Struggling to Navigate Work with Illness

Honestly the only thing my work even gives me is a chair to sit on which is just bar stool, none of my managers knew was fibro was and it was kinda disheartening considering how it affects my life every day, honestly getting on a proper treatment plan with your doctor or rheumatologist helps alot, I'm currently on a medication called nortriptyline and my pain has gone from a 10 to around a 4! I feel like I can be myself again, the side affects are a bummer tho and honestly have made me feel so poorly! But it should pass after the 6 weeks mark, get a proper treatment plan! Don't do longer than you go do at work, I have a deal where I don't do longer than 6 hour shifts as I get too tired out and I end up crashing. You know your body best !

definitely set boundaries & make sure you have guaranteed mental health days built into your schedule. non-negotiable. also, this is probably much harder than it sounds, but i tell people. we live our lives in different ways & sometimes need extra support, we deserve to be understood at work

I've just started hardcore listening to my body and giving it what it needs. Changing jobs helped a lot, my last one worked me into a several flare and I'm so glad I left

It’s also a big learning curve understanding what your needs are (what you can’t compromise on) and what your responsibilities are. If you’re not already aware, I’d recommend checking out the “spoon theory” of energy & everything by Brene Brown but especially her thoughts on thinking about tasks as a mixture of glass & rubber balls (essentially, you’re juggling 50 balls at once, some made of glass and some made of rubber; it’s okay to let some of the rubber ones hit the ground, but the glass ones you can’t let slip; the task is to decide which of your tasks are glass, which are rubber, & where you can “drop a few balls”)

Don’t be afraid to set boundaries. Take the time you need for yourself, protect your energy, allocate work to other people when possible, only assume responsibility for what is within your control, sleep (!!), recharge your energy however you need to (and build your buffer periods into your schedule), drink water (!! hydrate to stay great), dress in shoes/clothes that are comfortable for long durations & stay strapped with a travel first aid kit of painkillers. Stay strong, you got this & you’re not alone