Stress reduction for Fibromyalgia brings laughter and humor back into your life

And when living with chronic pain of Fibromyalgia, the stress and tension we carry is great. We fear that we will always live with the aches and pains, muscle tension, brainfog, insomnia and depression - that the pain will never go away.

We have to give up things that we love, activities that we used to enjoy.

All of these changes can create stress in our lives. Add the normal everyday stressors that everyone deals with and we have a lot of stress to manage.

So, what stress reduction techniques can you implement in your life?

Take a look at your life and identify those areas that cause you stress.

Which of those stressors can you change? Where can you begin stress reduction?

Do you drive in heavy traffic to work daily?

Maybe taking public transportation would be a option. You just sit back, let someone else drive, while you listen to music, read your favorite book or listen to a CD of your favorite comedian.

Create balance in your life.

Is your life all work and no play?

Certainly, work creates a sense of value and accomplishment, but too much work can increase stress in our lives. Play time, balanced with work time, is critical. Stress reduction begins when work and play come into balance.

We need to create times in our daily lives when we can let loose, let the child within experience the joy that was ever present as a child. It might be playing a group game, cards or any activity that you would call fun needs to become a part of your daily agenda. It could be creating a craft project or building a sand castle on the beach.

So, learn to manage your time so as to allow for both work and play.

Procrastination can increase stress.

Whatever isn’t being done haunts us, is in the back of our mind, until it has been completed. It creeps up on us when we are trying to get to sleep, when we are eating dinner or driving the car.

Stress reduction can begin by making a list of the to do’s.

Create bite size goals, manageable goals, reachable goals.

Prioritize that list and set a reasonable time for completion.

Don’t try to complete everything in one day or one week. Allow yourself sufficient time to get it all in. Creating a timeline for the completion of those to do’s will reduce some of the stress associated with them. Then tackle one at a time until you are caught up and then take a sigh of relief.

With Fibromyalgia, you may be feeling stress as the result of not being able to accomplish everything you did before the symptoms appeared.

The first thing you need to do is let go of those expectations of yourself. Stress reduction!

You, at this time, cannot do everything you did before. That is the reality of the now.

So, give yourself a break and know that when you cure your Fibromyalgia that life will be different.

In the meantime, look at your life and decide what is a priority. Let the rest go. Lighten your load and let that be OK.

Incorporate exercise into your daily schedule.

Make that part of your play time. Find exercise that you enjoy. Exercise can be a walk in the park or time in the garden. But find something you enjoy. If you enjoy it, you will more likely do it. Aerobic exercise increases circulation and gets nutrients to the muscles and the brain.

Incorporate the things that your love into your life.

It might be classical music or looking a photos of beautiful scenery - of a place you want to visit or somewhere you have been that gave you pleasure. It might be painting a picture or watching the sunset over the ocean. Ensure those things you love are part of your life.

Live with color.

Identify colors that lift your spirit and incorporate those colors into your wardrobe and environment as a means of stress reduction.

Diet is key to wellness on many levels.

Decrease stress on your body by decreasing the amount of chemicals, pesticides, hormones and artificial dyes that your body needs to move through the system.

Make a choice to help you body heal by providing it will healthy foods. Organic is best and the closer to the farm the better. In other words, more whole foods, less processed.

Take time to meditate or use visualization techniques.

Both meditation and visualization have been shown to reduce stress and the tensions of the day. Find a meditation technique that works for you. There are many to choose from. Or if you prefer visualization, use a CD to guide you through the process. Stress reduction - by establishing a support network.

Identify those people in your life who make you laugh, who you feel good to be around, those who you can talk to. Try not to create an “ain’t it awful group”, instead try to create a “I can do it” group. Positive, supportive and encouraging friends and family members will help reduce your stress.

And … laugh, laugh, laugh

… until the muscles in your stomach ache.

And then laugh some more.