When you or a loved one comes down with the seasonal flu we medicate with hot soup, medication to temporarily alleviate pain and fever, we tend with cuddles and rest.
However, what if this was a feeling that we felt daily?
Chronic pain is just that.
Chronic pain is pain that lasts 3 months or longer and typically can be a result from past abuse/mental trauma, illnesses such as; Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, MS, advanced cancers, Fibromyalgia and trauma surgeries.
Chronic Pain is described as living with cinder blocks tied to your thighs, stabbing pain, jolts in your nerves, debilitating pain that makes even turning over in bed difficult, fatigue, anxiety, poor concentration and depression to name a few.
The experience of living with chronic pain can be extremely difficult.
There are a wide range of chronic pain diagnoses which have their own set of symptoms and accompanying challenges.
We’re all individuals, so even within one type of chronic pain, each person will have different experiences and differ in the way the pain affects their day to day lives.
Ways to cope
- Accept your pain. The first thing to do is accept your pain
- Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t
- Keep busy so you’re not thinking too much
- Do one thing at a time
- Don’t be harsh on yourself if you’re having a bad pain day
How to try and be effective at treating pain
- Work with your Doctor to make and follow a plan
- Set realistic goals to return to an activity that pain prevents you from doing
- Choose low risk pain relief options
- Find a Therapist
- Start a hobby
- Choose a low impact routine/exercise to help manage symptoms
- DON’T GIVE UP
Understanding the science behind chronic pain can bring peace of mind. Once you understand how chronic pain is created, you come to understand that chronic does not mean forever! This is an integral part of coping mentally with chronic pain, to know that it can improve and even be completely recovered from!
Family members may contribute to how you perceive your pain. You may have been told that you just need to get on with things and that chronic pain can’t be treated. You may have felt powerless against your pain, and it’s quite natural to fear pain as you believe it’s damaging your body.
Regardless, the pain is real.
“When you’re struggling to cope mentally, one of the most useful things you can do in the short term is distract yourself.
Changing your environment, even if it’s just moving to a different room, can help to shift your mindset slightly.
Listening to loud cheerful music, watching a funny film, calling a loved one or going for a walk can all be useful. Essentially anything that is going to keep your mind, and ideally also your body, keeping busy helps distract you and start to lift your mood a little each time.
Living with chronic pain, I find distraction a vital tool to fight negative thoughts and a drop in healthy mood.
It can sound like something small, but it truly can give you that little bit of relief from what’s going on inside your mind, which can be enough for you to start getting a handle on your emotions again.
One thing that I use is CALM app or HEADSPACE they are great tools to help slow down your nervous system and relax your mind away from pain and daily anxieties.
This post was written by Lauren K., and published by Convenient Counseling Services.
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