Still working on acceptance

[30 plus years]

Realize it all boils down to acceptance in order to cope with this wretched affliction.
Sunkacola has posted some great advice on this. However, after 30 years you'd think I would sort of have this down!! Not so much! If I ever have one day with slight ease of symptoms, not a good day, mind you, just a day with a bit of some relief, I'm in such a good mood, and I think I'm on a course of recovery or something. Then it's such a letdown when the very next day I'm in so much pain I can hardly move. (And it's not because I overdid anything. I've learned from that mistake.) It's like there's no rhyme or reason, and we're supposed to just flow with the ups and downs?? It's so depressing!

 

[BlueBells]

hi @30 plus years

Sad you are having such a rough time with fibro. I'm very fortunate that I have very mild symptoms, so I won't pretend to fully understand what you are dealing with.

At least on here there are sure to be people who truly understand.
Hugs

 

[sunkacola]

Realize it all boils down to acceptance in order to cope with this wretched affliction.
Sunkacola has posted some great advice on this. However, after 30 years you'd think I would sort of have this down!! Not so much! If I ever have one day with slight ease of symptoms, not a good day, mind you, just a day with a bit of some relief, I'm in such a good mood, and I think I'm on a course of recovery or something. Then it's such a letdown when the very next day I'm in so much pain I can hardly move. (And it's not because I overdid anything. I've learned from that mistake.) It's like there's no rhyme or reason, and we're supposed to just flow with the ups and downs?? It's so depressing!

I fully understand this.
What I have learned to do might possibly be helpful to you, so I am going to tell about that.

It used to be, when I would have one of those good days I would have the same reaction as you and then the same let down. That teeter-totter is really bad for my state of mind overall.

So what I do now is I focus my energy on just reveling in the good day, never forgetting that it is temporary. Remembering that it is temporary actually makes me enjoy it even more, because it is such a "seize the day" kind of thing. I just enjoy it to the fullest, always with the understanding that it's highly unlikely that tomorrow will be as good. That way, when the next day comes and it's bad again, I have no letdown.

And yes, as I see it, we ARE just supposed to flow with the ups and downs. If you think about it, that's life for everyone. That's life for all people no matter their circumstances. that's life for dogs and lions and deer and trees. Some days are better than others and sometimes there are hardships. The more we can "go with the flow", the more peace we can have and the less stress. And for us, even more than for most people, less stress is highly desirable.

My dogs have been my greatest teachers. They are always in the moment, whatever it is. If it's a bad one, they don't like it, but as soon as it becomes a good one again they are fully in the good moment.

As for "having it down"....well, I don't know how many people have it all the way down unless they are among the sages of this world. The rest of us have to practice it. It does get easier....or, I should say not easier exactly but for me it is more automatic these days. I will only spend a moment or two having to remember to accept what is in the moment instead of it taking me a long time.

 

[30 plus years]

That is really good advice. Remember it's temporary and don't have high expectations that it will last, basically. Enjoy the moment. Lately I haven't been sleeping well and have been in a bad flare seems like all summer. High humidity kills me and I took a terrible fall late June and fell on my forehead. Ever since, I can hardly move my neck. Being legally blind with the rest of my vision failing is a huge challenge and tests my patience with every step. This forum and posts like yours have helped me keep a measure of sanity. Thanks.