​Tips for family members and friends

• Don't minimize or invalidate the pain. It's very much real. Learn about pain to better understand what the person is experiencing, and that the pain may never go away. 
• Help, but don't coddle – promote independence and active self-management.
• Don't talk about pain, symptoms, treatments, or the person's feelings. Switch the conversation to other, more enjoyable and meaningful topics to shift the focus away from the pain. 
• Identify unhelpful pain behaviors – remaining neutral in your response. I include a list of pain behaviors in my free e-book and my $19 pain course.
• Do things that help distract them from the pain. Engage the person in something enjoyable, like a board game, a movie, or a walk.
• Encourage the person to become more physically active using moderation and modification. 
• Reinforce healthy behaviors like staying positive, sleeping better,  challenging negative thoughts and beliefs, managing stress, exercising regularly, eating right, avoiding tobacco, and limiting alcohol.
• Recognize positive changes in the person by helping them celebrate the wins along the way, no matter how big or how small.

Be sure to download my free e-book (no need to provide your personal information or email) to learn more about chronic pain and encourage your family member/friend to take my $19 pain course to learn how they can take control and live well.

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