Caregiver burnout and fibromyalgia

I was diagnosed with fibro after a decade of being caregiver for several family members in crisis. I have always been the type of person to take on other people's pain, which makes me compassionate, so I am glad of that. However, I have done some reading through this forum, and see that others have similar stories…caring for others without boundaries and then finding themselves reeling with fibromyalia diagnosis and all of the challenges that come with it.

Is there anyone who would consider that their fibro may have come from the stress of carrying others' burdens for a long long time?
I am trying to do the mental work of handing back the mental responsibility to those who really own the burden. Not as easy as it sounds.
I am no longer caring for any of the people that I was; they either died or were put back into their original homes, but for some reason I still feel burdened.

I was an elementary school teacher. I hurts me now to not be there for "my kids".

Sure the job was stressful, but it didn't hit me until my 13th year of teaching.

<3,

I agree, easier said than done when it comes to laying those burdens down, even when we know that logically, they're no longer ours, and maybe never should have been.

For years, I did everything I could for my parents as they grew old and died - just put one foot in front of the other and kept moving forward (now I do have the peace of knowing I couldn't have tried any harder, but some of the choices I made come back to haunt me, even though my hubby and daughters tell me that's silly and fruitless - which I realize.)

I'm also one to take on others' pain - always have been - and have wondered the same thing: could it have caused, or at least contributed to, my Fibro?

I hope you can find peace in your heart about this.

Debbie