Chronic pain can have a debilitating effect on both mind and body. What’s more, COVID19 highlighted the dangers of relying on third-parties for support. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for how you can deal with chronic pain at home.
Remember the link between mind and body
When you’re dealing with chronic pain, it often helps to take a two-pronged approach. In other words, you want to boost your state of mind as well as your state of body. This helps to switch out the standard vicious circle of chronic pain and mental negativity for a more virtuous alternative.
The more you can free your body from pain, the more you can free your mind from the impact of dealing with pain. The more you can free up your mind for positive thoughts instead of negative ones, the better you can deal with any pain you are experiencing.
Managing physical pain
If you’re experiencing chronic pain, your first and most important decision is whether or not you need to see a doctor about it. Certain forms of pain relief are only available on prescription. That said, always remember that it’s your decision whether or not you take prescription-only pain relief. Make sure you get information on any side effects and risks as well as any benefits.
Similarly, even if you choose not to go and see a doctor now, you should always keep open the option of doing so at a later date. In fact, it’s highly advisable to track your pain levels so you can make an informed decision on whether or not your chronic pain reaches a point where it needs medical intervention.
With all that said, if your chronic pain is at a low level, you may feel comfortable managing it yourself, especially while COVID19 is still a risk. Assuming you’re not a doctor, you won’t be able to diagnose your condition. You could, however, focus on treating the symptoms.
Try doing your own research from reputable internet sources. Also, consider using treatments that are known to be effective for a wide range of conditions. These might include CBD, steam, massage and heat. Many of these can be delivered at home at least to some extent. For example, massage chairs may not be as good as massage therapists, but they’re a lot better than nothing.
Managing your mind
Again, the first question you need to ask yourself is whether or not you think you would benefit from seeing a GP. Remember that your GP may be able to arrange a referral to resources you might not otherwise have been able to access yourself. That said, those referrals might be hard to come by at the best of times and even harder right now.
If you have the budget, you might want to consider paying for help with pain-management techniques. You could try asking your GP (or a charity) for a recommendation (instead of a referral). Alternatively, you could just try doing your own research from reputable internet sources.
Another option would be to look for self-help resources. There are plenty of suggestions on the internet. Many of them cost little to nothing to try, so you could always give them a go and see if they worked for you. Here are a few examples to get you started.
CBD
This is hugely popular for the management of chronic pain because it helps relax the mind as well as soothe the body.
Yoga/tai chi
These keep the body moving, which can be very important for some conditions. They are non-impact and can be performed very gently. There’s a strong emphasis on breathing and on controlling the mind at least as much as the body.
Meditation
This can be done in various ways, the end goal, however, is always the same. You want to become fully immersed in being one with the moment. By doing so, you detach yourself from the negative aspects of your life, such as your pain.
Please contact us for more information.
