Each Monday this series of articles will feature pain management techniques to help you decrease and cope with pain.  It’s your at-home pain management class!

So far, we’ve looked at relaxation skills and guided imagery as ways to decrease pain.  For most people, stress increases their pain levels.  So it’s important to both prevent and decrease stress.

Here’s a stress management exercise for you to review.  It lists many ways to decrease stress!

Your assignment:  Pick ONE stress management skill you’d like to try out this week.  Write it down where you’ll see it every day.

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