I find a high amount of stress activates my flares. Currently dealing with landlord issues and needed repairs, sleazy real estate agent, family court and trying to better my life by moving out of province. Sometimes we cant control our stresses and they are dumped on us. How does everyone else manage their stressful situations?
Even if you give up all the things you think cause stress (emotional), your body will stress. It is the physical problem of our neurological system. It will not relax. You have to have coping mechanisms like spa, meditation and visualization along with the other advice like a team of supporters. This is easy to say, not so easy to do. Every day, I start over again. Good luck.
I have an extreme amount of stress in my life. no doubt, I have flares that correspond with those stresses. Believe it or not, I go home and destress by doing something I enjoy. I color pictures, adult coloring books with colored pencils because it helps me relax which decreases pain. I take a warm bath when I feel exhausted from the pain of stress. I love to cook, so I sometimes just do some cooking that is easy to do but enjoyable. I feel like coffee or some kind of caffeine helps boost the effects of my pain meds so I will take in a little coffee or pepsi in the process.
I know stress is a trigger, my CFS and Fibro came on after I went through a two year separation and divorce from an abusive Husband. He had me so stressed out throughout our whole 10 year marriage and then just trying to get him to let me go was hell. He stalked me, he gave me a black eye and just made my life miserable when I finally decided I was through and left him. It was shortly after I finally got him to leave me alone that everything came on.
Yes it does! They even think that stress can be a trigger of how fibro started in your body as it was there over time. The more stress the more it flares. A trauma caused mine and it has been very difficult to deal with. I see a counselor.
It seems that is all my doctor ever mentions is the stress. I have a lot of stress in my life. And the firbro is always worse, the more stress there is. I'm a worrier. I have a 19 yo that is aimless in life, almost a year out of college, a 15 yo that won't turn in homework, making each end of quarter a mad rush to bring his grades up, a 6 yo that is a sweetie, but very shy and a 4yo that I am supposed to be a SAHM to. Yeah, there is a ton of it. Its better than before, though. I use Essential oils to help my moods and for stress/anxiety relief. They help. If I could only remember to use them more often, they would probably help more. lol I crochet, too. That helps. I like creating something.