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Now that the Autumn season is here, so will return in full force many symptoms for CFS & Fibromyalgia patients. I love the fall season with the crisp air, beautiful colored trees and the excitement of the upcoming holidays to follow. But with the change in season and the decrease in daylight, symptoms tend to exasperate for me. Usually September through March are my worst months out of the year. This past week I have started to feel the shift in my body and brain and I know as the days shorten even more the worse I will feel.
Here are some ideas that I have found that have worked to help get through the fall and winter months a little easier:
– Try to exercise more, even if it is only five – 10 minutes a day. I know – this is something I struggle with too but every little bit helps.
– Get outside and in the sunlight for at least 45 minutes. With the days getting shorter, serotonin levels will decrease making us feel even worse. Make it a habit to get out every day.
– Find a hobby to help fill in some time and to take your mind off of feeling bad.
– Read uplifting books, magazines, etc. It’s so easy to fall into feeling sorry for yourself when you don’t feel good. Try to avoid falling into this behavior by reading uplifting materials.
– Rest when you need to. I know I need more rest during these months and it’s okay to give yourself permission to do that. Do whatever it is you need to do in order to feel human.
Thanks for this. I’ve read a lot of chronic bloggers welcoming the autumn as it’s a better time of year for them. I guess for those who live in heat and humidity it can be a welcome relief.
Although I love to watch the season change and the colours and coolness of Autumn – I have a dread of the impending winter. September/October seem particularly bad times for me historically and I hate the retreating of the light. Dark evenings and mornings make me so sad.
It’s good to remind ourselves that we can make changes to try and prosper with the changing season.
Hi Rachel! It is weird how I can physically just feel my body changing when fall rolls around. Together we’ll get through this fall and winter!
OMG – I thought it was just me! A year and a half ago I moved from a polluted and heavily pollenated city to the seaside, and for the first time in more than 5 years I could actually get outside during the summer – I felt great! Then fall came around and I had a 7 month crash… This summer felt great again, and have been dreading the change of seasons.
It’s nice to know that other people go through this too, but it’s also more scarey – like I have less control over it than I thought. My plan this year is to
– get outside every day, and air out the apartment everyday, even in January
– keep myself as warm as possible
– start taking vit D (I need to ask a naturopath friend of mine what an optimal dose would be…)
– try using DH’s lightbook that he finds so good for SAD
– have things to look forward to / avoid depression (HA!)
Wishing us all luck! Fall used to be my favourite season.
Thanks so much for the suggestions! You have a nice site! I know how to crochet but I have never learned how to knit. I would love to sometime.
Thank you for this site and information. I too thought I was the only one dealing with these issues at this time of the year. I’ve been living with Fibromyalgia for roughtly 10 years now and it’s no picnic, but it’s manageable for me. It’s times like these that humble and remind me that I do have a disease that causes major havoc on my body at times, but it’s a site like this that puts my mind at ease that I’m not alone, or crazy.
I am blown away, I had never associated this with my fms/cfs. I totally relate and said OMG just like Jenna did. Thank you Sandy, you are helping a lot of us out here. I have bookmarked your site so I won’t lose it again. I just cannot get over this connection. Thank you again.
nice tips. i find exercising even just a bit every day terribly hard to do. it’s not only exhaustion, even thought that is there, it’s… oh, i don’t know. i don’t WANT to, you know? something in me rebels at the idea of talking a walk just to be talking a walk… it’s weird. so i use all the chances i get to exercise with a purpose. i try to take out the trash frequently. i use housework as exercise. if i can, i walk or bike places instead of taking the car (i live close to shops). i park far in parking lots.
there is the risk of overdoing it this way, though. a week ago i got really carried away with sweeping and mopping the whole house, and then i had to stay in bed for two day afterwards (and it’s not a big house, either!). it felt great at the time, though!
Hi Jenn, I am glad you found Fighting Fatigue! No, you are not alone and you are not crazy. You are truly and physically ill. Please continue coming back! It’s great to have you here!
msmkpink, You are so welcome. I am glad that through my being sick I have been able to help others. It is comments like yours that keeps me going! Take care and please continue coming back! It’s great having you!
Ama, I tend to find myself over doing it at times too and then I wind up in bed for days. It’s the nature of the beast I guess! I have trouble exercising and it is something that I struggle with also. Keep coming back! I enjoy reading your comments!
My symptoms always get worse around this time of year too – I have been flaring up for 3 weeks now (it’s autumn going into winter here in Australia). 2 years ago, I was bedridden for 5 months with FMS over the winter – this is actually what led to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. But as soon as spring came, I started to feel better again. Does anyone know why it flares up with winter? I know we’re sensitive to the cold, but it can’t just be that…
wow thanks to everyone that shard I’m not going crazy now I have to deal with my boss and try to explain to him because he really does not understand and try to push me even harder
I just googled “why does.my fibromyalgia flare up this time of the season…and came upon this site. I ditto every comment above. I can’t stand the way it just comes, hangs out for a day or two, sometimes a few hours, sometimes a.whole week. I feel like if anyone looks at me, they will know I am sick, but they don’t. My eyes are.so heavy, the fog in my brain seems to be inside my whole body, which is heavy, like cinder blocks sometimes. I’m always moving about, I only sit down in the evening to watch some TV. I drink water constantly. But I just actually realized this demon always seems to rear his head in late Sept.-Nov. and I’d like to know why. Does it have something to do with the pressure outside?