“My ‘combat mode’ mind-set enabled me to take back my life again”, I wrote in my previous blog post Combat Mode Born. Yes, it certainly did, all those years ago, while living with endometriosis. I had more energy and less pain…I felt in control and empowered!
Really, it was a pretty simple concept…I mean, anyone could do it…couldn’t they?
Could they? Could someone with fibromyalgia do this? I know the answer, because I DID do it (again).
So let me explain.
Fast forward around ten years…I had three kids now and endometriosis seemed a thing of the past. I guess I’d forgotten about “combat mode”, when I found myself in a new freefall of mysterious symptoms.
Yes, I was definitely freefalling in the distress and panic of having strange serious-seeming symptoms of which doctors could only give me ominous predictions as to what might be wrong with me. I was part way into a three month wait for an MRI, feeling helpless and distraught, waiting for others to tell me what was wrong and what to do about it, when I remembered…“combat mode”!
Well, I was SO familiar with this routine…it was easy to go into “combat mode” again.
I would do everything I could do to feel as healthy as possible. I would work on the things I COULD control, and immediately I felt empowered with the thought that there WERE things I COULD control. Suddenly, for the first time in months, my focus was off my scary symptoms.
I didn’t feel quite so helpless anymore. Motivation took its place.
This time I immediately stepped up the work outs (back to regular frequency) that had taken a back seat during the baby years. I added coffee back in, to help combat the fatigue (but only one cup a day!). I ate healthier (there’s ALWAYS some way to eat healthier!). I worked on whatever I could to increase my overall healthiness to hopefully feel better in the long run, as I was starting to realize whatever was going on with me was most likely going to be around for the long run.
Well, to my surprise, I actually started to feel better in the short run!
By the time I had my fibromyalgia diagnosis three or four months later, I was well on my way to feeling like I had some control over managing my symptoms, probably partly due to the actual changes and partly due to the pro-active and positive “combat mode” mind-set I had now.
I never looked back.
These can be simple things that we find to improve our health in some way, but that’s what’s so amazing. I’ve found doing such simple things can absolutely make a difference because they can help with the fibromyalgia symptoms directly or add to our overall health and well-being, and the positive mind-set we get from making improvements is invaluable(!)…and often I find…this is the really excellent part…there can be a snowball effect!
Often I change one thing for one reason and some other positive benefit happens as well that I wasn’t even expecting!
The beauty of “combat mode” is anyone can do it because everyone can find one (or more!) thing to work on to improve their health in some way, no matter what state their fibromyalgia symptoms are in. We can always improve and when that is our focus, we don’t feel so defeated by road blocks or setbacks because our mind-set is so much more positive. No matter how healthy I think I’m living, I always see something in an article or on a TV show, that I could add to my diet or my work-out regime or my sleep habits or something!
This may be an odd way to look at it and people are always surprised to hear my outlook, but in a way, I’ve ended up so much healthier for having endometriosis and fibromyalgia.
And that’s the way I think of myself most of the time, healthy. That’s because that’s what I focus on (and actually…I AM really healthy).
After years of being in my so-called “combat mode”, I have fitness and health standards (I guess you could call it) for myself that I am trying to keep up. So it helps that I am not just trying to survive with fibromyalgia. I override the “survival mode” (as it can feel like) of fibromyalgia with loftier health and fitness goals. I like the challenge and I’m excited to see if I can make a difference with normal healthy things.
I guess I go right over fibromyalgia’s head.
More than anything else, I want to feel as good as possible and have energy to do the things in life that I want to get done.
I don’t feel deprived by making any of these changes (like eating healthier and keeping up regular fitness); what I know is real is that I feel strong for moving towards something better.
Hi, I’m 38 diagnosed in 2009 and suffer from ADHD, CFS AND FIBROMYALGIA. I definitely can relate when saying fibromyalgia at some points have made me move towards healthier goals of life. I quit smoking a year ago to try and help with pain because I was told it had a lot to do with it. I’ve lost over 45 lbs (240) since Feb and still going as I have 50 more to reach goal. Again the weight effects the pain level and health. I began jazzercise in 2011, I hurt more when I don’t exercise. Well with the pandemic jazzercise classes ended. I did them at home for a while from online but wasn’t the same. Though I’m losing weight, eating better, quit smoking, I feel worse than I have in a long time. My feet, bottom of legs, hands get numb when not moved for 5-10 min but then when I move I hurt so I forget to move. What bothers me most is my 12 year old, 19 year old and husband are always home now, virtual school and work from home. And I hate that they have to see me this way. To even take a shower is taking everything out of me just the thought of a shower exhausts me. It may very well be a flare up and I used to use medical marijuana (I’m in Michigan and have card) to get out of the flare ups but just hate the stigma and as a Christian and mother of a young boy and he’s always home so I don’t know how to get out of this flare up if that’s what it is and it’s becoming depression. I’m sorry I’m venting all this in a comment I see all your tweets and like them, but tonight I came and read. I grew up with my mom who had severe fibromyalgia before anyone knew the word at all. The doctors pumped her full of drugs so I refused to go down that route. Thankfully 3 years before she passed away she got off those meds. Well when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia they tried the lyrica, nuerontin, cymbalta, which was hell coming off and that’s when I said I’m done to rheumatologist and just went to family doctor and just take tramadol same dose last 4 years, I’ll add Motrin when needed. I’m sure I’ve probably been taking it so long it probably isn’t doing much anymore. Well my hands stiffing up, I hope this finds you well. I’ll take any and all advice miracles and prayers lol. Thanks for reading. Have a blessed day!
Hi Rachael, thank you and thanks very much for your comment, I hope you don’t mind I abbreviated it a bit to fit under the post. I’m thrilled for you that you have made such strides in moving towards a healthier life by quitting smoking, eating better, losing weight and exercising, and that you’ve found it’s helped with your fibromyalgia. That’s truly awesome…so impressive!! And I’m sorry to hear you are struggling now more than ever, but I can’t say I’m surprised, I think many of us are struggling so much more with our fibromyalgia during this pandemic as many of us find our fibromyalgia symptoms flare up worse with stress and this pandemic has been the ultimate in stressfulness for so many reasons. I know I’ve been working extra hard, doubling down on all my usual routines to try to keep afloat with my fibromyalgia during this time, so I wrote a post outlining how I’m trying to approach the pandemic in the best way possible for my fibromyalgia. Here’s the link “Fibromyalgia and Coronavirus…We Were Already Warriors!” if you’re interested in reading it. I hope it’s of some help to you, Rachael, and you are able to get some relief and feel a little better soon.