Why Holidays Are Important When You Have Fibromyalgia

I have to be honest and say that the thought of going away on holiday can often fill me with a sense of dread. I worry about how I will feel when I am away- will I be well enough to enjoy my trip? Will travelling knock me unwell? Oh and not to mention I hate, hate, hate packing!! But having said all of that, my trip to Iceland last December made me realise just how beneficial taking a break away from day-to-day life is. Fibromyalgia can make you feel like you don’t want to travel but I honestly think it is really imporant to take some time out. This doesn’t mean you have to travel far. Even a break close to home can do a lot for you. It’s just getting away from your daily routine that’s important. I don’t know if it is because I am headed towards 30 (still have a couple of years to go yet) but I’m starting to think of all the things I want to do before I reach that milestone. I never used to have any inclination to travel and see the world but something is changing and I have a bucket list of all the places I want to experience. I think being into photography has a lot to do with that. I love nothing more than going to places I have never been and documenting them through photography. I’ve been having a mental battle with my fibromyalgia recently and I admit I am struggling with it. My husband and I have decided we need to give ourselves something to look forward to and so we are planning a holiday. We are hitting two places on our bucket lists- Los Angeles and San Fransisco. I am so excited!!

I think what I find beneficial about holidays is that once I reach my destination I can take things at a more manageable pace in comparison to what I do at home. I recently began using an app on my phone called ‘Map My Walk’ to see just how much I walk each day at work. Turns out if I do a full day’s work I can average around 9 miles! No wonder I struggle!!! So generally being on holiday benefits me as, even though I like active holidays, I don’t do as much as I would do if I were at work. Plus there’s no pressure to keep going and I have the time to rest more if I need to. I guess the opposite can be true for many people with fibro and that in itself could be a worry. I think the main thing about going away is the preparation. Think about what kind of holiday will benefit you most. Maybe a week by the beach, where you can mostly chill out by the sea and take a few leisurely walks would be best for you. Maybe you are like me and like to fill your days with activities and things to do. Think about all the things you would like to do, write them down and then once you are there pick a day where you feel alright to go and do them. Also think about the weather and the time of year you are travelling. Sunshine most definitely benefits us folk with fibromyalgia but dealing with extreme heat can be really fatiguing. You also need to plan for before you leave and once you return. I will be planning on having a few days off of work before I go away and also once I am back. This will give me some time to ‘recover’ from working so that I hopefully will feel as well as I can before I travel. It will also give me a few days to ‘recover’ from the long-haul flight on the way home before I have to return to work. We will also be planning ‘chill out days’ on arrival and before departure to ensure that I will feel as well as possible.

One thing that I have found to be very useful when travelling is to make lists. As I said above, I hate packing with a passion. It just stresses me to the max! So a few weeks before I travel I will make a list of all the things I need for my trip. I will start to buy everything that I need and put these items in my suitcase so I know where they are. I will then begin packing a good few days beforehand and will tick things off my list as I pack them. This really helps to reduce stress for me and it stops me from wondering if I have forgotten to pack anything. Another thing that I think is super important is to travel with someone who understands your illness as this will take a lot of pressure off you. My husband gets me and knows that I can be fine one minute and then floored with symptoms the next. He appreciates that we might plan to do something one day but that when that day comes I might not be up for it and we will need to do it another time. He understands that if I am out all day, I’ll probably be in bed early that evening and that if we have plans to go out at night I’ll need the day to rest. The last thing you want is to feel under pressure to do things when you really can’t face it.

Being away definitely benefits me, but flying can knock me for six. So preparation for flying is really important too. Packing a pillow, ibuprofen gel (which I personally find more effective than pain killers) is a must. It’s also important to get up and have a walk around on the plane as sitting in one place for a long time can cause pain. Stretching will also help.

I think the main thing is to have the mentality that your fibromyalgia won’t and can’t stop you from enjoying and experiencing life. You will have to adapt and pace yourself but you can still achieve all the things that you want to do. I can tell you that booking this holiday has given me a real boost mentally and I am really looking forward to it. I am putting all my worries about fibro to the back of my mind because it isn’t going to stop me from enjoying myself.