By Sabrina Dudley-Johnson
May 18, 2017
I like to refer to the art of Fibro Pacing as “My Fibro Checkbook”. In the chronic pain community, some have called this "Energy Banking". You see, with my Fibro Fog, it's hard for me to visualize how many tasks and what type of tasks I can perform each day. I always overestimate. I can't relate to the Energy Envelope or the Spoons because I'm a minimalist and I'm not going to carry around envelopes or spoons, even if it's only in my mind. I will carry around my imaginary debit card for my FM checking account.
In my Fibro checking account, my deposits and assets are the finite amounts of
energy/stamina, and baseline of pain/other symptoms that I have in total. Every time I perform a task, engage in a conversation or indulge in a thought or emotion, I know that I must ‘spend’ some of my FM assets [Fibro Bucks]. So I must decide if the task, conversation, thought or emotion is Fibro Fiscally Sound. I must ask myself, is what I am about to do, say, think or feel worth what I will have to spend on it? If the answer is no, then I will not do, say, think or feel it. If the answer is yes, I will go ahead and must make a note not to complain when the flare hits.
As I go through the day and the week, I must always be cognizant of how much FM assets [Fibro Money] I have in my Fibro Account. If I overdo it, I will become overdrawn and get hit with fees. This is when I end up in a prolonged, uncontrollable flare. Also, just like with the previously discussed coping techniques, I can earn Fibro Bucks. If I perform self-care activities, I can build my Fibro assets and reserves. If I build enough reserves, I can use them on activities of importance to me. For example, I love to travel but I know that long car rides or cramped airplane seats can send me into a horrendous flare. So, a couple of weeks before any planned trips, I begin extra self-care like going to the medical fitness center, getting massages and using pain management items on areas that I know will be compromised during the trip. If I am traveling for an event like a family gathering or a Fibro conference, I make arrangements to arrive a day or two before the event so that I can rest up from travel. Depending on the event, I depart a day or two after the event to recuperate from its activities.
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