Yes!!!

Oh my goodness I can't handle a lot any more.

Being around a lot of people or going and doing a lot wears me out.

I have to drive my husband 150 each way to the VA, so the day before those trips I do very little.

We have a trip to Florida next week to visit family. So from Sunday through Wednesday when we get there it'll be nonstop. When I get there I'll have to rest a couple days.

I feel your pain

For me it's like a no win situation because when i am not active I stiffen up so badly in pain but if i get too active I become very fatigued and have a Fibro flare from hell. Balance in all is key but my life is not all smooth and settled so there are really crazy days to contend with and those days wreck havoc on my emotions which in turn wreck havoc on my fibro symptoms. Still, I do my best each day and continue to be amazed at what challenges we all have to deal with. Sending gentle hugs to you.

Thanks for both of your replies.

Lately I was feeling a bit more depressed and isolated (maybe from the holidays and also the dark, rainy winter).

I am not working (and am of retirement age now) and I don't have any regular scheduled outside activity. So, I go out once a day and do errands but lately, maybe it's the head cold I picked up, even a chat with a friend is too much.

Feel like I'm in a noose that tightens every time I try to get out of it. Combat isolation by getting out and about, experience more fatigue and pain and confusion. I'll get through this by problem solving.

Maybe I need to limit my outings to an hour and just do one errand, if at all possible, per day.

Yes, I feel the same. It is a Catch-22 for sure. Activity drains us, but inactivity stiffens us. Being an introvert, extended contact with people has always been a bit draining for me. But since fibro, I can actually describe it as excruciating sometimes. People want you to "keep up with them" so to speak. Sometimes, foolishly, I try and I pay for it accordingly with deep pain and exhaustion. I don't really have an answer for how to balance it. Just do your best to stretch so you don't get too stiff and remember it is okay to say No for other activities.

I used to be a super social person. These days the excitement drains me as if I ran a marathon. I easily get over stimulated by sound, people, excitement, activity. I guess I'm fortunate that I can do a couple of hours in the morning that I can get things accomplished. The rest of the day is pain.

I'm glad you brought this subject up. Sometimes I feel as if I'm the only one who experiences this. Friends cannot understand the overload we experience. It's just awful.

Yeah, the mornings, sometimes, do feel almost normal. Except when there's huge amounts of stiffness or I'm recovering from whatever drug I took too much of, or lack of sleep.

It's also hard to remain focused on exactly what I need/want to accomplish because i know I can't manage a list of things. It's a mental effort to trim the list, get on to a task (say, after 3 pm when I'm starting to feel very lousy, fatigued and in pain) and not be depressed by my condition! Oh well, each day is new.

About 6 months ago my Doctor took away my driving privledges ,Not my license. She will take the license if she catches me driving. Reason being she said I was in too much pain and therefore could hurt someone. So that has made such an impact in my life. I am so isolated. When I feel a pity party coming on I do my projects. I started pressing flowers and leaves. It is so relaxing for me. Another project I decided on is from magazines I cut out pictures of different rooms in a home. But only if I like them. My most recent project is to cutout beautiful outdoor scenes. So far I have never been lonely and all that loneliness brings on. I can do one of my projects and lose sight of time. I also write. So I am busy.
This is my 26th year for having fibromyalgia. It is a horrid and nasty disease.