Making Sense of Fibromyalgia by Sue Ingretson

[Cort]

The body feels and reacts to every thought we have. ​

Boy is that ever true for me...It's one of the biggest changes for me with ME/CFS. And when I'm more wiped out - it reacts even more. A negative thought can rock me physically....She's obviously not as sick as some people with ME/CFS but still that mind/body thingie going on in ME/CFS for me soooo weird...It makes me think I have to become Buddha to become well (or find the right treatment.)

She also looks at diet, social impact and life's purpose. I'm not saying this is the way out - that it's this simple but for me - this kind of stuff is in there.

• http://www.prohealth.com/library/sh...ook&utm_campaign=facebook_article&libid=20182

2. The Emotional Impact

I discovered this crucial fact: The body feels and reacts to every thought we have.

By improving my health physically, I noticed the difference between feeling anxious and peaceful. I learned through practices such as tai chi and yoga that I was able to feel calm and relaxed – at least for a time.

I vividly remember catching myself in the middle of a tai chi class thinking about nothing. Me, with an idle thought? What a concept! That was a first for me. I was always planning my day, my next event, or my family obligations in my head. I remember having a sort of weightless feeling as I watched my hands move slowly in front of me when I did the “Moving Hands Like Clouds” exercise in class.

This experience showed what the absence of stress felt like. Since I now had a comparison, when I went right back to my frenetic thinking, I noticed how it felt in my body. I took note of this reaction and wanted to read more about this connection and learn what I could do. Putting it simply – feeling relaxed felt good. I wanted more.

I learned that mind / body activities such as tai chi, yoga, walking, and getting out in nature, etc. are particularly good for generating the relaxation response. I became an eager student looking for healthy ways to help me achieve this feeling of relaxation. Prayer, meditation, EFT Tapping, massage, guided imagery, and, of course, humor have become mainstays in my healthy routine.

I decided that if my body was going to feel and react to every thought I have, why not make them healing thoughts?

Nowadays, we know so much more about the connection between our thoughts and the reactions felt in our bodies. You may be interested to view this article which illustrates, via Heatmaps, the reactions that the body has to a variety of emotions.

 

[LunaNik]

It's exactly the same with fibromyalgia, as if our empathy is cranked up so incredibly high that even mildly negative emotions have a physical effect. I often have to avoid social media, the news, and even interacting with people for days at a time until I can get back off the ceiling and find my zen place again.