Pain is a sensation we have all felt; usually a part of our body is injured and we experience pain when we try to use that body part. Technically, pain is supposed to be a helpful signal from our body, saying ‘don’t do this, rest your body’. However, chronic pain is present for a long period of time and impacts daily functioning. Dealing with chronic pain as well as the mental and emotional implications of it is highly challenging, here are some useful ways to make coping easier. The common ways chronic pain negatively impedes on normal living is through:
-Lessened energy and more fatigue to carry out regular tasks
-Increased levels of stress
-Anxious thoughts on how to deal with an untreatable illness and the future
-Development of emotions such as hopelessness, frustration, anger and so on
-Impacted sleeping habits
These are some ways to manage the challenging repercussions caused by living with chronic pain:
1. Implement pacing techniques to find the right amount, level and intensity of activity that works for you. Since this varies for everyone, and there is no amount that is “right” – it is important to balance out activity with rest. You will find the amount of activity that works for you by identifying when you notice a flare-up in the pain.
2. The way to combat and manage stress is to actively practice relaxation techniques. One of the most effective relaxation techniques to incorporate is meditation. It works through the capacity of focusing on breathing, repetition of a powerful word or phrase and ignoring thoughts you have.
3. Without being dismissive of the challenges and disruption chronic pain can bring to your life, when you notice yourself falling into a negative way of thinking, there are some questions you can ask yourself: “What is the evidence that makes this thought true?”, “What makes this thought false?”, “What pattern have you noticed in your thinking?”, “How would you respond to a friend having this thought?” and “What can you do right now to solve this negative thought?” For example, the negative thought that “I will never be able to have a peaceful life” can be worked through using the questions above to disprove the thought. By doing this, you prevent the thought from intensifying your pain.
4. Some of the ways you can work on healthier sleeping habits is by curating a sleeping and waking up routine for yourself with detailed timings. Having a space that allows you to be restful can look like using dim lighting, an ideal room temperature and soothing background noise. Implementing relaxation techniques and a specific, separate time in the day for thinking ‘worrying thoughts’ will allow you to have a restless mind and body during sleep time.
By Sonia Raheja