How to manage a flare

The answer to improving your experience of symptom's, is not to try & avoid them at all cost.

Unfortunately there isn't a quick fix for chronic symptoms such as pain or fatigue (acceptance is key here).

Which means management of them is the next best bet & what will improve the experience of them over time.

Living in this 'avoidance state' of never doing anything in an attempt to avoid any potential flare - is where a lot of more complicated issues can arise. Particularly with increased sedentary time, anxiety, hyper vigilance & lower quality of life.

So how do you manage a flare?

There are many proven methods to reduce / improve symptoms including: Somatic embodiment, nutritional guidance, physio, yoga therapy, mindfulness, acupuncture, CBT, psychotherapy etc.

I have devised this 5 step flare up management guide to help you in the moment⬇️

(Please remember this does not substitute for personal guidance)

1) Recognise & express. Acknowledging without judgement. Then put how you are feeling in to conscious thought, words or writing. Cultivate a pause rather than rushing over it or trying to suppress the sensations.

2) Validate. Rather than obsessing over 'why' & looking for a justification, just validate that you feel the way you do. There is not always a need for a reason. You will find one & it will create more avoidance i.e "I am not doing that again" but there is not way to tell that that thing alone is what caused this flare up. 

3) Allow. Don't resist or ignore. Listen. Then choose your action (step 4).

4) Action. Either reconnect or distract (use the symptoms scale to make this judgement). Ideally we want to stay connected & present with our body while it is experiencing discomfort, but sometimes focusing on the discomfort can amplify it particularly if it is intense. So choose what action you take based on where you are on the symptom scale. Then choose how to act.

5) Diffuse. Symptom thoughts are real. Your brain will have detected a threat in your body, so thoughts are going to be black/white & catastrophic. This is the perfect time to diffuse. Let them come & go. Avoid over attaching to your thoughts right now. Cultivate your inner zen - this is the skill of meditation & is very powerful for these times.

I suggest writing this out or printing it ... so you actually refer to it or remember it. There is not point of having this information if you do not implement it.

& implementing it during a flare is the hardest part.

Take what serves you & leave anything that doesn't🙏🏻