Pandemic Stay-Home Routine with Fibromyalgia

by Madeleine Sara

For some, the restrictions currently placed on us all by the Covid-19 Pandemic seem like a prison sentence, while for others the mandatory self-isolation imposed by many governments and our own common sense, can seem like ‘situation normal’ or respite from an increasingly stressful world. Troubling times may be stressful, challenging and for some, full of financial and personal hardships. Yet they undoubtedly strengthen our characters; allowing us to grow in grace and as a community. Every successful person in the world has known some sort of hardship that has spurred them onto greater things. It is said that ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’. Indeed, when things are easy, we have no reason to use our imaginations and intelligence to improve our situation.

PLANNING OUR DAYS with Fibromyalgia, to minimize our symptom flares, has become a way of life. So, we may feel comfort in that we are already following daily routines, that will enable us to better get through the next weeks and months of isolation. Our routines inevitably include health maintenance and self care, exercise and pain management, household chores, meals, family/social time, hobbies and brain stimulation. When we live by this plan, our symptoms are under better control.

While we may be tempted to do more, the golden rule of PACING must be a priority. Since people worldwide require frequent rest breaks, throughout the day in order to function better, this rule should already be second nature to everyone. However, since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, society’s lifestyles have gradually become faster and faster paced and more and more demanding. While a schedule keeps us focused and organised, avoiding burnout is a hazard of modern life for which many of us have succumbed.

Many of the world’s most successful people, including Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, (who can afford to plan their own daily schedules), each embrace a daily routine that involves fifty minutes of activity, followed by fifteen minutes of rest to recharge. In other words, like us, they PACE themselves.

Whilst such successful people have busy and productive days, taking the evenings off from devices and demands allows them to recharge, in preparation for the following day. By enjoying activities that reduce stress and increase relaxation, also improves sleep.

When we are switched-on all day, our brains are filled with Technology Tinnitus that interferes with our ability to unwind; affecting sleep, brain fog, fibro fatigue, appetite and digestion, plus motivation to exercise over the following days.

The most effective STRESS-RELIEF STRATEGIES include:

Ø  exercising, dance, walks outside or playing sports

Ø  religious activities that invigorate your spirit

Ø  creative hobbies, drawing, colouring, painting, reading, listening to music

Ø  massage, meditation, pink noise, yoga

Ø  singing

Ø  spending time with friends or family (this could be Face Time during self isolation)

Ø  Remembering to go to bed at a set time every evening, as part of this routine, will better achieve a more restorative 6-8 hours of sleep.

MORE STRESSFUL ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

Ø  time spent with toxic people

Ø  time spent playing video games

Ø  shopping

Ø  surfing the Internet and watching TV or films for more than two hours

Ø  gambling

Ø  smoking

Ø drinking and eating: Digestion and sleep worsen depending on the type and quantity of food and drink we consume later in the day. The advice is to:  ‘Breakfast like a Queen, Lunch like a Princess and Dine like a Pauper!

RESERVING MENTAL ENERGY helps keep us focused and less stressed for the tasks ahead. For those of us with PTSD, Fibromyalgia and other related conditions, reducing our exposure to stressful situations and stimuli is important. Productive people avoid ‘decision fatigue’ by streamlining as much as possible.

Since multitasking with Fibro fatigue and brain fog is difficult, by grouping similar tasks together, (such as self-care regimes; household chores; batch preparation of meals, exercise and mobility routines) and working on them during a set time period, allows a greater sense of achievement. With Fibromyalgia, batching together certain activities will help with memory focus, as the tasks have a common theme and follow on more naturally from one another.

It could be argued that SENSIBLE SELF-CARE is even more vital during this difficult period, since we also don’t want to injure ourselves or become more vulnerable to other illnesses at this challenging time. Indeed, those most susceptible to the Covid-19 virus have underlying health conditions and lowered immune systems. We must therefore, be extra vigilant. If you are taking Vitamin D3 regularly, as part of your medication, this plays an important role in maintaining healthy bones, reducing inflammation, improving immune response and respiratory health, through its effects on respiratory muscle strength, lung development and structure.

DEEP BREATHING for health and relaxation is another sensible part of our daily routine. If you find yourself breathing shallowly, from the chest and not from the abdomen, or hyperventilating when you attempt to breathe deeply, try the Vagus Toning Deep Breathing Technique or the one below, recommended by an NHS doctor:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwLzAdriec0&feature=youtu.be).

STAYING FLEXIBLE YET DISCIPLINED is also important. So, reserve certain activities for the morning and others for after lunch. When we remain open to making minor adjustments to our routine, on days when pain or fatigue levels are greatest, life will seem more satisfying. Indeed, every one’s ability to stay sharp decreases as the day wears on. Relapses are likely, so we may simply accept such set backs. We can always move forwards with our planned schedule again, when we are able. Rescheduling where necessary will be a given, when symptom flares sabotage our best intentions.

SETTING OURSELVES GOALS for the day, also increases our sense of achievement. When we plan our goals in specific terms, rather than vague ones, our confidence enables us to better attain those goals, allowing us to feel more in control of our lives. Writing lists, as and when we achieve tasks, can be more motivating than looking at a pre-written list on which we find we have completed little.

Factoring in some vital BRAIN TRAIN time can also provide respite from the Stay Home monotony. Learning a new skill, or becoming acquainted with a neglected one are good starting points. I recently completed my first jigsaw (1000 pieces) since childhood. I plan to try origami and also set myself challenges in knitting and crochet projects. Language apps such as ‘Duolingo.com’ provide easy fun ways to brush up on languages or learn new ones. These activities develop such skills as thinking, memory, mathematics, fine motor/ hand eye co-ordination and problem solving.

Some of us may believe that having a routine-driven life is going to be restrictive, dull and frustrating. However, when we take a leaf out of the schedules of some of the most successful people in the world, things can seem brighter. A routine gives us a structure, a chance to feel a sense of achievement; to improve our symptoms and mental health; to feel more in control again; to enjoy the recharge time that modern lifestyles so often deny us; to feel better. Being able to check off our schedules each day also provides a sense of satisfaction, direction and achievement. This imposed isolation is a time to recharge and to sing loudly!

The Covid-19 News Bulletins are relentlessly depressing and stressful. It is worth remembering that every time we are in contact with others through shopping etc., we risk catching the disease, even if we aren’t showing any signs of it. If each one of us then flouts the stay-home advice and meets up with friends and family from elsewhere, who have also been shopping or working in their local areas, we transfer all our bugs between one another. This increases the cross-transfer and puts the lives of our loved ones and those of everyone else with whom we come into contact at more risk, as well as ourselves. So be safe, Be sensible. We are waging war with a virus and we must find the determination to support our key workers, by not putting them and ourselves at increasing risk. So, we must fortify ourselves by finding the laughter, increasing the caring of ourselves and others; always savouring every good moment in the day, however trivial.

This week, I summoned up the strength to sew a mask for my husband, to wear on his shopping trips. The pattern elastic length proved too short. So when he tried on the completed mask, it pulled his ears forward like a cartoon mouse and then pinged off! I cried laughing and resolved to try again.

Madeleine Sara is a freelance writer with a degree in Psychology and a postgraduate RCSLT qualification. As a retired, Paediatric Therapist, she likes to apply her experience and knowledge to every challenge she encounters.

https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-technique

https://www.business2community.com/strategy/how-the-most-productive-people-schedule-out-their-days-