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Managing Stress

Stress management is an important part of managing CFS and fibromyalgia for two reasons. First, the two conditions add new stresses to your life, including ongoing symptoms, isolation, financial pressure, strained relationships, and uncertainty about the future. 

Second, there is something about CFS and FM that makes people with them more sensitive to stress than before. It is as if the two conditions reset people's "stress thermostat", so that the effects of a given level of stress are greater than they would for a healthy person.

 

Stress is so common and debilitating that we recommend you use multiple techniques to manage it. A typical stress management plan might include a daily relaxation procedure, daily walks, taking regular rest breaks, having pleasurable activities every day, living by a schedule and avoiding noisy environments and negative people.
 

Our discussion divides this challenge into two parts: stress reduction and stress avoidance.

 

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