THE WORKING FOX
The subject of working can in itself be a stressful issue.
There are:
Those who cannot work but wish they still could
Those who do work, but wish that they could afford to give up and
Those who manage to continue to work but not without a struggle
Personally, I fall in the third category. I still manage to work full time, in a job that does not involve any manual lifting, but I am at a key board for most of the day, and get pain in my arms, back and neck., and do have to get up for a stretch and move around every so often.
Luckily I have the sort of working environment that allows be to do this, an understanding boss, and an office layout to suit me. I also do additional work from home that I fit around how I am feeling.
Others are not so fortunate, and find that work colleagues may not understand the effects fibro has on them. Its the old thing again, you look fine, so you can't be in pain. Why are you tired, you haven't done much today, I do more than you.. on so on.
For those people working with Fibromyalgia, this situation can be as stressful as the illness itself.
There is no easy answer. Its all about your attitude, your environment, and the people you work with and how accommodating and understanding they are towards you.
For those who wish they could work but simply can't cope with work due to the pain or the exhaustion etc., don't feel bad about it. Is there any work you can do on a part time basis that suits you ? If not is there a hobby you can undertake, card making, cake making etc., that not only gives you a purpose each day, but may be a way of earning a little extra cash here and there (if you want to sell your products) otherwise, accept being at home, still find a hobby that suits your ability, and just try to relax and not feel bad about not working. Its not your fault.
I'd love to hear from you with your experiences trying to keep working, and how you deal with those 'off' days.
