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Okay, after sleeping on this, I realized I DO actually have pro tips. Here's some wisdoms I have gained from having fibromyalgia for over 15 years. A thread! https://twitter.com/Wertle/status/1349928573843378176
First, your instinctual response to chronic fatigue and brain fog might be self loathing. After all, it feels like your body has betrayed you. However, you need to figure out how to still view yourself as a person worthy of love and compassion.
Self loathing takes up valuable energy with no meaningful returns. You gotta learn how to be EFFICIENT with those spoons.
Tip 2: learn to optimize your good days. If you're having a day where you have energy, NOW, is the time to pick up frozen and instant meals to have on hand for the next time you have no energy to cook and the brain fog prevents you from being able to order out
Tip 3: you need to figure out how to get over the stigma about asking for help, stat! The "i don't want to be a burden" feeling is drilled into us from living embedded in an individualistic society. You gotta get over it and start asking for help...
This means being comfortable with asking people in your life to bring you food, or order you groceries. Maybe not possible in the pandemic, but if you can, find a person who will literally come over and clean your apartment for you and take joy in the act.
I rely on friends for all of those things. I've done it multiple times, and that squirmy "I don't want to bother people" feeling is just another of those things that consumes energy with no return in value. BE ENERGY EFFICIENT
If you don't learn to intentionally rest your body will shut you down to get the rest it needs. Stop trying to pretend you can "overcome" your body or "push through" like that gives you some high moral standing.
Basically, you are the bull rider and your body is the bull. If a bull rider were to try and "overpower" a 2 ton bull they'd get murdered. They know they can't. You can't defeat your body, and trying only makes it worse and makes you feel terrible about yourself
If you're an American, everything you've learned growing up in our culture makes having a chronic illness harder. You have to unlearn a lot. STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP.
People will recommend you a lot of things, like going outside or meditation or drinking more water or whatever. Try them, but know that a lot of conventional advice just doesn't work. This is not you "doing something wrong," it just doesn't work for you and that's okay
I'll add more things as I think of them. Hopefully this starter list helps
