Anxiety and Depression Help: Celebrate Recovery

Hi all! I hope you have had a good week and haven't had any flare-ups.

I talk a lot on this blog about my issues with anxiety and depression. These issues seem to be common among those who suffer with Fibromyalgia. It seems as though we're always looking for ways to keep these bad habits in check- or at least I am.

How am I curbing my worrying and low moods lately? I've joined a group at church called Celebrate Recovery. This program is nation-wide now and lots of churches have adopted it or some other form of it. The program helps those with addictions such as alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and other substance abuse issues and that's mainly what it's known for. What people don't know is that it's also for people with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, anger problems, and many more bad habits. It works somewhat like AA, but there's praise and worship as well as a curriculum that is Christ-based. I've gone 3 times so far and the feeling of peace it's giving me isn't measurable. I feel so blessed. The church gifted me a Celebrate Recovery bible and it's the easiest bible to read that I've ever come across.

If you struggle with the same issues that I do, I suggest you find a Celebrate Recovery group in your area. Child care is usually provided for free. Don't give up if you're not crazy about the first one you try. I went a couple of years back to one at another church and it didn't help me nearly as much as this one has so far.

I'm excited about this journey to peace that Christ is taking me on. Join me and comment on your experience!

Pregnancy and Fibromyalgia

Hi all! I'm obviously behind in my writing!

I wanted to write this to let you know how I was doing. I'm 6 months pregnant with a baby girl. It's so exciting because she will be our first child. There are a lot of anxieties I've been feeling about being a new mom. Will I be good at it? Will I be able to keep up with her?

My husband and I have already bought the crib and my parents have sent a lot of items such as clothing, bedding, toys and more. We are so blessed! We haven't set up the nursery yet, but everything we need is there. It's a good feeling!

So how have I been feeling since being prego along with having Fibromyalgia? The first 3-4 months were absolutely horrible! We didn't plan the pregnancy, so I had to get off all of my Fibro medicine at 5 weeks. I did it cold turkey because no practitioner could tell me a recommended taper-off dosage. It made me so angry. Why are they prescribing medicine if they can't tell you how to properly get off of them? The withdrawal coupled with morning sickness was really bad. I lost 15+ pounds within the first trimester. I must say I needed to lose it though. One of the side effects (as many of you know) to chronic pain meds is weight gain. Anyway, I've been off all of my meds since I was 4-5 weeks along. I have pain and discomfort, but I must say that the medicine probably did me more harm than good. I'll have to see how things are going once my hormones stabilize after delivery, but I'm planning on staying off of the meds I was taking since they were mainly to help with symptoms, not cure anything.

You know what's been helping me tremendously? Swimming. I absolutely love it. When I swim, it's the best part of my day. I believe that Fibromyalgia has a lot to do with pressure within the body somehow. Swimming seems to relieve me of feeling any pressures in my body and helps me be more flexible. I'm also able to exercise without getting too hot. If I get too hot I feel really sick. Does that happen to anyone out there? Temperature problems and such? What are your thoughts on swimming and the disease and/or pregnancy?

Why Do I Keep Stressing?

OK, here goes. I feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world because I explain all of these ways to de-stress and I hardly do them myself. When I first discover them, I do them faithfully. Just as many of us are with diet and exercise programs, though, I fade out. It's such a horrible habit, though. Stressing robs us all of so much and we gain absolutely nothing from it. It keeps us from getting things done, eating right, losing weight, keeping awake enough hours in each day, and doing well at our jobs. For the Fibromyalgia patient, it keeps us from feeling good. So there it is! I've confessed to all of you. I have to turn this boat around now. From now on, quiet time with God, exercise, and meditation are musts! Let's keep each other accountable guys!

Hebrews 12:10-11
Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Isn't that the truth?!
I am making a commitment to live a more disciplined life and be better to myself. Worrying all of the time is a sin that many of us with Fibromyalgia commit. It will be hard to stop this habit and start new ones, but I believe our rewards will definitely outweigh the pain of our lifestyle change.

Fibromyalgia: Ups and Downs

Do you ever feel like you're an emotional basketcase? I've heard I'm not the only one... I feel like a crazy person with no patience or grace. Does anyone else out there feel this way? Anyway, I notice that the more I exercise, the less mood swings I'll have. Trust me. I know how difficult it is to exercise with this terrible disease, but if you do it when you're feeling emotional there is a definite payoff. It doesn't have to be traditional exercise either. A lot of people aren't into that sort of thing. Raking leaves and cleaning the house are a couple of activities that have to be done anyway and give you plenty of exercise. Why is this good for your mood? It helps to release endorphins. Us Fibromyalgia patients can use all of the endorphins we can get.

What other way can you help your moodiness when you're going crazy with the fibro ups and downs? Watch a really sad movie or something and just let yourself have an all-out cry. Trust me, it helps!

Another suggestion:
Laying down on your back, put a pillow over your face and let out a few huge screams and imagine negative energy leaving your body. For extra release, do the "biking" movement with your legs in the air at the same time.


Psalm 37:24
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

We will all fail to keep our cool time and time again. It's important that we remember this verse and ask Him for forgiveness for our transgressions.

Blessings,

Michelle

Fibromyalgia Diet

I'm back! I've been busy working for the hubby lately. I wanted to let any fellow sufferers know about my new quest for wellness though. I have started a diet for Fibromyalgia and I'm really serious about it this time. I think I had to just realize what was affecting me badly and see some evidence. WebMD has an article about 7 foods to avoid when if you have this disease. Here are the 7 deadly foods:
1. Aspartame
2. Food additives
3. Sugar, fructose, and simple carbohydrates-- I eliminated all carbohydrates since rice still gives me a bad reaction.
4. Caffeine-- tea doesn't really seem to bother me
5. Yeast and Gluten
6. Dairy--- I just avoid drinking milk and eating lots of cheese. Eggs don't bother me.
7. Nightshade Plants: Tomatoes, chili and bell peppers, potatoes, and eggplant----This is what helped me figure out what I always did wrong. I kept on eating tomatoes and peppers. Now I know better!

So this is day 3 and I'm not having crazy cravings. Yey! Oh- and obviously it's way more than just 7 foods- more like 7 types of foods or groups of foods. Let me know what you think.

Great Bible Verse I Read This Morning

I wanted to share a bible verse I read this morning that might help some of those who are thinking, "Why did I get sick?" "What did I do wrong?" The Word says people who are sick are most of the time not sick because of their sins or their ancestor's sins. Please read below:

"Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?"...Jesus answered, "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him." -John 9: 1-3

So maybe we are sick to show others how we persevere with God's help. Maybe we will take place in something that will help many. Our illnesses could also be a witnessing tool and it could help people feel more comfortable with us- knowing that we're not perfect. Who knows? Only God does. He has a purpose in all of this. We just have to keep the faith and realize that God's in control.

Fear and Fibromyalgia

I don't think I'm alone when I say I have a problem with letting fear get to me. The U.S. credit rating just got downgraded. Millions of people are still without jobs. Many more have taken a pay cut. I think that we should all just calm down, though, because the bible explains that worrying isn't going to help anything. I'm watching the Republican Debate tonight on FOX in an objective way as a future voter. I'm not going to let any of the program make me lose sleep or get too fired up. Hopefully more of U.S. citizens will join me in this viewpoint and take a stance as a Christian.
On another note, I've been out of commission when it comes to blog writing since we were moving around for the past month. I'm proud to say we're back in our Houston area home to stay. Yey!

Helpful bible verses:

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Blessings to everyone!