Positive Thinking and Fibromyalgia

Positive thinking and Fibromyalgia are not the most obvious of companions.  It can be really hard to stay positive when faced with so much pain and fogginess. 


Sometimes finding happiness requires the strength to be proud of the simple accomplishments like petting the dog or baking a batch of cookies.  Every good thing in your life no matter how simple can be a positive accomplishment.

Fibromyalgia forces us to slow down a bit and appreciate the things around us.  Before Fibromyalgia, I never had the time to watch the sunset in all of its glory as the colors fluctuate and spread across the sky, and even if I had, I’m not sure that I’d have appreciated it so much then.  Despite the many changes in my life as I continue to adapt to living with Fibromyalgia, I find that by focusing on the beauty and inspirations around me that I genuinely appreciate things that wouldn’t have even been on my radar previously.


Although the pain is intense, forgetting things is annoying, and losing track of time is frustrating, I find that I am able to find happiness at a much deeper level now. No longer do I worry about and hope for the next promotion at work, because I am not able to work reliably anymore.  The happiness that I would have gotten from success at work has been replaced by the happiness I feel from having a supporting and loving family.  Frankly, that seems like a pretty good trade to me!


We all find moments in our lives when negative thoughts creep up on us.  The ultimate question of “Is your glass half-empty or half-full?” can help you determine if you are typically a negative or positive thinker.  In my case, my glass is half-full most of the time, but not always.  Positive thinking isn’t always the easiest thing to maintain, but it comes with many fantastic side effects.


Although I’m a little unclear as to the reasons, I’ve heard that people who think positively may actually have some health benefits including an increased life span, lower rates of depression, more resistance to common colds, and better coping skills during times of duress.  

Image for this Quote From RGB Stock Photos

There are a few theories as to why positive thinking leads to a better, longer, healthier life. One theory is that people filled with optimism cope better with stressful situations, thereby eliminating or reducing stress and the negative consequences of stress on your body.  Another theory is that happy people tend to have healthier lifestyles. For instance, a happy person is more likely to be engaging in exercise, following a better diet, and avoiding excess amounts of alcohol or other potentially harmful substances.


For me, knowing the probable health benefits and frankly the idea of simply being happy is a great incentive to focus on positive thinking. Like most people, I sometimes struggle with negative thoughts filling my mind sometimes for days or even weeks.


For instance, sometimes I focus too much on situations that I cannot control and get angry or frustrated and sometimes I simply envy other people because they seem happier, healthier, more capable, or somehow just better than me.  Other times I decide to throw a pity party, after all what did I do to deserve this level of pain?


I’ve found that in order to be happy, I have to keep these negative thoughts and feelings at bay as much as possible.  So how do you break free from the ingrained habits of thinking negatively?

Well, I’ve been really focusing on finding the answer to this question. So far, I’ve found that it mostly takes willpower and the genuine interest in replacing the negative thoughts with positive ones.  For me, I’m finding it helps to keep myself from getting trapped into constantly thinking the same unhelpful thoughts. 


Negativity is kind of like a trap, once you start thinking negatively about something or someone; it just keeps getting worse and hurting you more.  I truly believe that allowing anger or negativity to color your perception in life only hurts yourself.  As a result, I think it’s really important to break the negativity cycle, even if it only happens for a short period of time.  Some ways that help me to escape the negativity trap include:

1.       Writing it down – I enjoy writing and it helps me to clarify my concerns and issues.  Once I’ve written down whatever the negative thought is that keeps popping up, I write down the exact opposite of it and then try to focus my energy towards finding ways to reach the positive side.  If I am unable to find my way to the positive side, then I throw away the paper that I wrote my negative thought on as a symbol of letting it go and then I try not to think about that thought anymore.

2.    Finding Positive Distractions- If a negative thought is so prevalent that my first step doesn’t work; then I try to distract myself by finding something positive to think about.  Often I do this by looking for something that inspires me.  I find inspiration in nature, quotes, inspirational stories, my family and friends.  You will be amazed at what you find inspirational when you focus your mind towards looking for the beauty or inspiration around you.

3.    Talking to Someone Else-If the negativity keeps at you, find someone you trust who has a positive outlook on life and talk to them about it. A lot of times, the solution is much clearer to people on the proverbial “outside” and you may learn a different perspective that helps you change the way you are looking at things. Besides, we all need someone to vent to, sometimes this is the best way to let it out, just try to consciously keep it out of your mind once you’ve vented!


4.    Creating and Repeating Positive Affirmations-When all else fails, I write a positive affirmation about myself and the situation that seems to be creating negativity and repeat it to myself anytime the negative thought comes into my mind.  The sheer repetitiveness of this tends to keep me on the positive side of the tracks. 

Obviously, switching from negativity to positivity is not an exact science.  I’ve found once I’m able to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones, or at least push them to the back of the mind, I’m far more capable of developing real solutions to the problems at hand.  


And guess what?  Once the problem at hand has solutions that I can actually implement, I’m always seeing the cup as half full again!  Even if it does take me a while to physically be able to complete things, I am at least mentally on track again.


I hope this helps other people with Fibromyalgia or even with negative thoughts. We all have them sometimes, but they really aren’t good for any of us!  Is your cup half-full or half-empty?