are limited in our energy envelopes, doesn’t mean we don’t deserve passion. Find what makes you happy and pursue it. Even if you have to adapt it for now, or ongoing.

Below we will chat about yoga and gentle exercise.

YOGA 

Yoga is one of many gentle exercise options for people with chronic pain and fatigue. One of the golden rules for fighting Fibromyalgia is to keep moving. Walking is my go-to form of movement, a gentle walk in the sunshine has multiple benefits for mind and body.  There are a ton of ways to move besides yoga and walking: a simple stretch, tai chi, Pilates, swimming, aqua jogging, weight lifting… the list is long.

We shouldn’t be doing so much that our pain and fatigue levels skyrocket, the aim is for better quality of life, not worse. If walking is currently out of reach, then stretch or wander around in a warm pool or try yoga.

Type “Yoga for Fibromyalgia” into Google and you will find a wealth of information trails to follow. Countless blogs and articles cover the benefits of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness for people with Fibromyalgia.

Find an entire post here  about yoga benefits, how I utilise it and some links to get you started if you’re curious.

I love yoga so much I became a yoga teacher. When I was completing my training and practicing a little every day was when I was at my best physically. So now my goal is to share these tools with you.

Want to try yoga for yourself? Join us for the free challenge!

Please do give this a go – as little as five minutes a day can help.

I would LOVE your feedback, so please take a couple of minutes to fill in the survey here. Your feedback keeps me on the right track when I create resources.

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So that completes our series!

For the full story of what I do to manage fibromyalgia as well as possible, grab my latest book.

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