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Fibromyalgia and Depression - Page 2

© Cynthia Webber (Jausten)

A proper diet with regular meals is also important for dealing with depression. Although I sometimes don't eat properly, I do find that when I make the effort to eat three meals per day, and I get in the four basic food groups, I tend to feel better both physically and emotionally. Having help with meal planning and preparation can lessen our fatigue levels, and accepting the help that our families offer us does not mean that we are useless. Feeling guilty because we can't keep up with all the household duties, does not help our depression, and learning to let others help us is more important for our mental health than trying to continue to keep things running as they did before we developed FMS.

I live in a house with my husband, three children, two dogs and three cats, and sometimes the mess and noise of our household is too much for me. I can use the bedroom for my private space, and I also utilize the time when my family is working or at school to do those things that give me pleasure and make my days more enjoyable in spite of my FMS. Doing household chores in the late afternoon when members of my family are around to help me is more productive than wearing myself out trying to do the laundry, cleaning or shopping during the morning when I tend to feel my best. I use my time in the mornings to do what is important to me whenever I can, and thus I feel better about myself and what I can contribute to my own well-being.

Finding creative ways to enhance one's life in spite of living daily with fibromyalgia is a challenge, but it can be done. Making changes in the way we communicate with others about our needs can be helpful. For example, if I'm constantly complaining about my lack of private time to a friend, I need to learn to listen to myself and take action in creating a time for myself without being constantly interrupted. Also, if we constantly complain about the same things, but do nothing to change our circumstances, then eventually we will either become more depressed or people will just stop listening to us.

Also, developing a hobby or using our creative abilities to feel better about ourselves is very important for dealing with depression. We may be unaware of our own creative skills until we try something new. My working with clay is very hard on my hands, but I've taught myself new artistic skills by learning how to do graphics on the computer. I am not naturally artistic, but I do enjoy making graphics, and have been surprised by my ability to create something different out of a scanned picture. I may or may not work with clay again, but I've found another way to be creative, and it makes me feel good to have found another way to express myself. Gardening used to be a great pleasure of mine, but I haven't done much of it lately due to my pain levels. But that doesn't mean that I'll never enjoy gardening again. It just means that I need to find a different way to cope with the weeds in my yard that doesn't cause me more pain and fatigue.

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