Balancing work and fibromyalgia

Written by Deb Thompson

Living with fibromyalgia (also known as ‘fibro’) makes balancing life and work incredibly tough. For years, I drove to work in tears every morning. I loved my teaching career, but my body wasn’t coping. By the time I got home, I had nothing left to give to my family or myself. Something had to change.

Four years ago, I stepped away from the classroom. Teaching had been my passion for 30 years, but constant pain and exhaustion were taking too much from me. With support, I transitioned into a part-time communications role at the school I love and retrained as a health coach.

It wasn’t an easy or quick change, but it gave me back my life. Now, instead of sobbing on the way to work, I use my experience to support other women living with fibromyalgia.

Work can often feel like the straw that breaks the fibro back. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but small, repeatable strategies can make a big difference.

• Conserve and renew energy: Prepare the night before to ease your mornings. Pace tasks instead of doing them all at once. After work, take even a few minutes to rest without screens
• Take mini-breaks: Step away from your desk, drop your shoulders, breathe deeply, or take a short walk
• Plan ahead: Think through situations that may challenge your body, like long meetings, and prepare ways to cope
• Set boundaries: Be honest about what you can and can’t do. Seek support if this feels hard. Learn about what you and your employer are responsible for when it comes to your condition and your working arrangements
• Reframe your mindset: Remind yourself why you’re working, focus on what’s within your control, and avoid carrying work stress home

Shifting my priorities has been a big part of managing my health and work. Work still matters, but so do creativity, family, writing, and photography. Worrying about work at 2 am wasn’t helping me heal, so learning to let go of what I can’t control is important as well. Finding small joys in my day, such as singing in my car instead of sobbing, has been uplifting my mood.

I’m still a work in progress, but I now have tools and support that I use every day to help me live well with fibromyalgia and have a fulfilling career too. You can too.

Deb Thompson is a certified fibromyalgia coach, teacher, mother, grandmother, and advocate. She co-chairs the NZ Pain Society Lived Experience Advisory Panel. She works with women who are overwhelmed, constantly pushing through, and ready to find a new way of living well with fibromyalgia.