5. Do learn to say no.
Have too much on your plate? Don't let nonessential obligations, such as baking cookies for your kids' school event or hosting a big family dinner, stress you out.

Just say no. And don't feel guilty about it, either.

"But try not to change your routine completely," recommends the Mayo Clinic. People who quit work or drop all activity tend to do worse than do those who remain active."

6. Don't just sit around.
It might be tempting to just veg out. But regular exercise, like yoga or walking, keeps flares at bay.

Do enough to feel good, but not so much that it wipes you out the next day, Dr. Teitelbaum says.

"If you feel 'bad tired' – like you were hit by a truck – you overdid it," he says.

The easiest way to start exercising? Take a daily walk ^[1] for as long as feels comfortable, Dr. Teitelbaum says. Then add one minute every 7-10 days.

Use a pedometer to track progress and increase gradually until you're taking 10,000 steps a day (the amount many fitness programs recommend for good health), he says.

Don't be afraid of going farther either.

"If you feel up to it, don't stop at 10,000 steps," Dr. Teitelbaum adds. "Walk longer as long as you're not too tired the next day."

Light to moderate exercise will not worsen your pain, and may even improve your fibromyalgia symptoms, according to a 2013 study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

The study found that participants who engaged in light jogging or brisk walking for 20 minutes daily for at least 12 weeks showed greater improvements in clinical symptoms, compared to participants who didn't participate in the physical activity.

Yoga has been shown to improve fibromyalgia pain and anxiety, and improve sleep, according to a 2010 study from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. These yoga exercises ^[2] will help you get started.

But don't start any exercise regimen until you get your doctor's OK.