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My thoughts

Take control

4/28/2022

 
Pain doesn’t have to determine your life.

I love this metaphor I first heard when I attended the Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center:  Imagine being in a car with chronic pain. Where is the pain?  Who’s in control? Is pain behind the steering wheel - determining where you go and what you do in life? Or are you driving? Put pain in the back seat, or even better yet, the trunk.

Things you can control - Focus on these
  • Understanding how pain works
  • Changing how you think and feel about pain, and how you respond to it
  • Accepting the pain
  • Not being afraid of the pain
  • Being aware of what you listen to, read, and watch to avoid negativity and drama
  • Being kind to yourself and others
  • Taking active responsibility for your care
  • Not verbally expressing or complaining about the pain
  • Not wallowing in the pain
  • Not placing blame for the pain
  • Staying away from people who only want to complain about pain
  • Not sharing your pain with others
  • Reducing stress
  • Eating right
  • Moving more and increasing your activity level
  • Moderating what you do
  • Modifying what you do
  • Being grateful – focus on what you have, not what you’ve lost
  • Developing better sleep habits
  • Preparing for a flare in advance so it doesn’t overwhelm you
 
Things you can’t control - Don’t focus on these
  • Pain
  • Imaging test results
  • Past medical interventions
  • Past painful experiences
  • What other people say or do
  • Weather
  • Cultural and family norms
  • Socio-economic background
  • Demographics (sex, age, ethnicity, etc.)
  • Genetic make-up

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  • Home
  • Free e-book
  • Support Group
  • $19 Pain Course
  • Pain Truths
  • Education
  • Pain Acceptance
  • Self-Management
  • Resources
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • For Providers
  • For Family
  • Think Positive
  • Tinnitus
  • About
  • Connect
  • Disclaimer