Have you ever wished people could truly understand what fibromyalgia feels like, or what it's like to live with a condition that never really goes away? You are not alone. Explaining fibromyalgia to the people you love is one of the hardest parts of living with an invisible illness.

From the outside, you might look perfectly fine, but inside, you feel like you’ve been run over by a truck. It’s even harder when your symptoms change from day to day. You might manage errands or a social event one day and need to rest the next, leaving people confused or questioning what’s going on. Trying to explain that experience to someone who has never experienced chronic pain feels impossible.

Today, Tami is sharing tools you can use to make these difficult conversations a little easier without wearing yourself out in the process. Using the right strategies and language can make a world of difference. Whether it’s a simple analogy, a short story that captures the daily challenges, or setting clear boundaries around what you can and can’t explain, these conversations can make all the difference in whether you feel supported or alone.

In this episode, Tami shares why fibromyalgia is so hard to explain, how its invisibility, fluctuating symptoms, and emotional weight affect daily life, simple, relatable analogies others without chronic pain can relate to, the power of using tactile demonstrations to show pain and sensitivity, the Spoon Theory and other analogies to explain daily limits, sharing books and other media to educate others, how you can use stealth tactics to help your loved ones understand what you’re experiencing, understanding the three circles of trust, setting boundaries and learning to say no without guilt, resources that help with explaining fibromyalgia to children, how growing up with a family member with a chronic illness can teach empathy and resilience, choosing the right time and place to have these fibro conversations, accepting imperfect help and building a supportive team, why you need to create a flare survival plan, how professionals and coaches can help to improve your quality of life, 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.

Join us for the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition. This is a completely free, 10-day virtual event happening October 13th through 24th, designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

If you've ever wanted to take a class from Tami Stackelhouse — but it wasn't in your budget or schedule — this is your chance!

The Living Well With Fibromyalgia: Holiday Edition event is happening now, and it's completely free to join.

You'll get nearly three months of professional-level fibromyalgia education, focused on helping you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy — and discover simple, proven strategies to help you take back control of your body and your holidays.

Register free at FibroWellnessSummit.com and start listening today!

Join us for the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition. This is a completely free, 10-day virtual event happening October 13th through 24th, designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Our Living Well With Fibromyalgia: Holiday Edition summit starts tomorrow! 🎉

This free, online event runs October 13–24 and is designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.
Each day, you'll hear from real people living with fibromyalgia who've found ways to feel better — sharing practical, encouraging tips to help you enjoy the holidays again.

👉 Sign up free now at FibroWellnessSummit.com — because it all begins tomorrow!

If you'd like lifetime access, extra support, and over $3,500 in VIP bonuses, you can upgrade anytime. 💜

"You don't have to do it all this holiday season. Do the things that matter most to you." - Tami Stackelhouse

The holidays can be a difficult time of year for people living with fibromyalgia. Between shopping, cooking, decorating, family gatherings, and endless to-do lists, it's easy to push yourself too far and end up in a massive fibro flare. You want to show up for the people you love, but your body will remind you that there's only so much you can give.

Luckily, a memorable holiday season doesn't just come from doing everything you've always done. Instead, it should be about doing what matters most. By learning to prioritize, pace yourself, and let go of the "shoulds," you can create a season that's joyful and supportive of your health instead of draining it. As we head towards the holidays, take your time, slow down, choose what feels right for you, and give yourself permission to rest without guilt.

In this episode, Tami talks about why it's time to start thinking about navigating the holiday season, balancing energy and prioritizing what matters, planning buffer/recovery days before and after events, fibro-friendly food strategies, tips for eating safely, setting boundaries, mindset shifts for a less stressful holiday, time-savers to reduce stress this holiday season, why you should think ahead about dressing for comfort and creating a sensory-friendly environment for yourself, the impact of focusing on meaningful decorations and simplifying your holiday decor, the importance of accepting help, prioritizing joy over holiday "shoulds," letting go of old traditions and creating new ones, and more. You'll also get a sneak peek into the upcoming Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition, featuring talks from Certified Fibromyalgia Coaches® on areas like balancing commitments, setting boundaries, and creating joyful new traditions.

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.

Join us for the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition. This is a completely free, 10-day virtual event happening October 13th through 24th, designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

I'm taking a break from the podcast this week celebrate my husband's birthday on a cruise to Alaska! I'll have a new episode for you on October 7th. In the meantime, feel free to check out any of the previous episodes to hold you over until then.

Also... don't forget to register for the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition happening October 13–24, 2025!

Join me and seven of my coaches for 10 days of gentle, fibro-friendly talks designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

👉 Get all the info and sign up free at FibroWellnessSummit.com

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Be honest — are you already wondering how you're going to survive the holidays this year without ending up in a flare that takes weeks, or even months, to recover from?

We know that feeling all too well — and that's exactly why we've created something brand new this year: the Living Well with Fibromyalgia Summit: Holiday Edition.

This is a completely free, 10-day virtual event happening October 13th through 24th, designed to help you navigate the holidays with less pain and more joy.

You'll learn:
✨ How to reduce pain and flares during the holidays
✨ How to save your energy — and your sanity
✨ How to handle stress without ending up in bed
✨ And how to actually enjoy the moments that matter most

If you're ready to step into the holidays calmer, more joyful, and flare-free, we'd love for you to join us.

Sign up today at FibroWellnessSummit.com

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.

Have you been hearing the buzz about the new medication approved for the treatment of fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia can come with a myriad of symptoms that make everyday life more difficult. With the limited pharmaceutical options available, the addition of another FDA-approved medication is a ray of hope. Tonmya™ is the first medication approved for fibromyalgia in over 15 years, promising a new option for those of us with fibromyalgia.

Today, Tami is joined by Dr. Seth Lederman, one of the co-founders of the company that developed Tonmya™, to talk about the journey from idea to FDA approval and what it could mean for the fibromyalgia community. With decades of experience in rheumatology, immunology, and drug development, Dr. Lederman has been focused on helping people with fibromyalgia for much of his career.

In this conversation, Tami and Dr. Lederman discuss his medical and research background, why he focused on fibromyalgia, advances in fibromyalgia research, the FDA approval process, why Tonmya™ targets non-restorative sleep and Dr. Harvey Moldofsky's influence, clinical trial design, dosing studies, and FDA requirements, outcomes measured in trials and the focus on pain reduction and sleep challenges, challenges in developing Tonmya™ including high placebo response and financial risks, how Tonmya™ differs from Flexeril, side effects of Tonmya™ and how it compares to other treatments, how quickly patients may see benefits, tolerability and safety considerations, when Tonmya™ will be available and how it will be distributed, how patients can access Tonmya™ and find more information, efforts to make Tonmya™ affordable, the need for advocacy and raising awareness, future steps for Tonmya™, what you need to know about the criticisms of early Tonmya™ studies, 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.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram.

Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free.

Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.