Everyday is a fresh start and sometimes the
smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your
life. Today i felt that i took another one of those steps. I went along to a
Fibromyalgia support event with my mum, dad and boyfriend which allowed me to
take one positive step in the right direction. The event was not only about
finding out ways of dealing with the condition through mindfulness and
physiotherapy but, also about meeting others who go through the same daily
experiences. These are people that have had it for a number of years and it was
really inspiring to find out how they have managed to cope and how many still
manage to stay smiling.
It is very difficult not to focus on the negative moments that you battle each day but, these negative thoughts can then contribute to your overall emotional state and make the pain even harder to work through which i can personally vouch for. One of the main points i took away from listening to the speakers today were that little steps are better than none. As im sure many have you have been told time and time again, exercise can have a positive impact on your life, not just physically but mentally. However, as chronic pain can make exercise difficult and limit what you can do, today we were told to only do as much as you feel able to do and that you don't have to do it all in one go. On a day were you have a flare up or are having a rest day, few key movements such as moving your legs or lifting your arms, depending on what you are comfortable with, can have more benefits than downsides. Many people, myself included, are scared of exercise as they worry that in our conditions, it can do more damage but, as much as we cant gauge how our pain and fatigue will be effected, exercise is proven to improve your mood and well being.
After months of coming to terms with my condition, pushing myself to hard and beating myself up over not feeling that im doing enough, today has taught me to listen to my body and take one step at a time. My condition isn't going to go away and working towards looking after my body better will be a lot easier than trying to fight against it. It can be very isolating when your body wants to work against you than with you but, knowing that there will always be people there for me on my good days and there to pick me up on my bad puts me in a better mindful position.
The moment that warmed my heart the most was witnessing the support from my loved ones. They all made the effort to travel out to the event with me, brought merchandise to support the cause and looked after me every step of the way.
I would love to hear about other peoples experiences whether you are suffering yourself or know someone that does. I would also love to hear from anyone who lives in North West London who has also been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as i have only spoken to people further afield :)
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