Healthy Living

How to Deal with Family and Friends Who Don't Understand Fibromyalgia

Your body knows best!

Your body knows best!

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a lot of things, but convenient is not one of them. Unfortunately, this means you probably won’t know in advance if you are going to feel up to do what you have planned. This makes making plans in advance very difficult. How do you respond appropriately to a wedding RSVP? Once you explain to your family and friends that living with fibromyalgia may mean that you may or may not be sick on the day of something important. Most of the time, people are happy to work with you. After all, people are understanding when someone is unable to take off at work or if someone gets a fever the night before and misses an event. You not feeling well is a valid reason to stay home. Your family and friends love you and do not want you to overexert yourself. It is so important that you are listening to your body carefully. Pushing yourself will only result in you feeling worse for a longer amount of time. No one knows what’s best for you better than you (except maybe your doctor), so if you feel like you shouldn't go to that office party, then don’t.

Make sure you also tell them that despite the wrench fibromyalgia throws into your social calendar, you will make sure to prioritize having fun with them on days when you do feel up to it.

Now that you have explained fibromyalgia to your family, it is time to think about what you can do to keep the lines of communication open.