Stress-related systems in your body enable you to adapt to demands, cope with them, and then bounce back to a baseline of more relaxed function. These systems are strained in any person with fibromyalgia. This means stress responses may not happen at all, they may not happen at the right time, they may be exaggerated, and commonly it feels like something somewhere inside you is constantly dialing 911 but not quite sure what the emergency is. This leaves you feeling too wound up and anxious, like a cat on a hot tin roof. You need to learn about how your adrenals process stress, about how your brain processes stress, and the nature of Substance P. Much of this information will be new to you and mastering it will help put you back in control of your life.*