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Define Your Life Situation

Besides the severity of your CFS/FM and the presence of additional medical conditions, several other aspects of your life situation affect your chances for improvement. 

One factor is the support you have. Some people with CFS and FM feel understood and supported by their family and/or other people in their lives, while others are challenged to have family understand them or may be alienated from their family.

A second important area is your financial situation. Some with CFS or fibro find their financial situations have changed little since they became ill. Others, however, are less fortunate. Lacking adequate money intensifies stress, and may make it difficult to access to medical care, adequate food and housing.

A third aspect of life situation is stability. Some people with CFS and FM are able to stay in the home they had when they got ill and their family situations are stable. Others have to deal with several to many changes. Stability makes improvement easier.

Finally, your situation includes two other significant factors that affect your chances to improvement: your coping skills and your attitude, both of which can be changed. Research has shown that people can learn effective skills for managing long-term illness, by adapting to their new circumstances through making adjustments to their daily habits and routines.

 
The attitude that seems to help is one that is both realistic and hopeful. We call it acceptance with a fighting spirit. People with this attitude sccept that their lives have changed and that they have to live differently. At the same time, they have confidence that they can find ways to improve.
 
(For ideas on how to to change your attitude, see the article Optimism, Hope & Control. For some examples of the effects of a constructive approach to CFS and FM, see the Success Stories on this site and also the Success Stories on the self-help program website.)
 

 

My Situation Worksheet

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