When The Pain Is Bad, Try Focusing On Other Things

The mind is a powerful tool that can act to both increase or alleviate pain. By employing subtle shifts in focus, bad pain and overall quality of life can be significantly improved. To make the most of the power of the mind in pain management, the team at Alliance Spine and Pain Centers recommends when the pain is bad try focusing on other things.

STAY POSITIVE

Positive thinking is a powerful and integral part of effective pain management. Although often underestimated, studies have shown that staying positive provides a significant reduction in pain levels. The difficulty of managing chronic pain can lead to an accumulation of negative thoughts, particularly about one’s self. A focus on what has been lost may overwhelm thoughts of what remains possible. Consider using a journal to externalize your thoughts and attempt to explore a positive approach to what remains despite the pain. Try writing about improvements in previously bad pain levels or mobility, even if they are small or temporary, in order to train the attention toward these positive aspects of life.

MANAGE STRESS

The body’s reaction to stressful situations releases many of the same biochemical mediators that are involved in creating the sensation of pain. Therefore, it is vital to combat the vicious cycle in which pain causes stress that causes more pain. Seek to identify and address any sources of stress that can be mitigated. Simply eating and sleeping better can work wonders to help keep stress at bay. Consider using additional stress management techniques like yoga or tai chi to help regularly release physical and emotional stress.

KEEP ACTIVE

While bad pain can significantly hinder some activities, remaining active is essential to the physical and emotional management of bad pain. Aim for gentle physical activities that also provide a change of scenery, like a walk or a swim, in order to provide a temporary distraction brought about by such new stimuli. Consider walking with friends or family so that conversation can provide an additional distraction. The soothing effects of staying active can be felt both physically and emotionally.

STAY CONNECTED

Feeling as if friends and family struggle to understand the significance of bad pain is a very common dilemma. Sometimes finding other sufferers of bad pain conditions can help reduce a sense of isolation that can accompany this condition. Finding someone else who has experience with painful conditions can remove some of the pressure to have friends and family understand more profoundly. Such connectivity with others suffering from chronic or other bad pain conditions provides a kind of distraction from the particulars of one’s own condition and can alleviate some strain on other social connections.

While social connections are essential, so is a supportive pain management team. Chronic and bad pain conditions should not be ignored and requires the support of experts in these often complex conditions. Explore the additional medical options such as when the pain is bad try focusing on other things provided by Alliance Spine and Pain Centers. With 22 ocations in the Atlanta metro area, pain relief is just around the corner.