However, there are some things you can do if you begin to feel overwhelmed and anxious. Firstly, acknowledge that the pain is not your fault. Secondly, take some deeper breaths.
Deep breathing switches on your parasympathetic nervous system, which acts like a brake to calm your body down. Long, deep breaths will also slow your heart and reduce your blood pressure.
Deep breathing can also be an effective way of dealing with the pain itself. Chronic pain is closely linked to stress, so learning how to do ‘controlled breathing’ is an important part of managing both. That’s partly because pain and stress have a similar effect on the body. Both increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Breathing becomes faster and shallower. Muscles tighten up. If you live in a state of chronic stress or pain, your nervous system is in a permanent state of high alert, keeping your muscles continually tense.
And it’s not just your body. Stress and pain make your levels of stress hormones surge – forcing your brain into a state of arousal. This makes you more sensitive to pain signals.
An effective deep-breathing exercise is 3-4-5 breathing: inhale slowly through your nose to a count of three, then hold for four, before exhaling for five. You can do this any time you feel stressed or in pain. Repeat the breathing cycle 10 times and you should feel yourself relaxing.
So, next time you’re feeling under pressure, remember you have the power to change your brain chemistry with just a few deep breaths. Take in that clean air and feel it refreshing your body, helping it to calm and re-set. You could also try doing some very gentle stretches, but remember to move in a way that feels good for your body.
What else might help? Well, check that you’ve taken your medication if some has been prescribed for your pain – it’s so easy to forget!
Ask for support from those around you; family or friends you can let know a flare up has occurred. Remember that it’s not attention seeking.
Make sure you stay hydrated. Drinking water aids digestion and helps your body remove waste and flush out toxins. It also helps with keeping your joints lubricated.
Sometimes a distraction can help. This could be listening to some favourite tunes, something on the radio or watching television. Anything that takes you away from the pain.
You could also try some positive statements. Re word any of the following so they feel real to you:
“I believe in myself, and I know I will be OK.”
“It is OK to ask for help and support.”
“I can accept this pain and I know it will pass.”
“It is OK to take my medication; that’s what it was given to me for.”
“I have been here before and I got through it. I can do the same again.”
Here are some other ideas for practical help that have proved useful to others:
- Listening to or watching comedy. Remember that laughing unlocks your brain’s medicine cabinet and releases pain-relieving hormones.
- Creating something. Being creative offers something to focus on. Make sure it’s something you enjoy.
- Going for a walk. Being outside in nature is a scientifically backed way to make you feel a little better.
- Practicing meditation. If it works for you, meditation can bring benefits to the mind and body.
- Playing with animals. Stroking a pet can help lower your blood pressure and slow your heart rate.
- Taking a bath or shower. The heat from the water might help you feel more comfortable.
- Cooking something nice. Perhaps sit down to do the preparation, rather than standing up for a long time.
- Cleaning a room. But only do this if it clears your mind, too! If it doesn’t, then ignore this suggestion.
- Relaxing with a weighted blanket. This can be wonderfully comforting.
- Taking a nap. This can ease stress; help you recharge and lift your mood.
- Watching nature documentaries. There have been scientific studies to show how watching nature documentaries can soothe the nervous system and raise your spirits.
- Turning off the news. Sometimes the news can trigger anxiety and negative thoughts which won’t be helpful when you are in the middle of a flare up.
- Changing into your pyjamas and snuggling with a soft blanket. This can be comforting and help you feel safe, which calms the nervous system.
- Asking for a bear hug. A big bear hug releases oxytocin which helps you feel connected to the other person, so easing any sense of isolation and loneliness.
- Opening a window. This lets you feel the movement of air on your skin which can stimulate your mood and lift your spirits.
- Enjoying the morning sun. Sunshine gives you a boost of serotonin, which is a natural chemical found in the body that improves your mood and helps you stay calm.
- Reading a good book. Reading can help you feel more relaxed and reduce stress. It could be a talking book, if you struggle to concentrate on text.
- Chatting with someone you trust. Telling someone how you feel can drain away some of the tension you might be experiencing, leaving you feeling lighter.
- Acting kindly. Being kind to others makes you feel better because doing so releases serotonin and dopamine – neurotransmitters that make you feel better.
- Having a good cry. Crying can help restore your emotional balance as it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system to sooth your mood.By addressing how you are thinking and feeling, I’ll help you develop an awareness of how, in the body, psychological events and physical sensations are closely connected. Without this awareness, we can get stuck in a vicious loop which I call ‘the cycle of suffering’.
- As The Mind & Body Guide, my aim is to explore these connections to help you gain insight into yourself. This could be looking at present problems or those that are more deeply seated: things you’ve been told or events you’ve experienced which have shaped who you are now.
I have decades of experience in health care. Years spent working as a senior physiotherapist in the NHS. I’ve taught Pilates to hundreds of people. And I’m a qualified psychotherapist with a suite of therapy skills to draw on.
My approach to therapy is to help you to understand yourself mentally and physically. Then, working together, we can plot your pathway to a healthier, happier life.
The Mind & Body Guide.
Therapy for the whole of you.
