When you live with chronic pain, it is hard because most people never truly have no pain and are expected to do things at the same capacity as someone without pain. I never have days where my pain is zero and I don’t even remember what it feels like to not wake up in pain but I do have days when my pain is on the lower end and am able to do more. Good pain days are something that I do not take for granted because my pain fluctuates on a day-to-day basis and you never know how long the good days are going to last. When I am having a bad pain day I prioritize rest but when I am having a good day I try to get things done that I couldn’t when my pain was flaring. What things can you do when you are having a good pain day? In a previous post, I talked about what I do when my pain is flaring so now I am going to do quite the opposite and talk about what I do when I have low pain.
Don’t overdo it– When you live with chronic pain it’s easy to overdo it on good pain days because sometimes you get a little behind on bad days and want to make up for it when you have less pain. On good days, I do a little more than I would on a bad pain day, but I do try and be realistic about it and not overdo it because when you try and do way more than you normally would often it leads to a flare which I would assume you want to avoid. It can be tempting to want to do everything you couldn’t on a bad pain day but it’s still important to practice pacing on good days because if you do too much it could cause a flare that might have been avoidable. Cherish the good days but don’t overdo it because you want to make the good days last as long as possible. It is very important to remember that some days your pain is not going to be as bad but it’s still there and can easily become bad again by doing too much.
I write an extra blog post– Since I started blogging, I have never been the type of blogger to write things ahead of time and schedule and usually would write them the day they are published because I am unemployed and can do that. Lately, I have been scheduling posts ahead of time and am currently about two weeks ahead in blog posts because I have been learning that sometimes my pain is too bad and I am not able to write a post. On bad pain days, I do not write blog posts but on good pain days, I do because can always schedule the posts for a different day if I write on a day that I don’t publish blog posts. I don’t write a ton of extra blog posts, because I don’t want to overdo it and usually I only do one because it never hurts to get ahead. When my pain is at its worst, I am always glad when I am able to ahead because allows me to take a day off while still updating my blog. I recognize that not everyone with chronic pain can get ahead like I do but if you do have the opportunity, it can be helpful to plan for those bad days. Planning posts ahead of time can be helpful for everyone because you never know when a natural disaster will come up are in a situation where you can’t blog.
Do a little more exercise- When I am having a good pain day I don’t necessarily increase the intensity of my workouts because pain is not your fault and you don’t need to punish yourself on good days. If I am having a better day, I do try and do a little more movement because it is likely that I was not able to do a ton of exercise if any when my pain was flaring. I take advantage of the good days and don’t skip my workout because I have plenty of bad days when I am forced to take a rest and not exercise. I try to schedule in movement when I am feeling my best because I can usually get a decent workout that I am not able to on a bad day. Exercise can help prevent pain flares but it can be very difficult to be consistent with exercise when you live with pain so it’s important that you exercise when you can.
I practice self-care to prevent a flare- When you are having a bad pain day, it is so important to take care of yourself to get out of the flare. If you are having a good pain day self-care should not be in the rearview mirror because taking care of yourself can help prevent your symptoms from flaring. When I am having a good day, I have more energy to make a healthy meal and try to practice self-care to keep myself feeling good as long as possible. Self-care is not just for bad pain days, and you should be practicing it all the time because the better you take care of yourself the more good pain days you will have.
When I am having a good pain day, I often will do a little more activity than I would if my pain was flaring but I try to listen to my body and not too much. Good pain days are something to be cherished because you can feel great one day and terrible the next. On a good pain day, I don’t do completely different things than I would on a bad day but sometimes I do play a little catch up and complete tasks I couldn’t on a bad day because you have to take advantage of the days you have more energy. It is nice to occasionally have a good pain day, but you have to be careful to not do too much because sometimes low pain levels can trick you into thinking you’re getting better. These are a few things I personally would do on a good pain day but not everyone with chronic pain will do the same types of things and it depends on the individual. What would you do if you were having a good pain day? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
In case you missed it, be sure to check out my previous post on what I do on a bad pain day
Subscribe And Never Miss A Post
My Rockin Disabled Life 