September is Pain Awareness Month. Chronic pain takes so much from you because you can’t do anything without pain, and there are some activities people with chronic pain used to enjoy but no longer can. I am always talking about everything that chronic pain has taken from me because it’s reality of living in pain and it’s important that people without pain understand that. Chronic pain has taken so much from me, and there are some activities that I have stopped doing because of pain but it doesn’t ruin everything. I have more limitations because of chronic pain but it doesn’t take away all my joy and there are still a lot of things I can enjoy as much as someone without chronic pain. Chronic pain forces you to give up certain activities and do things in a slightly different way to accommodate your pain levels, but there are some things that pain has not taken from me. What things has chronic pain not taken from me? In this post, I am sharing five things I can still do while living with chronic pain.
It has not taken away my desire to blog- When you live with pain, it can be hard to sit and concentrate because pain is distracting and makes it hard to sit and create quality content. I have been blogging for nine years, and for the first couple of years of blogging, I did not have chronic pain, and I still enjoy it with chronic pain. Blogging with chronic pain is hard, but I still have a desire to blog, and if anything, my chronic pain has made me want to advocate more. There is so much stigma when it comes to pain, and if anything, my chronic pain has given me more of a desire to blog about invisible pain. Blogging with chronic pain looks different, and people with pain often can’t be as consistent as someone without chronic pain but I am fortunate that I haven’t lost my love of blogging. I have days when I can’t blog because my pain levels are too high, but I am fortunate that I still love blogging as much as I did when I started despite living with chronic pain. Some people with chronic pain quit blogging because they are in too much pain, and I am fortunate I am not in a place where I have to consider quitting for less pain. Pain can change over time, and there may be one day that I do quit blogging because of pain, but for now I am still enjoying it.
My pain has not taken away my ability to exercise- When you live with chronic pain, it can be hard to exercise because sometimes exercising triggers more pain. Some people with chronic pain are not able to exercise without flaring their symptoms, but I am fortunate that my pain has not taken away my ability to exercise. I sometimes exercise less because of pain and have to make adjustments to my routine to accommodate my pain levels, but my pain has not taken away my ability to exercise. I don’t enjoy exercising as much and can’t exercise at the same intensity as someone without chronic pain can, but I am grateful I still have that ability. Movement makes my life easier and my chronic pain does affect my workout routine but it has not completely prevented me from being able to exercise. I don’t know how long I will be able to exercise for before it become too much but for now I am just taking it one day at a time.
My chronic pain has not affected relationship with friends family- Chronic pain can affect relationships because pain is often invisible, and people tend to not believe pain they cannot see. In the past, I have lost friends because of my disability, and I am fortunate that my chronic pain has not negatively impacted the relationships I have with people in my life. People in my family are understanding and have never called me a faker when I have to cancel things at the last minute because of pain. People in my life sometimes get sad when I am crying, and my chronic pain is visible, but I am fortunate that it has not destroyed any relationships I have within my own family. Some disabled people have people within their own families who don’t believe their pain is real, and don’t have a great support system. I am grateful I have never had that experience because coping with pain is so much harder when you don’t have support.
It is not taken away my happiness- Chronic pain changes a person, and depending on the severity of your pain, it can make some people depressed and angry. On bad pain days, I sometimes get depressed like most people do, but I am grateful that my pain has not gotten so bad that it makes me angry and depressed all the time because chronic pain will do that to you. My pain has taken the joy out of doing some activities, but for the most part, I am in good spirits most of the time because I try very hard not to let my pain ruin my happiness.
Pain has not taken away my ability to leave my home- When you live with chronic pain, sometimes it can be hard to leave your home because pain can be so debilitating that you can’t get out of bed. I have days I have to cancel plans I was planning on attending because my pain decided to flare but for the most part I can go out and do things like someone without pain can. I don’t have as much energy as someone without chronic pain, but I still can go to the movies and not have bad flares every single time. My chronic pain has not prevented me from being able to leave my home, and I am so grateful for that because it is depressing to be stuck in bed all the time. My pain has made it more difficult to go out and enjoy certain activities but I am grateful that I am still able to go out and experience life because there are so many people in pain where that is not their reality.
When you live with chronic pain, it is easy to focus on all the negatives of living with pain because there are more negatives than positives. Pain takes so much from you and it so important that we recognize that, but at the same time it’s also important to be aware of all the things pain doesn’t take from you. There are some activities that trigger my pain that I no longer do, but there are also a lot of activities I still can enjoy while living with pain. I sometimes have to do things in a slightly different way to accommodate my pain, but it doesn’t ruin everything in life because there are a lot of things that don’t flare my pain. Chronic pain changes the way I do certain activities, but I still try to enjoy life while living with pain because feeling sorry for yourself all the time is no way to live. It is so important that we remind ourselves of all the things pain hasn’t taken away from us because it’s easy to forget that. Everyone with chronic pain has different experiences, and these are things that my pain has not taken away from me personally. People with more severe pain may have more restrictions and be able to do less than me. What has your chronic pain not taken from you? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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