"Replace fear-based thinking with love-based thinking. Every time you're making a choice, ask yourself if it's going to cultivate the experience of unity and love or the experience of separation and stress." – Deepak Chopra

We all experience fear. When it comes to living with a chronic condition like fibromyalgia, fear can manifest in many ways. Sometimes our initial diagnosis gives us fears about our quality of life. Dealing with the realities of our "new normal," with fibro can put us in a chronically fearful state of mind. Will I have a flare today? Will I be able to attend to my daily tasks pain-free? Fear about outcomes that are beyond our control can facilitate fear taking root.

"I finally came to realize that my fears about having fibromyalgia and what that could potentially mean were ADDING to my pain. Once I consciously decided to relieve myself of that burden I could better focus on managing my fibro." – Member of MyFibroTeam

Here are recent conversations from MyFibroTeam:

• "There has been some crap stuff that fibromyalgia has made worse, don’t get me wrong, but learning how to cope with this pain really helped me when I needed it in a stressful situation."
• "Tried to do a few chores on the house...now I'm crying on agony. Only my sister warriors can understand. My legs feel like they are on fire. I guess I need to practice gratitude more often until it becomes a way of life for me. I'm not grateful for the pain, but I am grateful that I have a wonderful daughter and grandson."
• "I need advice from fellow warriors. What do u do 2 get out of a funky mood.? Really want to work part-time again...but know my limits these days....makes me a bit sad facing my work REALITY....ADVICE APPRECIATED!!! PLEASE AND THANK YOU!!"

Dealing with fear will look different for everyone. Sometimes it means arguing with our intrusive thoughts. Sometimes it looks like meditating to clear the mind. How do you stop fear from taking over? Join the conversation below.