I have Fibromyalgia. But I discovered that I had LOTS less pain when I changed my lifestyle. I threw out the non stick pans and the plastic that was everywhere in the house, especially in the kitchen. I store in glass. I use canning jars for storing leftovers and the leftovers last even longer. I don’t use a microwave. I use a pan or a toaster oven to reheat food. I use a teapot to heat water for tea. I use cast iron for everything except soup and I use stainless for that. If they didn’t have it in their kitchen in 1850, I got rid of it. I don’t mean electric mixers or toaster ovens. Convection ovens are ok also.
I threw out the bleach and other harsh chemicals. I use natural cleaners, like in the old days. I use baking soda, vinegar, Dr. Bronner’s peppermint hemp soap, and Murphy’s oil soap. I’ll be adding the recipes I use for my cleaners later.
I don’t use any soap except castile and only home-made deodorant. I don’t use hairsprays, gels, etc. And I don’t use makeup or nail polish. I wear natural fibers for clothes and shoes. Cotton and leather are my friends. I’ve also found loose dresses make me more comfortable than wearing things like jeans.
I eat fresh and organic. I don’t eat processed foods, soy, canola, or high fructose corn syrup. I have NO CAFFEINE in my life. It makes pain worse. And no fluoride. It’s not good for your teeth OR your body, according to my son’s dentist.
I sit to do EVERYTHING possible. I sit at the table to prepare food and use a stool at the stove. t can also use it at the sink. For every 5 minutes that I work, I rest for 15. It’s easier not to overdo than to recover.
Don’t exercise. lol. Yes, I said don’t exercise. You’re just overdoing it and then have to take longer to recover. Well, except for swimming. For some reason, that’s not the same. You still shouldn’t overdo it. Swim or exercise in water a little and then float around awhile before swimming again.
DELEGATE!!!! If you can get someone else to do something, do it. Then you can spend your energy doing things that can’t be done by others. I have 8 kids. Only one is left at home. My 10-year-old started doing his laundry at 5 and cooking at 7. He can make bison stew, home-made spaghetti sauce, chili, meat loaf, well, the list goes on.
You might think that all this makes it harder. Actually, it makes my life easier and I have less stress. I bake our bread and make our own butter from scratch. I cook everything from scratch. I have less trash and recycling. There is less cost for trash bags and very little cost for cleaning supplies. And it makes shopping easier.
Oh, I don’t take ANY medications for my fibro. Not even an aspirin or Tylenol. Btw, Tylenol isn’t good for anyone. Do check into natural supplements. You might have your doctor check your thyroid. Most of us are within the normal range. But it’s too low for US! And check levels for all minerals. Lots of us are missing things like Vitamin B and D3
I’ll probably think of more later. I thought of more. I’m not an expert. I’ve just discovered that this works for me.
Try it. What have you got to lose?
Homestead Hippie 