Introduction: The
Power of Self-Help
Research has shown self-help to be a powerful
tool for managing chronic illness.
1: Combine Acceptance and a
Fighting Spirit
The first key is to adopt a combination of two attitudes: acceptance
that life has changed with a conviction that it can be made better.
2: Find Your Limits
Living inside the Energy Envelope offers an alternative to the cycle of push and crash.
3: Pace Yourself
Pacing provides a way to gain control of chronic illness rather than being at the mercy of symptoms.
4: Nurture Yourself with Scheduled Rests
Pre-emptive rest is a simple technique that can help reduce symptoms and make life more stable.
5: Learn to Predict the "Unpredictable"
A few minutes a day of record keeping can reveal what worsens symptoms
and what helps you feel better.
6: Achieve Your Goals
When goals seem impossibly distant, translate them into a series of small,
doable steps.
7: Manage Stress
Learn how to both reduce and prevent stress.
8: Seek Support and
Understanding
Five strategies to help you increase support and stay
connected.
9: Honor Your Emotions
How to address fear, anger, grief and depression.
10: Find New Meaning
Chronic illness brings grief for the loss of the person we used to be.
Use these seven strategies to bring new meaning to your 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/
