13 Commandments of Fibromyalgia

It seems there is a 10 Commandments for everything these days. As I was reading The Happiness Project, her mention of her Commandments for Adulthood, got me thinking about what the 10 Commandments of Fibromyalgia would be. As I thought about it, I realized that I could not stop at 10, instead I present my

13 Commandments for Living With Fibromyalgia

1 . Thou Shalt Be Flexible. Your energy and pain levels will vary, so don’t be hard on yourself if you have a bad day (or bad week). Allow yourself to take time when necessary. Do less on bad days and a little more on good days, and always pace yourself.

2. Thou Shalt Not Punish Yourself for Bad Days. There will be days when you can’t even do the small things. It’s not your fault, so don’t punish yourself.

3. Thou Shalt Keep Moving. Just a bit, even if it’s just getting up and walking through the room once every hour. Do not allow yourself to become immobile.

4. Thou Shalt Do One Small Thing Each Day. Set small achievable goals for yourself. Even if the goal is just to get out of bed. It’s something.

5. Thou Shalt Celebrate Your Achievements. Big or small. Every achievement deserves a celebration. Keep a list of what you accomplish each day, and don’t forget to include the little things, like getting out of bed (which isn’t always such a little thing).

6. Thou Shalt Focus on the Positive and Count Your Blessings. We all have blessings, whether big or small. Try to end your day with gratitude, by writing down at least one thing you are thankful for that day.

7. Thou Shalt Not Seek to Place Blame for your illness on yourself or your life choices. It’s not your fault. Stop trying to figure out what you did earlier in your life that caused you to “deserve” this illness. You don’t deserve it, you didn’t earn it. It just is.

8. Thou Shalt Avoid Stress. Stress increases pain and fatigue, it raises the heart rate. Stress is bad. We can not completely remove stress from our lives, but there are some stresses we can avoid, whether they be specific people or situations. Think about what in your life causes you stress and decide if there is a way to reduce your interactions with that cause.

9. Thou Shalt Ask For Help. Asking for help requires setting aside our pride, which can be extremely difficult. However, asking for help not only provides us with help, but it builds those around us. As they know that they can help you, and know that you feel confident in asking them for help, they will be more willing to help.

10. Thou Shalt Be Honest. With yourself, and with others. Be honest about how you feel and about your limitations. This requires being vulnerable, which again requires us to set aside our pride. However, being vulnerable allows for stronger relationships with those around us.

11. Thou Shalt Spend Time with friends and those who bring you positive energy. Alternatively, thou shalt reduce time spent with those who decrease your energy. A few moments with a good friend can do great things for your stress level, it can give you both physical and mental energy.

12. Thou Shalt Educate Yourself about your illness. Not only the illness itself, but how it affects you personally, and what activities, foods, or even thoughts increase or decrease your symptoms.

13. Thou Shalt Accept Your Limits. We all have limits and we’d rather push through them than accept them, at times. Learning your limits and accepting them allows you to live a meaningful life with less fatigue, less pain, and more enjoyment.

So, what do you think? Anything you’d add to the list? Any that you feel are just too much? Share your thoughts in the comments below.