Living with chronic pain is never easy. Constant, excruciating pain can be very distracting and limiting, even when the main cause of the pain is relatively simple. Even worse, it is not always easy to eliminate the pain; at least not without the help of chemicals and prescribed medications.
Studies have shown that the psychological effects of chronic pain can be as limiting as the physical pain itself. Fortunately, there are also ways to deal with both. Athletes deal with pain all the time and they have secrets that help them get through it. We are going to learn those secrets and discover how to deal with chronic pain in this article.
Understanding the Pain
Before we talk about how to best deal with chronic pain, we need to better understand the emotional effects of the pain first. Chronic pain can be very debilitating when not treated properly. The stress of having to feel the pain most (or all) of the time is very limiting. The anxiety and depression that come with that stress are even worse.
You start to feel the stress when your chronic pain limits your ability to enjoy things you normally enjoy. A problem with the knee that stops you from taking long walks in the evening may not seem like much at all from a physical point of view, but the emotional effect of not being able to enjoy your walks is hard to deal with.
Pain could also lead to other issues, including an inability to focus and concentrate, anger buildup and irritability, and even a complete breakdown. The emotional pressure may also lead to other problems that actually make the pain worse. Responding to stress by eating more and gaining weight is certainly not the way to go.
Tracking the Pain
With the emotional impact of chronic pain in mind, it is time to focus on the physical aspect of the pain itself. When you have chronic pain bugging you frequently – or even constantly – you need to start tracking the pain. Tracking pain is a good habit to get into for two reasons. First, you will be able to understand the pain better. Second of all, you can supply your physicians with better information for a more accurate diagnosis.
There are five factors you want to keep an eye out when tracking pain. Those five factors are:
- Cause – how the pain starts and the things that cause the pain
- Duration – how long the pain stays after it started
- Aggravating factors – things that actually make the pain worse
- Alleviating factors – things that make your pain better or disappear completely
- Frequency – the number of times the pain comes, along with its pattern
These five factors are all easy to track. You just have to pay closer attention to how chronic pain comes and goes from time to time. If you are trying different treatments to ease the pain, write them down too. The same is true for activities that actually make the pain worse.
The more you track the pain, the more you will know about it. Once you get used to tracking the pain, you can also write down details about the treatments you receive and how those treatments impact your chronic pain.
Dealing with Pain
There are reasons why we must learn more about the emotional impact of chronic pain and the right way to track the pain itself. These are the two things that athletes rely on when dealing with injuries and severe pain. For professional athletes, recovering from injuries and being able to deal with chronic pain is very important.
It is now time to start managing the chronic pain, and the first thing you want to do is learn to relax. Most of the pain is in your mind. This is why you feel the pain getting worse when you are also stressed or anxious. Meditation and yoga are highly recommended. Practicing deep relaxing breathing techniques is also recommended.
You can also help your body relax and manage pain better with the help of CBD oil. CBD oil is a well-known treatment for pain and anxiety, and athletes have been using this treatment for many years. Even better, the use of CBD oil and products based on CBD is legal in all states. View here to read more stories about how athletes use CBD oil for recovery.
Exercising also helps keep the pain in check. When you are suffering from an injury or other causes of chronic pain, exercise is something you want to approach with care. Consult a physician and figure out a way to exercise without stressing your body too much. You can also see a physical therapist to have an exercise routine developed specifically for your needs.
Aim for Faster Recovery
The tips we discussed earlier focus more on dealing with pain. Managing pain is only the beginning, but it is an important step to take nonetheless. By knowing how to manage pain properly, you are eliminating potential emotional issues caused by the pain from the beginning, which means you are preparing your body for the next half of the equation: recovery.
How well you recover from chronic pain depends highly on the kind of pain you are experiencing, the cause of the pain itself, and other factors. That said, there are some ways you can help speed up the recovery process. Knowing how to manage the pain and its emotional impact is the perfect start.
Next, you want to make sure your body can regenerate optimally. This is done by getting a good night’s sleep every night. Try to avoid taking long naps since they often prevent you from resting properly at night. You can also rely on CBD oil and the right supplements to help your body rest and regenerate better at night.
The last piece of your puzzle is your diet. Your body needs vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to fully recover. As you alter your diet for the better, you will start feeling the pain fading away. This is a sign of a recovering body; it also means you have applied the secrets in this article correctly.
