Top 10 Ways to Deal with Chronic Pain
Dealing with chronic pain can drag you down physically and emotionally. It can make your quality of life much less than it should be.
Here top 10 ways you can feel better:
1. Have a massage. A massage can help alleviate aches and pains and make you feel brand new again. Use a massage therapist who understands your chronic pain and who can do their job without exacerbating any of your pain. There are many types of massage therapy, some of which are better for chronic pain than others, a professional will know exactly what to do.
2. Join a support group. Many hospitals, HMOs, and community centers offer support groups for those who deal with chronic pain. You can hear from others in situations similar to yours and can learn tips for dealing with pain you may not know about. You can also share your feelings about your pain with those who understand exactly what you have been going through and find comfort in the support you receive and also give.
3. Engage in exercise. It has been scientifically proven that mild to moderate physical activity can lessen the feelings of chronic pain. It can strengthen your muscles, lubricate your joints, and improve your mental outlook so that you can tolerate the pain for the rest of the day. Try a mild to moderate exercise like walking or bicycling that can engage your muscles without putting a lot of pressure on your joints. Additionally, a recent study showed that short bursts of daily movement throughout the day help to improve chronic pain, like that seen in Fibromyalgia. This means taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking more and anything that involves short periods of movement throughout the day.
4. Eat healthy. Foods like fruits, vegetable, whole grains and lean meats are simple choices that keep you from eating processed foods that cause inflammation in the body that promotes chronic pain. A healthy diet filled with whole food has been associated with decreased inflammation and a relief of chronic pain symptoms.
5. Avoid processed foods. Foods that have been made in factories have trans fats and other preservatives that can build up in your system, worsening your pain, weighing you down and causing weight gain that makes chronic pain worse. They also prevent you from maintaining a healthy weight, which helps your joints be less stressed. Always read product labels and look for foods that are free of fat and preservatives.
6. Maintain a healthy weight. Keeping your body mass index between 19 and 25 is associated with less pain and an easier time of getting around to perform activities of daily living. You can achieve a healthy weight with calorie restriction and exercise.
7. Take part in meditation. Meditation induces the relaxation response that helps alleviate chronic pain, and may make it occur less often. Meditation also reduces stress, which is known to make pain worse. Meditation takes just a few minutes and can be easily learned. It can be done just about anywhere and by anyone for better health overall emotional, physical and mental health on top of its pain management benefits.
8. Practice guided imagery. Imagine yourself in a beautiful and different place while focusing on your breath. You can imagine yourself in a lovely meadow, on a rustic beach or in the gentle forest. See, hear and smell what you would if you were actually there and your worries and pain will gradually recede. Guided imagery is a type of meditation that works better for some when compared to other forms of meditation. Various guided imagery is available on CD.
9. Practice Yoga. Yoga involves doing different kinds of poses while focusing on your breath. These poses, known as asanas help induce the relaxation response, strengthen the joints and muscles, improve flexibility, and calms nerves, all of which supports healthy and effective pain management. It can be done by just about anyone at any fitness level and can be modified for those people who suffer from chronic pain. Restorative yoga is especially useful for those who live with chronic pain.
10. Take a Reiki class. Reiki is the practice of hands-on-healing. Of course, you could schedule a Reiki session with a local Reiki practitioner, but why not have unlimited to all the Reiki healing energy anywhere anytime on demand? Plus, you can help others when they are dealing with pain. You could offer energy healing via Reiki to family, loved ones and pets, too. You may be able to find a Free Reiki Certification Class near you.
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