Tips for Minimizing CFS Flare Ups.

Hello, friends far and near!

This week, I would like to share some tips on how to minimize the severity of CFS flare ups, which, at least, have been helpful to me. Let’s dive in now.

1) Get extra rest. This goes without saying. If you find yourself feeling weaker than usual, dizzy, tired, confused, and with more intense symptoms than usual and feeling cranky, your body is telling you to rest as much as you need to rest. Don’t rush it; if you get back on your feet too fast and push too hard too soon, you will end up defeating the purpose of getting extra rest. Take as much time as you need to revive yourself and get back to, “normal.”

2) Give yourself pep talks. Encourage yourself; be your own cheerleader. Remind yourself to take things one step at a time. Remind yourself you can get it done if you take things nice and slow. Taking baby steps is better than taking one step forward and two steps back; remind yourself of that.

3) Stay connected. The worst thing you can do is isolate yourself. Loneliness creates the perfect mindset for depression and anxiety. You need interaction with people to remain positive and mentally healthy. So, of course, the idea is to surround yourself with positive people, not people who will bring you down and cause drama in your life. You can do that all by yourself. Facebook is a godsend for me. I have a couple of friends with disabilities who say the same thing. It may sound pathetic, but sometimes it’s the only way since it can be difficult to get out of the house for very long. Sometimes, it’s all you have.

4) Delegate to family members. Make your family understand since your life is different, theirs is different also. Make them understand since you’re not the same person anymore, family life is not the same anymore, either. Make your needs known and set boundaries; don’t let them cross them, either. If they get mad, well, they’ll just have to get glad again.

5) Write a positive letter you can read to yourself during a flare. I feel this is important. Make a list of all of your good qualities. Then, organize your thoughts and put them into a well thought out letter. Reminding yourself of your inner beauty, your inner strength, and your self worth in spite of your illness and having a visual to refer to, at least for me, has more of an impact than simply thinking it.

6) Prepare for the worst. My way of preparing for the worst is, on my, “good,” days, I make meals and freeze them. This way, all I have to do is take them out of the freezer and defrost them in the microwave. Another good thing about this is it takes about fifteen or twenty minutes for it to defrost and this time can be used to rest. Use a crock pot if you have one. They are a godsend. I also order enough groceries so I have enough in the house to survive for awhile so I won’t worry about not having enough food in the house. Do laundry on these days so you have enough to wear. Whatever needs to be done, do it.

What to consider when flares go on and on.
1) Look for triggers which may be responsible for this and address and eliminate them. These are different for everybody, so be on the alert.
2) Allergies may also be a trigger. I know I am worse during allergy season, particularly during ragweed season. Fall is another bad time for me. I’m always worse when the leaves are falling and the wind is blowing, as it stirs up dirt and dust. Hormonal changes are known to play a role in CFS as well. Menopause has been shown to affect sleep and is a mitigating factor in joint pain and neuroendocrine imbalances.

3) As I mentioned earlier, train yourself to spot warning signs such as increased weakness, dizziness, tiredness, confusion, and more intense symptoms.

I just wanted to share these with you since they have helped me in my journey with CFS. I hope they help you as well.

That’s all I have for you this week. I am working on another short series for the month of October. Stay tuned! Have a wonderful week, everybody! Big Hugs!

Beckie

battlecfs.wordpress.com
http://beckiebutcherwrites.com

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