2 responses so far ↓

• Barbara K. // Jan 15, 2008 at 8:30 am

  I have found that my pain prompts me into action. I’ll do anything to get the pain level down. So I have tended to skip your first three steps and get to doing something quickly. Sometimes just the act of doing something different, that requires a different kind of attention, distracts me from pain. Then the lower pain level provides enough motivation to stick with it. That’s how I started doing yoga seven years ago – and am still doing it, and loving it.

• How to Cope with Pain // Jan 15, 2008 at 5:30 pm

  Barbara, thanks for your comment. It bring to mind a couple of things…

  First, I wanted to clarify that you don’t need to start at #1. If you’re interested in changing something, (doing pain-management techniques, or any thing else), just find out where you are currently in this list. Then start there. Also…

  1. It’s often better to prevent pain, rather than do something to help after the pain starts. So I wonder what you think about doing “pre-emptive” techniques?

  2. You might already have a whole bunch of techniques to use when pain flares, that work well for you, so you don’t need to change anything.

  3. One problem with the spur-of-the-moment change of habit, is that often it doesn’t stick. But you’ve shown that that isn’t a problem for you with yoga, for example. So again, you may not need to change anything. Believe me, if something’s working, don’t change it!

  One question that I’d have for you is, Is there any panic/anxiety to the “I’ll do anything to get the pain level down” ? Sometimes people, understandably, get into a cycle of pain–panic–change, pain settles, they stop the change, then pain–panic… etc. So I work with them to make the change they need to make last.

  I’ll be interested in your thoughts!

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