If you are wondering how to not only cope but also thrive despite suffering from fibromyalgia, then this article is for you. There are plenty of lifestyle tips for fibromyalgia that you can implement in your daily life to improve this condition’s symptoms and reduce chronic pain. These tips and changes help you to stop focusing on the symptoms and manage them better, thus enabling you to cope more effectively with widespread fatigue and pain.
The three main lifestyle tips for fibromyalgia are:
- Follow a healthy diet
We all know how crucial it is for the proper functioning of our bodies to eat the right vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. These contain the necessary nutrients, minerals, and vitamins we need. However, for patients of fibromyalgia, you must also pay attention to items you must not consume, like highly processed foods and caffeine. These can exacerbate the symptoms, make it harder to sleep, and put you on edge. Consuming four or more cups of any caffeinated drink each day has been known to increase fibromyalgia pain.
To avoid health problems and have more energy, you should consult your doctor for the best diet to follow. Generally, patients tend to have reduced levels of vitamin D. This can worsen the symptoms and pain. A blood test can inform your doctor whether you need to take a supplement for this vitamin. - Practice stress relief
Anxiety, worry, and feeling overwhelmed are linked to energy drainage. Therefore, it is highly advisable to follow a philosophy of “go with the flow” rather than “crisis management”. Apply this to approach to life so you can set priorities and manage your health better. You may use guided imagery and pleasant images to replace stressful or negative feelings. With mindfulness meditation, you can channel your thoughts towards a more positive mindset. With more practice, more stress relief can be achieved. Other helpful approaches include biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy, deep breathing, and more. Also, you can try relaxing lifestyle tips like a bubble bath or reading a good book to deal with fibromyalgia.
You can adopt mind-body soothing practices like tai chi and yoga to alleviate problems with sleeping, fatigue, and moodiness. Since these activities involve movement, they also provide stress relief via focused breathing.
- Opt for healing massages
One of the best tips to help you alleviate fibromyalgia symptoms is to opt for body massages. These can have various beneficial effects on your overall health and condition. Regular massage sessions can ease the pain that is related to the condition by stimulation your muscles. Additionally, a massage can be incredibly effective in decreasing swelling and stiffness that reduce your mobility. This will increase your flexibility and enable you to get out and do more, enhancing your range of motion to overcome stunted movements.
The best way to cope with this condition is to adopt a blend of all the aforementioned tips for maximum effect. Other lifestyle tips that you can follow for fibromyalgia are getting adequate and restful sleep, exercising on a daily basis, conserving and building energy levels, and confiding in your loved ones to communicate your problems for better management of your symptoms.
