What is it like to wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? Most people with Fibromyalgia can’t answer that for you, including me. In this post I will share some tips and tricks I have found to make getting ready for the day easier. Sometimes my feet will begin burning in pain after standing just 5 minutes in the shower. This is when the mini built-in seats in my shower come in handy. I will sit down for a couple minutes before continuing on.

After showering I sit on my bed to apply lotion to as many areas I can before standing up to finish. Another aspect that helps me is having higher height bathroom counters. Their height allows me to lean against them and even on top of them. Brushing my teeth is one of the more painful tasks since it involves leaning forward over the sink. During past flare-ups I’ve even had to have The Helpful Hubby brush for me while I brace myself and concentrate on handling the back pain. Using an electric toothbrush is also easier on my body. The pressure of the floss on my fingers feels piercing, but I have found that using Crest Glide Deep Clean Floss hurts less since it is flatter shaped and has more surface area.

5 years ago a friend gave me a cute pair of slippers as a gift. I was amazed at how much wearing them while getting ready cut down on my foot pain! 3 pairs of slippers later I bought a pair that had more support and now I couldn’t live without my Orthaheel Orthotic Slippers! Seriously, take my advice and wear something on your feet while you are getting ready!

Taking breaks while getting ready is key for me if I don’t want to feel exhausted once I am ready. Every 15 minutes or so I try to sit down for a few minutes. The down side of this is that it definitely slows down the process. If I take as many breaks as I like it takes me 2 hours to get ready. Can I get ready in 45 minutes? Yes, but not and have energy to run off and do something immediately following. I have longer hair, so on days I need to blow dry my hair I will dry it for 5 minutes and then rest my arm and do other things.

I hope these tips and tricks will also help you get ready with ease! What are your tips and tricks to getting ready?

My slippers, floss & toothbrush