Self-help for body symptoms

When body symptoms last for months, it is easy to feel that your life is on hold until they go away. But there is a lot you can do in the meantime. The steps on this page aim to help you do more, worry less and sleep better. Some people find their symptoms ease along the way.

These steps work alongside medical care, not instead of it. They suit symptoms that a doctor has already checked, whether or not a clear cause was found.

What helps, at a glance

The badges show how strong the research is. See how we rate evidence.

1. Keep activity steady: avoid boom and bust

Many people with long-term symptoms fall into a pattern sometimes called "boom and bust." On a good day, you try to catch up on everything. Then symptoms flare, and you need days to recover.

Activity pacing aims to break this cycle and smooth out the big swings between too much and too little activity.² It is more than slowing down or resting. It includes planning your day, breaking big tasks into parts, keeping activity levels fairly even from day to day, accepting where you are now, and increasing slowly toward goals that matter to you.²

1. Find your baseline. For a week, note what you can do on most days, good or bad, without a big flare afterward.
2. Start just below it. Plan to do a little less than your baseline at first.
3. Split big jobs. Vacuum one room, rest, then do another later. Take short breaks before you need them.
4. Plan by time, not by how you feel. Stop when the planned time is up, even on a good day.
5. Build up slowly. If things are steady for a week or two, add a little, such as 5 more minutes of walking.
6. Expect setbacks. If you flare, ease back for a few days, then build up again. A flare is not failure.

2. Gentle exercise

A Cochrane overview pooled 264 studies with about 19,600 adults who had conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, back pain and neck pain. Exercise led to small-to-moderate improvements in pain and physical function, with few side effects. The results were not always consistent, and most studies were small and short, so the evidence is of low quality.⁴

For fibromyalgia, European guidelines gave exercise their only "strong" recommendation.⁵ U.K. guidelines advise regular exercise for everyone with irritable bowel syndrome.⁶

How to begin:

• Pick something you can repeat, such as walking, a stationary bike, swimming, water exercise, tai chi or chair exercises.
• Start small. Five to ten minutes is a real start. Add a few minutes each week.
• Expect some soreness at first. Ease back if a flare lasts more than a day or two.
• Aim, over time, for the guidelines if you can. The CDC suggests that adults 65 and older work up to 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, with muscle strengthening on 2 days and balance activities. Health problems may make that too much. If so, be as active as you safely can. Some activity is better than none.⁷

See Exercise for mood, the 12-week walking plan and strength and balance. If you have heart or lung disease, a fall risk or joint problems, ask your doctor what is safe.

3. Protect your sleep

Sleep and pain affect each other. Pain can disturb sleep. Short or broken sleep, in turn, makes people more sensitive to pain and can trigger muscle pain and headaches.⁸ Improving sleep is one way to break that loop.

The CDC suggests 7 or more hours a night for most adults, 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64, and 7 to 8 hours for 65 and older.⁹ Helpful habits include:⁹

• Going to bed and getting up at about the same time every day
• Keeping the bedroom quiet, relaxing and cool
• Turning off screens at least 30 minutes before bed
• Avoiding large meals and alcohol before bedtime
• Skipping caffeine in the afternoon and evening
• Being active during the day

If sleep problems last for months, ask about CBT for insomnia, a short talk therapy. See Healthy sleep habits and CBT for insomnia.

4. Calm your body's alarm system

Relaxation techniques bring on the "relaxation response": slower breathing, lower blood pressure and a slower heart rate.¹⁰ Research on relaxation for pain conditions is mixed. It may help with some headaches, low back pain and arthritis pain. Results for fibromyalgia and IBS are unclear, and many studies were small.¹⁰ Relaxation is generally safe, though a few people report feeling more anxious.¹⁰

Calming skills are free and gentle, and they can make hard days easier. Try:

• Cyclic sighing or box breathing for a fast-beating heart or tight chest
• Progressive muscle relaxation for tension in the neck, shoulders or jaw
• The body scan to notice sensations without fighting them
• Grounding when worry about a symptom starts to spiral

5. Step back from checking and searching

When you are worried about a symptom, it is natural to check it, read about it online or ask others for reassurance. These habits bring brief relief. But they keep your attention on your body. Learning to focus less on symptoms is one of the goals of treatment.¹

Online searching can add fuel. A 2025 review of 87 studies found that repeated, distressing online health searching was linked with more anxiety, more fear and lower quality of life. All of the studies were snapshots in time, so they show a link, not proof that searching causes harm.¹¹

1. Notice the urge. Name it: "I want to check again."
2. Delay. Wait 30 minutes before you check or search. The urge often fades.
3. Set limits. If you look something up, use one trusted site, such as MedlinePlus, for a set time.
4. Write the question down for your next doctor visit instead of searching now.
5. Shift your attention to something absorbing, such as a call, a walk, music or a task. Aim to check a little less each week.

If checking and worry take up a lot of your day, read Health anxiety. CBT can help, and the thought check tool can help you weigh worried thoughts.

6. Keep a short symptom diary

A diary can help you and your doctor spot patterns, such as symptoms that flare after poor sleep, busy days or certain foods. MedlinePlus suggests noting when a symptom starts, what you ate and drank, how much you slept, what you were doing, and how long it lasted and what helped.¹² Review it with your doctor.¹²

Keep it brief, for example two to four weeks before a visit. If daily notes start to fuel worry, track what you did, such as walks and outings, instead.

7. Keep up with life and people

Persistent symptoms can slowly shrink your world. Treatment encourages people to stay active and social, even while they still have pain or other symptoms.¹

• Keep one or two regular plans each week, such as a class, a faith group, a coffee with a friend or volunteering.
• Plan small, enjoyable activities on purpose. Behavioral activation can help.
• If you feel isolated, see Ways to feel more connected.

8. Work with one main doctor

Having one primary care provider who knows your history helps you avoid unneeded tests and treatments, some of which carry risks.¹ Regular, planned visits let you review your symptoms and how you are coping.¹ Bring your diary and your questions.

Notes for older adults

These steps work at any age. In later life:

• Choose safe movement. The CDC advises balance activities for adults 65 and older.⁷ Chair exercises and walking with a partner are good ways to start. See Fear of falling.
• Review your medicines. Side effects can cause body symptoms of their own. Ask your pharmacist for a review. See Body symptoms in later life.

Common questions

Should I rest until the pain goes away?

Short rest during a flare is fine. But waiting for symptoms to clear before doing anything can mean waiting a long time. Staying active in a steady, paced way is part of standard advice. ME/CFS is an exception, where staying within your energy limits comes first.^1,2,3

Will exercise make my pain worse?

It may cause some soreness at first. In studies of long-term pain, exercise caused few harmful effects.⁴ Start small, build slowly, and talk with your doctor or a physical therapist if pain sharply increases.

When self-help is not enough

See your doctor or a mental health professional if:

• Symptoms keep you from work, home life or things you enjoy despite several weeks of steady effort
• You feel low, anxious or hopeless most days
• Worry about your health takes up much of your day
• You are relying more on alcohol, sleeping pills or pain medicines to cope

Therapy such as CBT, physical therapy and, for some conditions, medicine can help. See Treatment for persistent body symptoms. If you have thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 any time.

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.