Happy New Year!  Would you like to start 2010 off by coping better with pain?  We can all add something to our bag of skills to better handle the challenge of pain, right?

Starting today and continuing each Monday, we’ll look at ways to cope well with pain and how to get yourself to use helpful techniques regularly.  We did this last year, and it was a very popular series.  So you can refresh what you’ve learned and add to it.  It’s your at-home pain management class!

Instead of starting right off with what techniques to use, we’ll first look at helping yourself use pain management skills regularly.  Often the barrier is not a lack of knowing good exercises, but getting yourself to practice the techniques regularly.

Today we’ll look at what stages we go through to get ourselves into a new habit.  Next Monday, we’ll look at what’s useful at each stage to help yourself make a change.  (These are from the Stages of Change theory.)

Stage 1:  Precontemplation
In this stage, you’re not really even thinking about making a change.  Maybe you’re not yet interested in using pain management techniques to help yourself.  Or maybe you don’t even believe that there are things you can do to help yourself be in less pain, or cope better with pain.

Stage 2:  Contemplation
In contemplation, you’re weighing the pros and cons of making a change in your behavior.  You’re considering using pain management techniques, but have not yet started to do so.

Stage 3:  Preparation
In this stage, you’ve decided to change a behavior, but have not yet started or stopped something.  You’re getting ready to start using pain management exercises, thinking through what you’ll use and how you’ll practice techniques.

Stage 4:  Action
You’ve made the change.  You’re actively using pain management techniques, but this change is still new.  You’re figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and seeing how such a change fits in your life.

Stage 5:  Maintenance
You’ve changed your behavior – the challenge now is to stay with it.  You’ve been practicing pain management exercises regularly… how do you now stay motivated to continue?

Stage 6:  Relapse
If you relapse, you start up again with the habit you tried to stop, or stop doing what you wanted to keep doing.  For pain management, you skip a few days of practicing techniques… and these few days turn into not practicing your skills regularly.

Where are you in your readiness to learn new pain reduction and management skills?

Next Monday, we’ll look at what can help you make a change, no matter what stage you’re in right now.

Other articles in this series:

• How to change a habit, part 1
• How to change a habit, part 2
• Breathing exercises, part 1
• Relaxation exercise, part 1
• Breathing exercises, part 2
• Habit-helper websites
• How are you doing with your new habit?
• Try 1/2 a habit
• Visualization
• Feedback on changing habits, part 1
• Feedback on changing habits, part 2
• Guided imagery, part 1
• Guided imagery, part 2
• Stress management, part 1
• Stress management, part 2