Chronic pain takes so much from you, and most people with chronic pain are in pain constantly, but you are not stuck in bed with severe pain every single day. Most people with chronic pain are never pain-free, but you have good days and bad pain days. On good days, you are able to do a little more, but bad days are more frustrating because pain levels are elevated, and you don’t have the energy to do things you normally can. When I am having a bad pain day, I do different things than I would if I was having a good day because it’s important to listen to your body and get those pain levels down. Bad days are inconvenient and frustrating because you have so much you want to do, but can’t, but the last thing you want to do is push yourself and make the flare last longer. What can you do on a bad pain day? In this post, I am going to talk about what I do when my pain is elevated and I am having a bad day.
Don’t beat yourself up—High pain levels are frustrating because you want to do so many things but don’t have the energy to do them, and often get behind in a lot of tasks. On a bad pain day, it’s easy to beat yourself up because sometimes you feel kind of lazy for neglecting tasks you normally wouldn’t. It is so important that you don’t beat yourself up on bad pain days and remind yourself that you aren’t neglecting the laundry because you are lazy, but are neglecting it because you are in pain and need to focus on getting better. I never beat myself up on bad pain days because I know the bad days end, and you are only hurting yourself when you force yourself to do things when you should have been taking a rest day. I am not very productive when I am in pain, and that is okay because you aren’t unreliable and your health is.
Practice pacing– When you are struggling with pain, sometimes it can be difficult to do every day tasks, but you can’t always sit in bed and do nothing until the pain passes, because life still goes on when you have elevated pain levels. Pacing your activities and doing a little bit at a time can be a great tool for people with chronic pain who are experiencing elevated pain levels and don’t want to increase their pain even more. If you don’t have the energy to do a full load of laundry, then don’t, and only do half and come back to the rest of it later. I practice pacing on good and bad days, and it works very well because sometimes you can’t do everything at once, and that is okay.
Find an activity that distracts you from pain– When I am in pain, the things I do to rest will vary, and it depends on the type of pain I am experiencing, because what I do when I have a migraine attack will be different than what I would do if I was experiencing bad period cramps. On bad pain days, I don’t force myself to write a blog post because elevated pain levels affect the quality of your content, and sometimes, I do nothing other than marathon a couple of TV shows. I am not very productive when I am struggling with pain, and that is okay because I know it’s not out of laziness and is what my body needs to recover. Find an activity that can distract you from pain because it will make the hard days a little bit easier.
Sleep more if I can– People with pain often struggle with insomnia because high-pain levels can prevent you from getting good quality sleep. Sleep does not always improve pain, and you can’t always fall asleep when your pain levels are elevated, but I do always try because sleep deprivation is only going to make it worse. On bad pain days, I try to take a few extra naps because my needs rest and it is likely I did not sleep well through the night. People in pain need more rest than those without pain and it’s so important that we do our best to improve our sleep for better pain levels.
Do some light movement– If you are in so much pain that you can’t move without crying, I would not recommend any exercise because that will likely make it worse. People in pain often are hesitant to move their bodies because you fear worsening pain, and sometimes people think that exercise is always going to make it worse, but that is not necessarily true. Some people with painful conditions are not able to exercise without worsening their symptoms, but for many of us, movement is not completely off the table and can help prevent more pain. If your pain is not making you completely bed-bound, do some stretching or take a light yoga class because sometimes lack of movement is the reason our pain levels are elevated. On bad pain days, I do not do my normal routine, but if I am not in tears because of pain, I do try and incorporate light forms of exercise, such as stretching, and it really helps. It can be very scary to exercise with pain because we are taught to believe to avoid it at all costs, but you don’t need to stop exercising, and you just need to find something that supports your pain.
Give my body good nutrition- When you are in pain, it can be very hard to make a meal because standing can be very painful on bad days, and sometimes your nutrition starts to lack. On bad pain days, it is harder for me to get the motivation to get up and make a meal, but I do try and not to skip meals because I know my body needs good nutrition to recover. I try to eat mostly an anti-inflammatory diet, but if I am not struggling with pain, sometimes I am not as consistent as I would be if I had elevated pain levels. It can be tempting to want to skip meals when you are in pain, but it is so important not to because poor nutrition can make pain worse. I try and prioritize healthy eating on bad pain days because even if the only thing I can stomach is a smoothie, that is always better than nothing at all.
When you are having a bad pain day, it is easy to beat yourself up and blame yourself for causing the pain. It is so important that we practice self-care on bad pain days and don’t beat ourselves up over all the things we can’t do at the moment. We do our best to prevent pain, but you can’t prevent every flare and sometimes pain is triggered for reasons even doctors don’t understand. Take it easy on bad days and prioritize rest because that load of laundry can wait a day or two. It is not worth it to force yourself to do more on bad days, and all that is going to do is worsen the pain and make the flare last longer. Bad pain days are frustrating but remember they do end, and better days will come. What do you do on a bad pain day? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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