Chronic pain is behaviorally defined as the experience of pain beyond the typical healing process, usually 6 months or more. If you have chronic pain then you know how difficult it can be to manage. Maybe you have lost count of the number of doctor visits so far this year? Or maybe your medication is no longer effective? Perhaps you can no longer remember what it feels like to not be in pain?
What happens when you just can’t take the edge off?
Chronic pain disrupts our relationships with our self and others. Pain acts as a distraction from the body as a whole because it demands attention towards the area that aches, burns, or throbs. Our thoughts become overly concerned with how to alleviate the pain or what might happen if the pain is alleviated and then returns. Chronic pain is likely to increase symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social isolation. If we hide away from the world then our ability to develop much needed social connections is restricted. We feel isolated, frustrated, and misunderstood.
We can change our bodies dramatically by allowing ourselves to fully experience our body in the present moment. In doing so, we are taking a mindful approach to pain management. Allow yourself to feel the pain that is there and acknowledge its presence. This may sound scary and uncomfortable. Healing occurs when we accept our body as it is and withhold judgment or self-criticism. Ignoring the pain will only cause it to grow and feel more overwhelming.
We must learn to love our bodies and view them as a whole. Explore each sensation in each area of our body and breathe vitality, warmth, and love into each those areas. Through patience and compassion, we can manage chronic pain and build a better life.
Join our Mindfulpath Group ‘Mindfulness For Chronic Pain,’ or call for additional support in learning to manage chronic pain.
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