Pain is adaptive when it is a warning of danger or harm and there is something that can be done about it. However, when the pain is constant and with no clear reason, it can be a source of physical and emotional stress. Such stress can further increase the pain by causing fatigue, muscle tension, and difficulty sleeping (Caudill, 1995). When experiencing ongoing severe pain, lifes daily stressors become magnified and appear to be insurmountable obstacles. It can lead to depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, feelings of inadequacy, and feelings of being beaten down and abandoned. So, what can be done to cope with such chronic pain? 1. Utilizing relaxation techniques can help to reduce the stress caused by the chronic pain, making it easier to cope with stressors of daily life, in spite of the pain. In addition, relaxing the body can help to reduce the experience of pain (i.e., through the release of endorphins, natural pain-killers released by the brain during deep relaxation and through the decrease of the secondary symptoms caused by stress, such as the fatigue, muscle tension, and insomnia mentioned above). There are many types of relaxation techniques, such as focusing on ones breath, focusing ones mind on a repetitive phrase, progressive muscle relaxation, or visualization. Example: Close your eyes. Breathe in and out slowly three times. Imagine that you can see your breath entering your body as a pink mist. See and feel that pink mist circulating healing energy throughout your body. See and feel it surround your pain, soothing it. See it leave your body as a blue mist, as you exhale, taking your pain with it. 2. Increasing your level of pleasurable activities is very important. People with chronic pain tend to think that they cannot or do not deserve to engage in pleasurable activities. Yet, this is very important, both for distraction from the pain and for decrease of the depression that may result from the pain. 3. Changing your thoughts about the pain and changing your thoughts about yourself for having the pain may be necessary. Many people tend to put themselves down for having chronic pain, as they may think of themselves as inadequate to meet this challenge or that they are defective. One of the most powerful tools for changing the way that you think is to notice your self-talk and to rephrase it or challenge it. For example, if you say to yourself, in response to having chronic pain, Im defective, then you are likely to experience feelings of depression or low self-esteem. Notice the difference when you change this to: Being in pain curtails my activities, but it does not reflect on my character (Caudill, 1995). 4. Pace yourself. Engaging in an activity routine that alternates between more or less physically demanding activities can help you to increase your activity level and decrease your pain. Consider asking others for assistance, when possible. Be sure to include in your schedule some high-quality recuperative time. The body has a chance to recuperate most effectively when it is not in a constant state of exhaustion (Caudill, 1995). Read on here: Coping with Chronic Pain buff.ly/1qFu58R
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 08:55:14 +0000
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