Introduction: The
Power of Self-Help
There are many things you can do to
help yourself, even when you have an illness with no cure.
Key 1: Combine Acceptance and
Hope
There is power in the paradoxical
combination of acceptance that life has changed and the conviction
that it can be made better.
Key 2: Use Multiple Coping
Strategies
How to develop an individualized
self-management plan.
Key 3: Experiment
How to use problem-solving, record keeping and short-term
goal setting.
Key 4: Find Your Limits
Living inside the Energy Envelope offers an
alternative to the cycle of push and crash.
Key 5: Pace Yourself
Pacing provides a way to gain control
of chronic illness rather than being at the mercy of symptoms.
Key 6: Minimize Relapses
How to reduce the frequency and severity of
setbacks.
Key 7: Manage Stress
Seven techniques for stress reduction,
plus strategies for avoiding stress.
Key 8: Seek Support and
Understanding
Six strategies for increasing support and staying
connected.
Key 9: Honor Your Emotions
Strong emotions are normal reactions
to chronic illness. Self-help strategies can help you manage them.
Key 10: Move Beyond Loss to
Build a New Life
Working through grief to create new meaning and a new life.
Permission
is granted to re-publish or re-post this material as long as the
use is non-commercial (e.g. support group newsletter), the article
is used in its entirety and the source is credited as CFIDS/Fibromyalgia
Self-Help: www.cfidsselfhelp.org/
