“Self-care is the beginning of a path to hope.” – Micky Beaton

When life feels chaotic, self-care is usually the first thing to go (if it was even there in the first place). But for those of us living with fibromyalgia, that’s when you need it the most. Deprioritizing the practices and tools that help you feel your best will lead to fibro flares, more pain, and less energy, making it even harder to keep up.

Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming. It doesn’t have to be treating yourself to something extravagant. At the core, self-care is about prioritizing your health and your body and treating yourself the way you’d treat someone you love. It means listening to your body, making small, deliberate choices that support your well-being, and letting go of the guilt that often comes with putting yourself first. When you make yourself one of your “favorite people,” you create the best chance for you to have a better quality of life.

Today, Tami is joined by Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® Micky Beaton to talk about how you can create a reliable self-care routine that is sustainable and fits into your life. Micky was diagnosed with fibromyalgia over 20 years ago and spent many of the years since searching for answers. Recognizing that there were many other people out there with fibromyalgia who needed the right support, Micky joined the Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® and then Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® training programs.

In this conversation, Tami and Micky explore Micky’s diagnosis experience and early struggles with fibromyalgia, the push-crash cycle she found herself stuck in for a long time, her path to life coaching, further education, and discovering fibromyalgia coaching, why what works for one person may not work for another, finding positives in chronic illness, Micky’s ongoing learning and passion for coaching, her experience of mutual growth with clients since becoming a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, how coaching helps clients maintain self-care and accountability, creating flexible self-care plans, what self-care really means, myths about self-care, the connection between independence and community, practical tips for delegating and overcoming perfectionism, the importance of building a support team, the pillars of self-care, why you should be having conversations with yourself, how self-care became Micky’s passion, how self-care supports medical treatments and calms the nervous system, where to start with self-care without feeling overwhelmed, how to fit self-care into already busy lives, why it’s important to begin with easy actions and celebrate small wins, why you should trust in the process and stay hopeful, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.