If you don’t already know, September is Pain Awareness Month. When you live with chronic pain, sometimes it can be difficult to take care of yourself because pain often prevents you from being able to take care of your basic self-care needs. I have lived with chronic pain for several years, and it has affected every aspect of my life because, despite what some people believe, medication does not get your pain to a zero and only gets it to a level you can function. Self-care is important for everyone, but it’s even more important for people in pain because when you take care of yourself, it can improve your pain levels. It can be hard to practice self-care when you are in debilitating pain because you don’t want to do anything but it’s on the bad days when it’s even more important to prioritize self-care. People often think that self-care is all about bubbly baths and meditation, and although those are some ways you can practice self-care, it doesn’t end there. Self-care can be hard for many people in pain because some days standing for thirty seconds can feel like a major accomplishment. How can you practice self-care when you live with pain? In this post, I am going to share a few ways I practice self-care while living with pain.
Move your body as much as you can- Some people with chronic pain are not able to exercise because sometimes you are in too much pain to be able to move, and it worsens when you exercise. Exercise does not cure chronic pain, but it can help improve pain in some people if you are doing the right kind. People often don’t think of exercise as a form of self-care, but it is because anything that improves your health can be considered a form of self-care. I exercise to improve my physical health, but that is not the main reason I exercise regularly, and I exercise because it helps prevent my pain from flaring. Movement can be hard for people in pain, and you may not be able to exercise as much as someone without chronic pain, but it’s so important that you do what it takes to take care of yourself and move as much as you can. It is okay if all you can do is a few stretches because something is always better than nothing. Everyone has different tolerances for exercise, and it’s important that you find something that works for you because when you work toward improving your health, you will have fewer high-pain days.
Take rest days when you need them and don’t feel guilty about it- Chronic pain is often unpredictable, and sometimes you will have a lot of things to get done, but you aren’t able to do these tasks because your pain decided to flare at the absolute worst time. People with chronic pain sometimes need to take more rest days than someone without chronic pain, and that is okay because there are some things in life you cannot control. Take rest days when you need them and try not to feel guilty because resting is not laziness, but it’s often necessary and a form of self-care. It is so important to listen to your body when you live with pain because when you don’t do that, and try to push through it, it makes the pain worse. Resting when you need it is difficult sometimes, but it’s so important to remind yourself that we aren’t unreliable, but our pain is.
Ask for help when you need it- Non-disabled people often will make disabled people feel shame for asking for help and will tell us that it’s a sign of weakness. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness because everyone has moments when they need a little help and shouldn’t be embarrassed to ask for help. When you live with pain and are struggling with tasks, sometimes you have to ask for help because you don’t have the energy to do basic tasks and need to save as much energy as you can. Asking for help is a form of self-care because when I have severe pain, I fall more often, and sometimes the safest option is to ask for help with tasks I normally could do myself. Asking for help on bad days is not weakness or laziness, but it’s a sign of strength because only strong people are able to recognize when they can’t do it alone. It is important that you don’t try to do too much on bad days because you are only hurting yourself.
Remind yourself it’s not your fault- When you are struggling with pain, it is easy to start blaming yourself for the pain and talking negatively about yourself. It is so important that we try to avoid negative self-talk because chronic pain is not your fault. I sometimes find myself bringing myself down on bad days because it’s easy to do, and I have been working on not doing that. Self-care isn’t only about the physical things you do; but the way you talk about yourself matters. Positive self-talk is a form of self-care because nothing good ever happens when you don’t believe in yourself and are constantly bringing yourself down. It isn’t always easy, but it’s so important we remind ourselves that our pain is not our fault because if we don’t do that, our brains will convince us that it is.
Fuel your body well- When you live with chronic pain, making a meal can be difficult because sometimes all you want to do is lie in bed until the pain passes. Nutrition plays a major role in pain management, and it’s so important that you fuel your body with something, even if all you can handle is a smoothie, because fueling your body with good, nutritious food is a form of self-care. Don’t neglect nutrition on bad days because you still need to eat when you are not feeling well. Meal prepping when you are well can be a lifesaver for many people with chronic illness because it means you don’t have to do a lot of cooking when you are struggling with pain. Fuel your body well when you are in pain because not eating the right kinds of food is not taking care of yourself. Good nutrition is a form of self-care because you aren’t taking care of yourself when you ignore the way different foods make you feel.
When you live with chronic pain, sometimes it can be difficult to practice self-care because you don’t have the energy to do a lot of things. Self-care doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated, and it can be as simple as eating a healthy meal or going for a walk. If you live with pain, try to take care of yourself as best as you can because you will feel worse when you neglect self-care and don’t listen to your body. Bubbly baths and meditation are forms of self-care, but they’re not for everyone, and you don’t have to do these things if they don’t bring you joy. Everyone has different things that bring them joy, and it’s so important that you find that one thing that makes you happy and distracts you from the pain you are experiencing. Self-care is important for everyone because you will feel better when you are engaging in healthy habits. These are a few things that I do to practice self-care while living with pain, but not everyone will do these same things and that is okay, because there is no one-size fits only when it comes to self-care. How do you practice self-care while living with pain? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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