Updated September 3, 2026

It's easy to become angry when living with chronic pain. I've even heard the term “paingry” used to describe it.

Anger may be directed toward ourselves, our circumstances, healthcare providers, family members, or other people.

Anger is a normal human emotion. It can sometimes be helpful and motivate us to address problems. But when anger becomes intense, persistent, or difficult to control, it can increase distress and interfere with relationships, functioning, and quality of life.

Anger and chronic pain
Research suggests that anger can be particularly important in chronic pain.

A 2026 study of 735 adults seeking treatment for chronic pain identified different patterns of anger and perceived injustice.

People with higher levels of anger and perceived injustice had more severe pain-related outcomes, both at the initial assessment and at follow-up about five months later. These findings show an association rather than proving that anger causes worse pain, but they highlight the importance of recognizing and addressing anger as part of chronic pain care.

Anger can also become part of a cycle.

Pain can lead to frustration and anger. Anger can increase stress and distress. And increased distress can make it harder to respond to pain in helpful ways.

The goal isn't to eliminate anger. It's to learn how to recognize it and respond differently.

How to manage anger

• Recognize it. Notice when anger is building and pay attention to what's behind it. What happened? What are you thinking? What are you expecting? What are you telling yourself about the situation? Recognizing anger gives you an opportunity to change how you respond to it.
• Breathe and calm down. When anger starts building, slow down. Mindful deep breathing and other relaxation techniques can help reduce the physiological arousal associated with anger. Sometimes the best response is to pause before saying or doing something you'll regret.
• Use cognitive restructuring. Anger can be fueled by thoughts such as "This always happens,” "Nobody cares," or "This shouldn't be happening to me." Cognitive restructuring involves recognizing unhelpful thoughts and working toward more balanced ways of thinking and responding. This doesn't mean pretending that everything is okay. It means asking whether the way you're thinking about a situation is helping you or making things worse.

What about perceived injustice?
Chronic pain can sometimes create a strong sense that life isn't fair.

“Why me?”
“The doctors should have fixed this.”
“Other people don't understand.”

These thoughts are understandable. Sometimes people really have experienced poor care, unfair treatment, or circumstances that shouldn't have happened.

But repeatedly dwelling on injustice may keep anger alive and make it harder to move forward.

The 2026 study mentioned above found that higher perceived injustice, particularly when combined with higher levels of anger, was associated with the most severe pain outcomes.

The goal isn't to deny injustice.

It's to recognize when dwelling on it no longer helps.

Don't let anger take control
You don't have to eliminate anger.

You can't control everything that happens around you, and there will be times when anger is a completely understandable response.

But you can learn to control how you respond.

Recognize the anger. Understand what's behind it.

Pause before reacting.

Challenge unhelpful thoughts. Then choose how you want to respond.

Anger is something you experience. It doesn't have to control what you think, say, or do.

I explore the role of emotions, cognitive restructuring, and other strategies for managing chronic pain in my book, Trapped by Chronic Pain? Break Free and Take Back Your Life.

Learn more

• Control anger before it controls you 
• Distinct multidimensional anger profiles predict current and long-term chronic pain outcomes 
• When Chronic Pain Leads to Chronic Anger​​

Updated July 23, 2026

I was honored to be a presenter and vendor at the 2026 Compass Healthcare Collaborative Patient Safety Conference and Annual Forum.

I met many wonderful healthcare professionals who are doing meaningful work to improve patient outcomes.

I co-presented with Rachael Duncan, PharmD, on ways to improve surgical outcomes, including the importance of patient communication and effective pain management.

I also had the opportunity to attend educational sessions, help judge the poster competition, and donate copies of my books to the conference for distribution as prizes.

This photo shows my booth space at the conference.

The importance of lived experience
One thing I particularly appreciated was Compass Healthcare Collaborative's inclusion of people with lived experience.

People who have experienced the healthcare system as patients bring a perspective that can't always be gained from clinical training or research alone. Their experiences can help healthcare organizations better understand what patients encounter and identify opportunities to improve care.

I applaud Compass for recognizing the value of lived experience, and I encourage other healthcare organizations to meaningfully include patients and advocates.

Turning experience into purpose
Two of the keynote speakers shared powerful personal stories.

Allison Massari spoke about her recovery after a fiery car crash. Angela Kennecke shared her experience of losing her daughter to fentanyl poisoning.

Both have transformed difficult experiences and losses into a purpose of helping others.

One message from Allison particularly resonated with me. She described reaching a point in her recovery when she realized that no one was going to fix her and that she needed to take control of her situation and her life.

That message is one I can personally relate to.

Living with chronic pain taught me a similar lesson. Medical treatment and healthcare professionals can provide important support, but ultimately, I had to become an active participant in managing my condition and rebuilding my life.

That's one of the principles I try to share through Chronic Pain Champions.

Moving healthcare forward
I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate in events like this and to bring the perspective of lived experience into conversations about patient safety, surgical outcomes, and pain management.
Healthcare works best when clinicians, researchers, patients, and people with lived experience learn from one another.

I'm proud to be part of that conversation
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Thank you to Compass Healthcare Collaborative for creating a place where those voices can be heard.

Learn more about Compass Healthcare Collaborative.