When you live with chronic pain, it often feels lonely because most people do not have chronic pain and think that you can cure yourself by taking your medication, eating healthy, and exercising more, but that is only true for some people. Chronic pain affects everything you do and changes you because you are not the same person you were before chronic pain. It can be very hard for people without chronic pain to understand what you are going through because pain is often invisible and you look fine, so people assume your pain isn’t that bad. Most people don’t understand how living with pain negatively impacts your life because they don’t live with chronic pain and don’t see all the things that pain has taken from. I have lived without chronic pain most of my life and have only had it for about ten years or so. You never truly realize what pain takes from you until you have chronic pain and can no longer do activities you once enjoyed. What does chronic pain take from you? In this post, I am sharing five things that chronic pain takes from you.
It takes aways your energy- Many people with chronic pain struggle with fatigue because pain can make it very difficult to get proper sleep. It is not the same type of fatigue that you would get from a long workday, and in order to understand fatigue from pain, you would have to go three days without any sleep and then try to function. Before I lived with chronic pain, I had consistent energy throughout the day, as long as I slept well, but now I almost never have energy. It doesn’t matter how many hours I sleep; it never feels like enough because fatigue from pain is not something you can sleep off. I don’t have as much energy as someone without chronic pain and find myself having to pick and choose what activities I want to do and when because I can’t do everything all at once without burning myself out. Chronic pain takes away your energy because your body is constantly fighting pain, and if you have chronic pain, you can say goodbye to ever having normal energy again. Lifestyle changes can help some people improve their energy levels slightly, but most people can’t cure their pain by eating healthier and exercising more. Chronic pain has taken away my energy, and I miss the days I had energy because now I have no motivation to ever want to do anything productive.
It has taken away my joy of movement- Exercise is often recommended for people with chronic pain because it can help improve pain levels for some people. It can be hard to exercise with chronic pain because if you do the wrong kinds of movement, it can trigger more pain which is why a lot of people don’t exercise. I started exercising consistently before I had chronic pain and used to enjoy it, but now it brings me no joy, and I do it because I know it’s good for me and not moving will cause more pain. My exercise routine completely drains me, and it doesn’t matter how low-impact my routine is; it’s impossible exercise without triggering my pain. Exercise is different when you live with chronic pain and often is not as enjoyable when you have to exercise with pain. Exercise has taken away my joy of movement, and it’s something I do because I know it benefits me, but it’s not something I will ever enjoy while living with pain.
It takes aways your happiness- Chronic pain negatively affects your quality of life, causing some people to become angry and depressed. I am fortunate that my pain hasn’t gotten so severe that I can’t get out of bed, and I am able to go out and do things. My chronic pain has made me want to advocate more for people with pain because invisible pain is often dismissed as anxiety, and we need more people raising awareness. Some people with chronic pain lose their sparkle because pain takes away your happiness and you’re not the same person you were before chronic pain. It is hard for some people to see the positives of living with pain because you spend a lot of time in bed and miss out on a lot of important events. It is depressing to watch yourself lose the ability to do things and not be able to do anything about it. I am fortunate that my chronic pain hasn’t become so severe that I can barely function most days, but I do fear that one day that could happen.
You lose the ability to do your favorite activities- Most people without chronic pain do not realize how much you have to give up because of pain. Chronic pain changes every aspect of your life, and sometimes you have to give up your favorite activities because it flares your chronic pain. Before I do any activity, I always have to think about how it’s going to impact my pain levels, and sometimes I have to say no to activities that I want to do. I have had to give up activities such as playing videos for long periods of time that I once enjoyed because it triggers my migraine pain and it’s no longer enjoyable for me. You find new things that your chronic pain doesn’t ruin, but it’s still hard to have to give up your favorite activities, and you often grieve the life you had before pain.
It takes away your friends– Chronic pain negatively impacts relationships and sometimes it can cause good friendships to fall apart because you look well and people don’t understand. I have had friendships fall apart because people lack understanding of my chronic pain and think that if I were to exercise a little more, I would cure my chronic pain. Many people with chronic pain lose friends, which is why the online community can be so powerful, because it allows you to connect with people who live with chronic pain and understand what it’s like. It is hard to lose friends because of pain, and no one prepares you for that.
When it comes to chronic pain, a lot of people can see how it physically impacts you, but what you may not see is all the things pain takes from you. Living with chronic pain is hard, but the physical pain isn’t the hardest part; it’s all the things pain takes from you. Chronic pain steals your friendships and slowly causes you to lose the ability to do things that you once could, and most people don’t see that part of pain. It can be very hard to explain chronic pain to someone who doesn’t have it because it’s something you have to experience to be able to understand. Most people without chronic pain think the solution to feeling better is to take more medication, but what a lot of people fail to understand is that medication doesn’t give you significant relief. Everyone has different experiences with chronic pain, and not everyone is going to lose the ability to do the same types of activities, but something we all can agree on is that pain changes you. What has chronic pain taken from you? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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