As a society we have been woken up to the negative effects of stress and anxiety.

As is often the case, it has required the negative economic effects of excess anxiety and stress to spur employers and healthcare providers into action.

Sufferers no longer have to fight against the labeling that was common amongst previous generations which worked on the premise that stress, depression and anxiety are all in the mind, and are a sign of weakness.

How can stress and anxiety maintain and exacerbate CFS and Fibromyalgia.

Stress, depression and anxiety are known to slow down and in severe cases prevent recovery from infectious illnesses, and this is partly where the confusion and malpractice surrounding the CFS/ depression arena began and has to some extent been fed by general practice and psychologists over the last few decades.

The dividing line between the two conditions can appear very fine to the untrained eye, but on closer inspection CFS and Fibromyalgia do in fact have a totally unique subset of features when compared to depression of all types.

To further muddy the waters both CFS and depression cause physical symptoms which can be similar to each other on initial presentation, and also there is definitive crossover of the symptoms of various infectious illnesses of the rheumatic and auto-immune spectrum.

As I have mentioned several times, apathy and nonchalance regarding the true nature of CFS and Fibromyalgia have lead to it being sidelined as a subdivision of psychology and in particular have lead to the labeling of depression.

Historically, when help is sought, sufferers are left feeling isolated and misunderstood to the extent that they will begin to hide their symptoms and live in denial worried about other peoples reactions, and sufferers will often press on regardless trying to mask or understate their illness.

Unfortunately, these typical reactions only serve to heighten overall stress and anxiety levels which is precisely the opposite of the reaction we are seeking to promote recuperation, and so the sufferer experiences a further exacerbation and worsening of symptoms.

A lot of sufferers understandably avoid further professional help from the establishment.

Some work very hard to find a cure and convince people that CFS/ME/Fibromyalgia is a real illness. This leads to sufferers experiencing a desperate urgency to recover which is sometimes met by a cynical and irresponsible health industry full of promises, miracle pills and treatments.

All this while sufferers are feeling threatened, scared, angry, stigmatized and generally ill.

The stress and anxiety cycle goes even higher, and the result is that sufferers sink even lower.

Sometimes, there are times in a persons life when it literally seems too inconvenient to actually be ill at all.

For example as a carer of an ill relative, or a baby or young children. Perhaps during a period of house renovation or construction or due to the demands of work as primary wage earner and the fear of failure.

In the absence of people that can help, practically and emotionally in these life scenarios it can be very difficult to actually say STOP!

Traditional medicine understood the importance of rest, recuperation, relaxation and contemplation as an important therapeutical part of overcoming serious illnesses and infections.

In the presence of a frightening array of diseases which are now largely purged from modern society, and the absence of powerful antibiotics and antivirals, painkillers and analgesics, the body was largely left to its own devices.

In Traditional Medicine, sufferers were often treated with herbal tonics and natural cures.

A lot of these were, incidentally quite effective but have now been largely forgotten, dismissed or dismantled and reproduced in synthetic form to provide the basis of 75% of modern pharmaceuticals.

However the primary strategy of the era involved long periods of rest and recuperation.

By contrast, modern medicine and society place more importance on masking the symptoms, keeping a stiff upper lip, knocking it on the head and getting back on the horse as quickly as possible.

A get well quick protocol which, unfortunately, is completely at odds with a recuperative strategy for illnesses such as CFS and fibromyalgia.

Learning to control and reduce stress and anxiety is an important and essential addition to any CFS and Fibromyalgia recovery strategy.

You will need to learn how to recognize stress and anxiety patterns and how to short circuit the sequence of events that leads to a stress spiral.

Techniques of physical and psychological relaxation are essential and very effective.

Learning when to say NO is essential, and avoiding all events and activities that place you under unnecessary stress or anxiety are essential in the short to medium term.