Hey everyone!
I was asked to put together an article for Global Solutions Inc, a marketing consulting firm based in Richmond, BC. The article touches on fibromyalgia and how dealing with the condition may impact day-to-day routines. I hope you enjoy it, please let me know if you have any questions!
Project Instructions
Topic: Fibromyalgia
You are to do the following:
a) Generate an article idea on this topic. You can use these keywords as reference: fibromyalgia symptoms, fibromyalgia treatment, fibromyalgia causes, fibromyalgia medication, musculoskeletal pain etc.
b) Write an interesting blog headline/title.
c) Articulate the structure/outline of the article with subheadings.
d) Type out one paragraph of the article.
Optional: Provide any suggestions on how you could promote this article using social media.
You may email your response to info@globalsolutionsinc.ca
Completion time: 1 hour
Relevant keyword count: 74+
- Article idea: one of my best friends has struggled with fibromyalgia for years, but has never appeared to be visibly sick. This condition affects many people that still have to go about their day-to-day routines. My article will explore some daily challenges they face and 5 ways to cope using simple strategies
- Blog headline/title: Fibromyalgia & Daily Routine: HOW fibromyalgia affects your day-to-day and 5 ways to cope effectively
- First paragraph: INTRO use SMART Goals technique to define what it is
- Second to Sixth paragraph: Present 1 way to cope per paragraph including situation of daily challenge and a relevant stat or story pertaining to it
- Seventh paragraph: CONCLUSION wrap up topic by quickly summarizing
1 – INTRO I visited with my friend Emma (name has been changed for identity safekeeping) the other day. We sat down together for a coffee at JJ Bean and caught up as it’s been more than 6 months since we last met. She looked great. Amazing outfit, cascading hair of curls and rosy cheeks and lips to match her great coat. She appeared happy, as she always did. When I asked her how things were, she went about the usual way – work was good; life was amazing. I instigated a bit further as any good friend would and she began to tell me about her struggles with fibromyalgia. Statistics Canada describes fibromyalgia as a condition involving chronic musculoskeletal pain accompanied by excessive fatigue and exhaustion. They say it is estimated that fibromyalgia affects 900,000 Canadians or approximately 3% of the population. Women are estimated to be 4 – 9 times more likely to develop the disease than men. Emma went on to explain her daily challenges and the tools that she applies to cope with the condition. Take a minute to read and learn more about fibromyalgia and how its symptoms affect daily interactions and routines.
Outline of paragraphs 2-6 (data from health.com)
2 – Challenge #1 Speaking Up
The challenge: Being afraid to talk to people (even some health-care providers) about your pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms, because they will brand you a difficult patient, a complainer or a hypochondriac.
How Emma copes: I realized that there were a lot of other people out there who were just like me. I realized that I could share with other people my assertiveness and my unique talent of being able to be honest with people and to talk to my doctors honestly, as equals. And that’s when I decided to seek out opportunities to become a health advocate in my own way. I try to post helpful strategies to my Instagram account that may not speak directly about my struggles with musculoskeletal pain, but overall how I cope in my daily environment.
3 – Challenge # 2 Family Matters
The challenge: Worrying that your husband considers you a burden or that your kids question why you aren’t like other moms.
How Emma copes: I became more aware of the fact that complaining about my fibromyalgia symptoms all the time wouldn’t be a good idea. It’s not something I want to model for my kids. It’s not something I want to come between my husband and myself. I started talking about my personal pain and fibromyalgia medications less and talking about my advocacy efforts more. I began showing how a can-do attitude is more helpful than not.
4 – Challenge #3 Staying On Schedule
The challenge: Feeling that people will perceive you as unreliable because you forget or cancel appointments or engagements at the last minute.
How Emma copes: People with fibromyalgia who are in pain all the time need to know what to do with their thoughts, how to deal with all of the little disappointments and the everyday problems that we run across. We’re not born knowing what to do. Counseling, in my mind, is an extremely valuable form of fibromyalgia treatment, as is writing notes to myself either on the fridge or on my computer. It’s all about self-awareness, accountability and self-regulation.
5 – Challenge #4 Dealing With Pain In Public
The challenge: Being so uncomfortable at work, in a theater, or in public that you feel like you could explode. Not having the right fibromyalgia medications to help you get through the day or night.
How Emma copes: You have to take action and find the right combination of medications for fibromyalgia. Some pain drugs act faster than others; if you have a fast-acting medication, you can use that like an asthmatic would an inhaler. In these situations, if I can lie down, do some deep breathing, and just get myself through that crisis time, then that’s what I need to do. And my kids know that. My husband knows that. I’ve also been exploring treatment with CBD oil. *As a note (data from medicalnewstoday.com) – CBD can effectively reduce pain, improve sleep, and diminish refractory pain for people with fibromyalgia. Anecdotal data suggests that taking CBD oil may alleviate symptoms of fibromyalgia in some people. It may change the way that they process pain, with beneficial effects.
6 – Challenge #5 Keeping It Together
The challenge: Never knowing when your fibromyalgia will cause you to fall apart or for how long.
How Emma copes: I do deep breathing. I do positive thinking. I work on my posture. I exercise very carefully. I research what I should do, and what I shouldn’t do. And from my own experience, I set limits for myself. I try to leave room in my life for happiness.
7 – CONCLUSION Every person is faced with challenges. When those challenges affect our daily life, it is sometimes difficult to cope. This article aims to explore the relational experiences that my friend Emma has encountered over the past few years, using her own personal voice. While this article does not touch on fibromyalgia causes, treatments or medications, it focuses on situations that are closer to us. The one thing that opened up communication channels between myself and Emma was putting effort into asking questions and showing empathy. For people dealing with fibromyalgia, challenges are often hidden. Take time out of your busy day to look at the people around you and analyze your initial perception. Then, ask yourself if that is a fair or real assessment. Someone might look angry, but perhaps they just found out they didn’t get the job they worked so hard toward. Or, someone might look sad, but perhaps they just found out a friend cancelled their dinner plans. We just need to be open-minded and helpful when we can. Facing health challenges might require even more introspection from the viewer’s side. As we were getting ready to leave, I asked Emma what helps her the best in terms of how other people perceive her condition and she said, “When I come across a person who is happy and positive, it rubs off on me and makes me feel like I can get through anything.” We hope that this article was helpful for you. Please check out more topics related to the health and medical field on our blog, ChonaBLOX.
Optional: Promoting this article on social media
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- Post article on LinkedIn
- Create an article topic image on Canva and use the image to post on Instagram, twitter, Facebook etc. Add appropriate hashtags relating to topic
- Use appropriate keywords in your caption, meta description, meta tags
- Title your images
- Make a YouTube video of content use appropriate headers for each challenge, perhaps images relating to challenge
- Ensure to use blog link and logos, branded typeface, graphics etc.
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