Pain Free Playbook – Top Tips for Managing Your Pain

Pain is part of life. While some forms may diminish quickly, others can linger for weeks, months, or even years before finally subsiding.

Distraction techniques can help us divert our minds away from pain by engaging in activities such as playing games, using a stress ball, doing puzzles or breathing exercises.

1. Stay active.

When suffering from pain, movement may seem like the last thing on your mind. Many individuals limit their activity in an attempt to prevent further injury or damage and this can result in stiffness, muscle weakness and poor health. But taking regular walks and staying active can actually relieve pain while improving mood and fitness levels overall.

As part of your daily routines, adding exercise into the mix is a fantastic way to begin exercising safely and without exacerbating pain. Walking to and from the post office and washing dishes can both serve as simple yet low-impact exercises; other options could include gardening, swimming or chair yoga – just make sure they fit safely within your lifestyle and don’t cause further complications.

Keep a journal or diary detailing how you’re feeling daily, including recording any pain scores on a pain scale. Bring this along to every doctor appointment so they have an accurate picture of how well or poorly you are managing your pain and what works or doesn’t work for you. Additionally, try learning relaxation techniques like breathing exercises or meditation; these may help reduce pain while increasing resilience against stress and anxiety; perhaps ask your GP about classes available near where you live.

2. Relax.

Relaxation techniques can help you manage pain more effectively. Stress leads to worsened discomfort; learn to relax by deep breathing and practicing mindfulness skills; stress reduction will allow you to reclaim some of the enjoyable parts of life that pain has stolen away.

Distraction techniques are an effective way to decrease your exposure to and anxiety over pain. There are various distractions you can try, such as playing games, focusing on breathing exercises or using visual cues such as pictures.

Visit our Pain Management Toolkit or British Pain Society websites for additional guidance in managing your discomfort. Both offer useful booklets and patient leaflets which you can download directly.

3. Eat a healthy diet.

If you’re living with pain, eating a balanced diet is vitally important to feeling energized and reducing risk factors for chronic conditions like heart disease and high blood sugar. Furthermore, eating healthily also helps manage weight and keep the body functioning efficiently.

Effective pain management and remaining active are essential for improving function. Movement and activity have numerous beneficial side-effects that can reduce fear, lessen pain, and ultimately improve overall functioning1.

Pain can be exhausting and make us exhausted, anxious and depressed – which only serves to make the discomfort worse. Take a deep breath and practice relaxation techniques in order to prevent this downward spiral from taking hold. Additionally, keep a pain journal to record daily pain level and activities; this may provide your doctor with an accurate picture of how your are faring between appointments.

4. Get plenty of sleep.

Pain has an impactful presence in every aspect of our lives, including how much sleep we get each night. Sleep is integral to managing pain; getting enough of it is key in keeping hormones balanced. Not enough rest may also leave us moody and irritable which only complicates matters further when trying to manage pain. To ensure you’re getting adequate rest each night, aim for bed at the same time every night; limit caffeine and alcohol in the evening; support your neck with a pillow or towel roll while placing a pillow under knees1. 1

This tip was provided by the British Pain Society, who offer many resources and booklets for people living with pain.

5. Stay positive.

Negativity about pain and distress can compound its severity, so try to find ways to alleviate your distress without feeding into it further. Spending time with friends or engaging in enjoyable activities are great ways to do just that; using distraction techniques such as listening to music, engaging in hobbies or participating in mind-body techniques such as guided imagery may also be effective ways of relieving it.

Negative feelings such as depression, anxiety and stress can heighten sensitivity to pain. By employing healthy ways of managing stress such as practicing relaxation techniques or employing self-care tools like breathing exercises to lower it and ease tension levels in your mind and body, you may find relief more quickly and make your pain more manageable.

Maintaining a journal or log of your daily pain levels and activities is an excellent way to track progress and bring it with you at every doctor visit. Your physician can then use this data to better understand how you’re managing pain, which will allow them to provide effective treatments. The British Pain Society also offers booklets and patient information leaflets which may assist.

6. Stay motivated.

Pain has an immense negative impact on every aspect of life and can impact every area imaginable, including pleasurable activities, fearfulness, energy depletion and sleep disturbances. Depression often follows pain worsening.

Positive feelings such as gratitude, joy, hope, and happiness can help reduce pain. If you are experiencing low mood or depression, consulting a counsellor could provide additional support; alternatively there are support groups and online resources such as Beyond Blue which offer information on managing chronic pain.

Distraction techniques can help reduce your time spent thinking or fearing your pain. They include listening to soothing music, using relaxation tapes or CDs, mental imagery or other distraction techniques at home or while out and about in public settings – such as playing games, using stress balls, counting breaths or counting out loud.

Get enough rest, nourish your body with nutritious foods, stay active and remain positive to achieve an improvement in your mood and help manage pain more effectively while returning to enjoying activities you once enjoyed.

7. Get help.

Pain has an enormous impact on all areas of life – it affects what activities we participate in, our thoughts and sleep habits; it can be debilitating, increase frustration levels and compromise motivation levels.

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Seeking professional assistance to manage chronic pain can be helpful; your physician can refer you. Psychotherapy offers many advantages for managing this kind of discomfort, including helping change unhelpful beliefs about pain, relaxation techniques, developing new coping strategies and improving sleep patterns. Psychotherapy has proven itself effective against some physical treatments as well.

Distraction techniques such as reading, playing games, meditation, breathing exercises and listening to music may be beneficial in helping reduce how much time is spent thinking or worrying about pain. They may also reduce alcohol intake which has been shown to lessen its efficacy as pain medication.

Keep a log book or diary of your pain for use at each doctor visit, this will give them a better idea of its effects between visits. Furthermore, be open and honest with them regarding how you are feeling so that they can provide advice and treatments which are safe.