Pushing Your Limits

A doctor I see compared having Fibro to a gas tank. 

"A regular person has a gas tank the size of one you would find on a Hummer, and a person with Fibro has a gas tank the size of one you would find on a smart car."

We just do not have the energy to do what a regular person would.  However, as my doctor says

"We can make our gas tank grow"

How? 

It is very difficult.  One of the things with Fibro and Chronic Pain is that we tend to stop pushing our self, we stop exercising the way we should, we stop doing what we would normally do, cause it is just too much for us. 

But do we really push ourselves?  Or do we just say "I can't, I have Fibro"?

If we stop exercising, we start to gain weight and lose the mobility in our body.  The pain becomes worse because we are unable to move or stretch as we used to, and the littlest movement is painful.  If we stop doing what we love, we become depressed which also causes a lot of pain for us as well.  It is an evil cycle.

So why let it control us?  Why not fight back?

I understand the fear, if we push ourselves then another attack will come.  But if we don't push ourselves, the attack is going to come from the inactivity and the depression. 

What do you do in a normal day, a week a month?  Figure out how you can add one thing a month that you used to do, and do it.  The sense of accomplishment, the joy you get from doing it will do wonders.  You'll be tired the next day so set up the next day as a pamper day, movies, books, whatever you like.  But you will have a day that you loved and enjoyed.  And slowly increase on the third month try two things a month, on the fifth month do it three things a month and so one until you are doing it once a week.  You will not believe the difference it will do for you.

Exercise.  If you exercise try an extra five minutes and slowly increase it.  If you do not exercise than try something as simple as walking around the block.  Do one block for a week or two and then slowly increase it to two blocks.  Not only will you feel better about yourself, but you are conditioning your body, and you will have more energy, you are increasing how much energy you do have.

The main benefit I have found with doing this, besides more energy, feeling better about myself, not as depressed (and hopefully it will go away completely), is that when I have a Fibro attack, I seem to bounce back faster, and I want to go back to exercising and making myself happy, I do not let it keep me down.  

You can help yourself by the simplest thing.  Push yourself, the greatest rewards, and happiness are from what you work the hardest to achieve.