We want to talk about ways to find emotional comfort from your fibromyalga pain because pain relief should be found in not only physical ways, but mental ways as well. We’ve been discussing ways to relieve your fibromyalgia pain naturally on the Dr. Fibro Facebook page and hopefully you’ve learned some great tips. We’ve covered how you can relieve your stress and your daily pain and also easy ways to incorporate the good foods into your diet and rid your body of the bad foods. I’ve also mentioned before that by getting a good daily dose of Vitamin D and by exercising, you’ll release a endorphins into your body.
This is important to keep your mood up but what about other ways which you might not have thought about yet?
What about emotional comfort?
Fibromyalgia pain relief is part physical but you also have to make sure you’re feeling good in every single aspect! Remember, you’re not just a limb, you’re a whole body; therefore, you MUST look at the complete picture when looking to live pain free! 
I came across a post on Facebook the other day about how some fibromyalgia patients find comfort and happiness in caring for or simply being around their pets. If you’re experiencing excruciating pain, you might be rolling your eyes at the idea of taking care of one more living but hang with me on this.
Owning a pet shows decreased levels of depression and stress. “The benefit is especially pronounced when people are strongly attached to their pets,” says researcher Judith Siegel, PhD. In one study on pets and health, stockbrokers with high blood pressure 
who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets! Sounds like a great way to find natural pain relief to me
Maybe even more interesting is a study that Cambridge University conducted on the general health benefits to owning a furry friend, “A study…found that owning a pet produced improvements in general health in as little as one month. This continued over the 10 month study.”
If you’re still not sure that owning a pet is for you, that’s okay!
You can still reap the benefits by offering to dog-sit or cat-sit for a friend for a day or even head over to your local humane society on your good days. That way, you can shower these animals with some much needed attention – They’ll appreciate it!
Another way you can find emotional comfort when you’re having a rough day is turning on soothing music (like Natural sounds), taking an Epsom salt bath, or read an inspirational book. Some patients even keep biographies of people they find inspiring around to read when they need a little positivity.
By the way, if you’re interested – I’m offering TWO Natural Sounds audio sleep aids for just $1 right now BUT this sale is valid through the end of the year only! These aids are popular with a lot of my patients and they find that by putting on soothing music right before bed, they get a better quality sleep at night.
Click here to take advantage of this deal!
How do YOU find comfort on the hard days?
Please put some of the tips and tricks that YOU use in the comment box below so that our community can learn from one another
Sharing helps others:
About Steven Yen
As a former member of the teaching faculty of the prestigious Trigenics Institute, Steven Yen has been treating Fibromyalgia naturally, without the use of drugs or surgery for patients in his private practice since 2002. He is also founder of the world's most popular Facebook page for managing Fibro naturally.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I find that putting soothing music and low lights helps somewhat.
Beth, you’re absolutely right! Low lights and peaceful music (I find nature sounds tend to help my patients) can do wonders. Thanks for sharing!
My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a God send to me. I have had her trained as a therapy dog to visit hospitals, rest homes etc. But I reap the benefits as well.
When I have a flair, she is sticks to me like glue and pokes me in the legs with her nose to tell me I’m doing too much and to rest some. Listen to your pets. Sometimes they know you better than you know yourself!
Music, meditation, and journaling are very beneficial as well.
Kimberly, I’m so happy to hear that not only are you benefiting from your pet but you’re allowing others to do the same. Thank you for sharing this!
I record my favorite comedy sitcoms,etc. since commercials cause me to overeat & many are depressing, I can fastforward through the commercials & enjoy my shows that make me laugh. I’ve found this very helpful. Reading the Bible writing in a journal & largeprint easy crosswords. hope this helps someone. Unless your living it, you truly don’t know how horribly debilitating this disease can be. May you find what works for you,but mostly don’t give up trying. which is so much easier said than done sometimes. I also believe when your in a bad flare,give,allow yourself to be sick& give your body time to get thru it.
Kimberly, skipping through the commercials is a great idea
If you’re watching a funny television show, it breaks the good mood you have going on when you have to sit through commercials. Plus, you said the most important thing – “…Don’t give up trying.” Not everything works for everyone but something is going to work for someone and it will be worth it when it does 
I have a horse. When I`m at the stable I forget almost all pain and bad thoughts. The horse gives me energy and joy. I don`t ride as much as I should be doing, but riding is not the most important for me
Yes! Sometimes it’s just being in the company of loved pets that helps. Thanks for sharing!
I have had fibromyalgia for a bit over 20 years. My beautiful Sheltie kept me going with much needed daily walks. We went through obedience training together and he received his Companion Dog diploma. Hours of dedication was required for this but the benifits we reaped were measured in improved health and wellbeing. I currently have a yorkeshire terrier whose daily grooming is soothing to us both. He doesn’t need as long a walk as my Sheltie but play releases feel good hormones.
Other activities that I have found help me a lot are aquafitness, tai chi, line dancing–love that music, basic yoga and the most dear to me activity at the moment Nia. I also have my level 2 Reiki, that along with daily meditation promotes self healing physically and emotionally.
Elaine
Wow, thanks for providing the community so many different options
Glad to hear that your animals have helped put a smile on your face!
Hi Dr.Yen,
I have been a vet tech for sixteen years and you are so right about the benefit of a pet. Just make sure your readers know there limits, as that is one thing I have found with myself. I have dogs and now that I am older I will no longer have them once these ones go and be with my parents in heaven. Some find cats are easier to care for and they come to you for love! Usually:)! Love your articles
Happy new year,
Christine
Very true Christine! Caring for a pet can certainly be time consuming and each person needs to make sure they have the time to properly care for their animal. Thank you for sharing your opinion and thank you especially for the kind words about my posts.
Best wishes for the new year!
Fibromyalgia can be very isolating. i find that too much external stimulation can throw me into a flare so I end up being alone most of the time. I have a small dog and she is my companion. She brings me joy everyday. But, when she is gone i’m not sure I can take care of another animal as i’m barely getting by with caring for her now. she gets lots of love and attention and eats fine and etc. but some things fall through the cracks. But I am also her “mom”. she was a puppy mill dog and came to me very scared and skittish. she still gets very excited when we have visitors. she likes them but barks until we all sit down and then she sits by me.
another thing I do is paint. I’m an artist and although I haven’t been able to do as much as I should be doing because of circumstances, when i do time just flies by and I forget about the pain. It feeds my soul. Also reading up on ways to feel better. Reading others stories that are like mine. Listening to the music that i love. meditating, etc. i have been sick most of my life and am now 50. i really can’t remember what it feels like to not be sick. I have many food allergies and sensitivities but don’t know all of them and I have ignored many of them like wheat which I am now changing. a nice cup of green tea with jasmine is very soothing for me as well.
Dr. Yen, I wanted to thank you so much for your website. It is of great comfort to have at least ONE doctor, somewhere out there, (I don’t live in Canada) that not only truly understands our condition and shortcomings, but is also proactive on finding positive things we can do to help ourselves, without thinking that we can do more than we can.
It seems that in the medical world, I can either find a doctor who seems sympathetic, but who then blows other medical issues off as FMS and refuses to look for things that need to be treated and also suggests nothing proactive to try to help the suffering, brushing everything off with, “you have fibromyalgia, of course you hurt (or have this complaint)” and then won’t even address the issue except to refer to a pain specialist, if that-they don’t even usually document the complaint leaving no written history for another doctor to look at. I can’t tell you how many nurses and doctors do this.
The flip side is the “doctors” who tell you it is all in your head, telling you to do the things that you are already doing (eat less, change diet, excersize, etc.) and everything will be great. Then there is the doctor who is determined that a c-pap machine will cure all that ails you, or that some other co-existing problem is really the source of all the trouble, even though the specialists in that field say its not. I do want to treat what can be treated, but if it isn’t helping any, I wish they would look elsewhere and not get so stuck on one treatment.
Although I will have to give up my home, etc. and move closer to family help for the really bad days, your addressing the realities of the issues, and the comments from others on their situation is a true comfort for me. Thank you.
I reach out to others or focus the energy that I have on raising awareness. I find that in having a purpose, I am fulfilled. Every day I play with my dog as you said. She is basically a service animal to me. She helps my pain so much. And she knows when I am in pain, too! She will come running and (unfortunately) jump right on where I have the most pain. I laugh and cry at the same time & I am filled with love and hope. She is just trying to help me. I find happiness in all that surrounds me even if I am home-bound. I still hear the birds and the kids playing next door. That brings me joy. I have hope & optimism that I will conquer this thing. And guess what, I WILL BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT!!!
Epsom salts are a fantastic way to relieve your muscles of stress and help them relax. It also sucks out any toxins in your body and is a great source of magnesium, something most people don’t get in their regular diet but badly need.
Heating or icing inflamed muscles is also very helpful, but be sure not to cook your muscles or freeze them. Only leave the heat or ice on for fifteen minutes, take off for fifteen, and place the opposite on for fifteen.
Exercise is very good for you because stretching and using your muscles are important. If you’re in pain to the point you’re stuck in bed, don’t worry, I was right there with you, but I am OUT of that intense pain and here are the exercises I did while being stuck in bed. A stress-ball that people squeeze are great; I would use that and squeeze with each hand on and off throughout the day. Keeping your legs straight, if you SLOWLY twirl your feet one way for a certain count, then reverse course, will greatly strengthen your lower back muscles and leg muscles. :]
For simple tips around the house, do not bend at the waist, always crouch to the ground. If walking is difficult, try to get inserts for your shoes. The way your feet are shaped, the way you walk, and how heavy your steps are highly influence your back pain.
But the absolute best way to make it through each day of pain is to tell yourself you WILL get better and work towards that goal. You can do it, you really can. I am living proof people can survive the pain and work out of it. I’m doing much better and though I have a long way to go, I am so happy knowing I will one day be out of pain completely and it’s what gets me through the days.
Hi…I have severe spinal stenosis in low back, type 2 diabetes and fibro. I was just diagnosed with diabetes within the last year although had pre-diabetes for some years (hereditary). So pain is a constant source of frustration and I’m always looking for ways to minimize it. I live in Massachusetts so the winters are the most challenging for me. Although a native New Englander, I have never liked the cold weather. My muscles just tense up. I’d love to move to a warmer climate but I’m 61 and I decided I would have to know at least one person in a new area of the country. I enjoyed living in LA for 6 years and one year in New Mexico. I find that the sunny, warm weather is the best for my pain.
I have a question: do any of you suffer from leg pain/tight calf muscles? I wake up in the middle of the night screaming in pain from “charley horses”/muscle spasms in my calves and into my feet. I don’t really know if it’s from my spinal stenosis, diabetes, or fibro. Warm baths with epsom salts feels good but doesn’t stop the calf pain, sometimes makes it worse. I have a chiropractor who helps when my sacrum “goes out” which is often.
What meds are people taking? I take Savella, gabapentin, tramadol, flexeril, clonazepam and other meds for diabetes, hypothyroid and GI problems. Just started a low dose ace inhibitor. Hate taking all these meds.
This is my first post so hope some of this doesn’t belong somewhere else on the forum. Thank you so much for everyone’s posts. It makes me feel less alone in my pain.
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I’ve rescued 4 cats since I was diagnosed 3 years ago. I can’t count the number of times I have told someone “I don’t know what I’d do without them!”. They provide so much comfort and love. I swear they know the days I feel the worst, I’ll often have all 4 of them cuddled up on or very near me at the same time. One of my sweet kitties sleeps on my shoulder/side and purrs for a long time, always relaxes me and helps me fall asleep. I will admit that I’d have a harder time keeping them if it wasn’t for my husband taking care of the litter boxes – the dusty litter aggravates my sinuses horribly!
You are absolutely correct in regard tohaving a pet! I have a Long-coat chihuahua and he is a very affectionate, snuggly little dog. He is under ten pounds, so he isn’t heavy to carry; and he likes to sleep curled up by my feet, or on cold nights; right up on my tummy with his front paws on my chest! I would have gone nuts from the isolation without his comforting presence in my home. He goes almost everywhere with me, and if he can’t, I get an overwhelmingly joyfull response when I get home! There’s nothing so wonderful as unconditional love! He even tries to kiss away my tears when the pain is too much to bear. I just couldn’t cope without him!
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