Revealing Hidden Pain: How Stress Led Me to Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia
Revealing Hidden Pain: How Stress Led Me to Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia
Stress isn’t just mental—it’s physical
Here’s how it nearly broke me and what I did to get back on my feet 👣
It hit me out of nowhere…
Or maybe, if I’m being honest, it was creeping up on me for years.
I had no idea stress could wreck me physically. But here I was—tired all the time, in constant pain, feeling like my body was giving up on me. And I’m not talking about just being “tired”… I mean “real exhaustion”. My muscles ached, and simple tasks felt like mountains to climb.
Turns out, I had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. It wasn’t some rare disease, but the result of years of holding in stress, past traumas and pushing through. I didn’t listen to my body… and it cost me.
Emotions can cause real pain. It’s not in your head. Stress releases cortisol, which is meant to help in short bursts, but when it sticks around… well, it’s like your body is running a marathon every day. And for me, that constant stress created physical conditions I couldn’t ignore anymore.
But here’s the thing: you don’t have to live this way. There are ways to fight back 💪
1. Set Boundaries: Stress was eating me alive because I didn’t know how to say no. Learning to protect my time and energy was the first step toward healing.
Outcome: Once I started setting boundaries, I noticed I had more energy. Less resentment. My relationships improved because I wasn’t overextending myself.
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2. Rest Isn’t Weakness: For a long time, I thought taking breaks was a waste of time. But rest is what saved me. Rest is productive.
Outcome: When I allowed myself to rest “without guilt”, my body began to recover. The constant pain started to fade, and I could think clearly again.
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3. Mind-Body Practices: I found relief in things like yoga and mindfulness. No, they didn’t cure me overnight, but they gave me the space to breathe again. My body started to heal when my mind did.
Outcome: Slowly, I started feeling more in control. The pain wasn’t as intense. My mind wasn’t racing all the time.
Photo by Pixabay
4. Find Your People: Going through this alone felt impossible. I had to reach out—whether it was to a therapist, a support group, or just friends who understood what I was going through.
Outcome: Having people around who “got it” lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I wasn’t fighting alone anymore, and that made a world of difference.
Photo by Pexels
5. Cut Out the Noise: I realized that constant exposure to negativity—news, toxic people, social media—was feeding my stress. So, I made a point to filter out what didn’t serve me.
Outcome: After cutting down my media intake and distancing myself from negative influences, I felt lighter. The constant anxiety wasn’t gnawing at me anymore.
Photo by Pixabay
6. Move Your Body: It sounds counterintuitive when you’re tired all the time, but gentle movement—walking, stretching, even “slow dancing” in the living room—helped me.
Outcome: Regular, gentle movement helped loosen the tension in my body. I wasn’t in as much pain, and my energy levels slowly came back.
Stress is real. It’s dangerous.
But the good news?
You have the power to change the way it affects you.
If you’re reading this and feeling like you’re carrying too much…
Listen to your body. Don’t wait for it to force you to slow down like mine did.
Start small. Baby steps- remember we want to Stress-Less.
Rest when you need to. Even if only for short, frequent periods of time.
Set boundaries. Learn to say no, or not now, or later.
Find your people. I never thought I needed others. I DO!
You deserve to feel better. You are amazing and worth it.
I wanted to add that I'm completely healed from chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia 🙌
I’ve been putting a lot of focus on rest lately and I’m constantly surprised by how hard it is!! It’s so easy to pick up the phone and scroll or turn on the TV, but neither of these are truly resting!