Chronic pain is a long-term condition that can be difficult to manage. Many people with chronic pain find that consistent pain is both mentally and physically taxing. Fortunately, through a combination of carefully managed medication and coping techniques, it is possible to maintain some of your quality of life. Here we have some tips for living with chronic pain.
Tips for Living with Chronic Pain
If you or a loved one is having difficulty managing chronic pain, then you may consider CBT for pain management in Los Angeles. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a powerful tool that can be utilized in addition to other methods to challenge harmful thoughts and find better ways of dealing with the emotional burden of chronic pain.
While you consider cognitive behavioral therapy, you can try these additional tips for improving your quality of life while living with chronic pain.
Try Meditation
Meditation is a powerful tool that can help you to reconnect with your physical body in a new way. There are a number of free meditation guides available that you can experiment with to help you release tension and refocus your energy. Popular forms of guided meditation include body scans and meditation for sleep.
Find Stress Relief Activities
Everyone benefits from building stress relief activities into their weekly/daily routines. While you may find that your chronic pain limits your access to some popular activities, there are many more that can be adapted to your needs. In reducing stress, you can reduce muscle tension and avoid inadvertently worsening your pain.
Exercise to the Best of Your Ability
Exercising with chronic pain can feel nearly impossible. Chronic pain is exhausting, and you may very well feel like not moving a muscle most of the time. However, this level of inactivity may make your pain worse. A short walk to the mailbox, a handful of squats, or even kneeling down for a play session with a pet can all count as meaningful exercise.
Avoid Self-Medication
When you’re experiencing chronic pain and your prescribed medication doesn’t feel like it’s working, it can be very tempting to self-medicate. Increasing your dosage, drinking alcohol, using illicit drugs, and smoking cigarettes are common forms of self-medication. Unfortunately, they are also more likely to make your pain worse over time.
Join a Support Group
Chronic pain can be isolating. You may feel like you’re unable to do things that your friends and family members do easily, and that can be very frustrating. Joining a support group can help you to feel that you aren’t alone. Together, you may even be able to come up with solutions to improve your daily life.
Keep A Journal
Proper pain management relies on consistent and honest reporting by the patient. To help your doctor provide the best possible care, do what you can to keep a daily journal. Rate your pain on a scale of one to ten, track activity, and take note of your diet. This information can be useful to identify contributing factors and improve your pain management.
Consider Massage
If you are comfortable with it, you may want to consider a semi-regular massage. For the best experience, look for trained professionals who have experience working with chronic pain patients. Ideally, they should have specific experience with your condition to avoid causing more harm than good.
Improve Your Diet
Our daily diet influences all of our body functions. By providing your body with a reasonably nutritious diet you can help to maintain your stamina and decrease the daily effects of your pain. Depending on your condition, a targeted diet may prove even more helpful.
Finding Solutions for Chronic Pain
Modern medicine has made many advances in the treatment of chronic pain, but current approaches are far from perfect. If you are still suffering on a daily basis, consider contacting Cognitive Behavior Associates to learn additional techniques for handling your daily pain.