Now remember please....
my humour comes with a warning!!
​tips, tools, and strategies
to living life with chronic pain
Self-isolation is experienced by many people living with chronic pain. Feelings like no one understands or even believes, is very common and because of those feelings, many of us will stay quiet and withdraw. It's easy to do some days I know. I did it too and still do with certain people.
One would hope that our doctor would be someone we could talk with without the worry of disbelief but that is not always the case. This can lead to difficulties receiving the appropriate diagnosis and cause further stress and confusion. Even within our own families, there are people who just don't understand or just don't believe. Feelings like depression, anxiety, anger, resentment, a beaten self esteem or even a trashed self confidence can also make us isolate ourselves away from others. Feelings of inadequacy and failure are common too. Although living with chronic pain can cause many different feelings, thoughts, and emotions for each person, there seems to be a common complaint...people just don't understand. Talking about our feelings isn't always easy, and when we get rejected by someone who doesn't understand or may not believe, it gets easier to stop talking and just stay quiet. But when we do that, we are isolating ourselves further away. I'd like to share an exercise with you, one that I use a lot to aid in managing the rage that is my body. The first time I used this exercise I was in college and was experiencing a wicked migraine headache that just would not stop. I can't tell you how the thought came to be but it worked and it still does today.
I think this exercise goes to show how powerful our thoughts can be and how we can use our minds energies to help our pain when we feel it. Now you may find that it doesn't work at first and that is okay. Just like all meditation and mindful exercises you may try, practice is needed. This exercise requires your patience and an openness to try something new and different. It is a visualization exercise and one you may find of benefit.... When you close your eyes what you do you see? Some would say nothing, some may say they see the activity of their brain in the blackness of their eye lids, and some may even say they see colours. It's interesting to hear what people say when you ask this question....What do you see? My daughter Emily sent me this yesterday because she thought it reminded her of me. I'm sharing it with you today because I think we are all warriors. Most people, unless they live with pain too, won't understand. They can't because they don't feel it. Sure they can sympathize with what we are going through and they can see it's hard, but unless they can feel it too, they cannot understand what our pain really feels like and on all the levels we can feel our pain. People may put you down and say you're faking it...let them! You know the truth and that is all that matters. You are not lazy. You are not crazy. You are a warrior. To let go of what is lost, even though letting go is painful. To reach for what can be, even when we're doubtful. To live as though we're brave, even when we're fearful. These are the trials we face, and the choices we make along the path to joy. ~~Sandra Kring~~ Picture taken in Dorchester Mill Pond, Dorchester, ON I thought it to be a very powerful thought provoking message. No one will protect us...although many may try. Nothing we do will take it away....we must endure. We will survive...we will go on. We will be better for it...when we don't fear it. Let your dreams and goals lead you and encourage you. Chase them across the bridges and the barriers of your pain. Build what you desire. take good care of you Before we get to the medication I need to remind you...
For this installment, I have chosen Vicodin Oral If you have any questions about what is provided here....talk with your doctor or pharmacist please. Someday, we’ll forget the hurt, the reason we cried and who caused us pain. We will finally realize that the secret of being free is not revenge, but letting things unfold in their own way and own time. After all, what matters is not the first, but the last chapter of our life which shows how well we ran the race. So smile, laugh, forgive, believe and love all over again. ~~Unknown~~ Picture taken in Dorchester Mill Pond, Dorchester ON Have you noticed that your pain is unpredictable? You may know what can cause your pain to increase but is it always the same? Is what you do one day always what you can do the next? If you're like me you're saying no. That's the part of chronic pain that is frustrating for most of us. You may also notice that what you do one day is added to the activities of the next day and so and so on. So by Friday, the pain you are feeling is five days worth of your activities. Pain accumulates which can make the pain worse. Take the time to rest, to heal, and to nurture your coping skills. Relaxation and meditation may help soothe the rage of a long week. Find the things that are soothing and calming for you during this time and most of all....take care of your needs. Being able to accept that pain is unpredictable also releases the control pain can have on our lives. We will feel pain every day we know that and we will feel it during the times when we least want to feel it. That's chronic pain. So when we feel our abilities slide, it is so important for us to take the time to care for our needs. When we take the time to nurture our needs we are also more capable to deal with a life with pain and what each day brings. Be a stronger you and take care of your needs. Be mindful of your pain behaviours too. You aren't the only experiencing the down days. take good care of you |
Tammy...is living life with chronic pain...doing the best I can with everyday. Categories
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