18 Resolutions People With Fibromyalgia Are Making for 2016

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that affects an estimated 10 million people in the United States. It’s unpredictable and symptoms vary, but it’s generally characterized by chronic widespread pain, fatigue, abnormal pain processing, sleep disorders, fatigue, problems with cognitive functioning, migraines, anxiety and depression.

Despite those numbers, fibro is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed, leaving the people affected by it constantly defending their illness’ existence. Still, they keep on.

Because the new year is a time to reflect and set new goals, we teamed up with the National Fibromyalgia Association to ask its Facebook community what their resolutions are for 2016. We hope one will resonate with you or someone you love.

1. “To keep moving my body! Stretch a lot every morning. Walk around the farm. Remember to move with careful awareness and treat myself to plenty of hot baths, black and white movies and Arnica Gel! — Mary Clasen

2. “To use my time wisely doing the things I love.” — Karen Woods McIsaac

3. “To allow myself to have bad days without feeling guilty.” — Melissa Winans

4. “To make it through my 45th year of having fibro and to never quit!” — Lou Gardina

5. “To give up trying to convince everyone that I am ill…” — Robert G. Burke

6. “To get moving and capture more of life. That may be doing things modified for ‘the fibro’ I live with, but it’s still living.” — Emily Atwood Hagensick

7. “To better advocate for myself, whether it’s with my healthcare providers, myself or family and friends.” — Merielle Bernier

8. “To do one thing a day. It could be laundry or just going out to get the mail.” — Susan Kenney

9. “To have a little more laughter in my life. Laughter is the best medicine!” — Elaine Emond

10. “To be gentle with myself and listen to my body, not just every day but every moment. To do what is necessary to support myself and surround myself with people who love me and bring positivity to my life. And to appreciate the so-called ‘little things’ that make life worth living.” — Kittie Eubank

11. “To be happy for every moment I am here, every moment without pain or fatigue, to be grateful for the friends and my family who are so wonderful. And to give hope and encouragement where I can.” — Diane Jones Magnum

12. “To help myself and others to understand this thing better and to try and find a remedy that works for me.” — Ann Walsh

13. “To love life and keep believing there will one day be a cure.” — Kirsten Burgess

14. “To keep on keeping on no matter how bad the pain gets…” — Rita Lique

15. “To get through each day, one at a time.” — Michael Wood

16. “To share my success story with as many people as I can about how they can take control of their fibro.” — Allison Greenblatt Harris

17. “I decided a couple years ago not to make resolutions because I always feel like a failure one way or another. I live life to the best of my ability on a daily basis. I live to be happy and bring happiness to others.” — Erica Randall

18. “To keep going and treat every day as a new start. I have fibro, but I refuse to let it have me.” — Anne Morgan

If you have fibromyalgia, what’s a resolution you have for 2016? Let us know in the comments below.

MORE ABOUT FIBROMYALGIA:

Fibromyalgia, a chronic illness with three main symptoms — widespread pain, chronic fatigue and cognitive trouble. Fibromyalgia is a complicated illness that’s not well understood. In the past, it was mischaracterized as a mental health disorder. Even today, some doctors wave off fibro symptoms as being “all in your head.” This isn’t the case. Read The Mighty’s comprehensive guide to fibromyalgia here. Click here to join our fibro community and connect with people who get it.