When you live life with chronic pain, at times even the basic things like going to the gym or a yoga class can become very difficult. Even though these things are very simple for some people and they don’t have to think twice before doing them, other people can have challenges getting through a day at home, driving or interacting with others when suffering from chronic pain.
However, for most people, the more their lifestyle is active, the easier it becomes for them to manage pain. It can be a very effective way to not only manage pain but to also live a healthier life. At times, even small daily habits or small lifestyle changes can end up making a big difference in achieving the larger goals.
Whether you are suffering from joint pain, back pain, migraines, arthritis, or any other condition, or even if you are looking for car accident pain management options, a few lifestyle changes, and adopting new habits can significantly affect your overall pain tolerance and well-being.
Let’s get to the ten daily lifestyle changes that can help you ease or better manage chronic pain.
Exercise
Whether you are trying to better manage pain or just focus on your overall well-being, including exercise or some form of physical activity into your routine is very important. Some people may choose not to exercise because they are hurting, but without doing any exercise they will not only lose their muscle strength and tone, but this may also make their pain worse.
However, even doing mild exercises release endorphins, which are the brain chemicals that make your feel good, lift up your mood, and may block pain. Fortunately, there many types of exercises or physical activities that you can adapt depending on availability, convenience, and what you enjoy doing. You could also opt for strengthening exercises, aerobics, or stretching exercises to give your body some boost and relief that it needs.
Practice Relaxation
This may sound very obvious to some people, but it might surprise a lot of you to know that not many people actually take time from their busy schedules to relax and calm their minds. Practicing relaxation can have a big impact on your mood, stress levels, and pain management.
Many stress management techniques like meditation, deep breathing and biofeedback help relax your body, which tends to ease your pain. If you are suffering from chronic pain, make sure to talk to your doctor or professional at the car accident clinic to find the best relaxation methods for your condition.
Take Healthy Diet
What you eat has a big impact on how you feel, look, and perceive life, and everything in between. If you have ever suffered from chronic pain then you would agree that you are ready to do everything that actually helps your body manage the pain and not hinder it.
A great way to do that is to ensure your body is strong with a nutritious diet. Eating healthy and balanced meals helps improve your blood sugar, maintain healthy body weight, lowers the odds of heart problems, and aids with digestion. Try to keep your diet rich in fresh produce, whole grains, and low-fat proteins.
Keep A Journal
You may not be able to understand how keeping a journal will help your manage pain, but it can be very effective in allowing you to help your doctor is helping you. You can note down information like what activities caused you pain, what was the level of the pain, how long it lasted, and what helped in making it better.
Making this information available to your doctor can be helpful in your recovery process. It gives insights to your doctor and helps them better understand your pain and enable a more effective treatment plan.
Avoid Alcohol
Your body and mind need a good night’s sleep to be able to soothe the stress that pain causes you. Even though some people may argue that a drink can help you with falling asleep. However, when alcohol breaks down in your body, it tends to result in shallow sleep, it shortens the significant time in rapid eye movement sleep and might even wake you up.
This means, using alcohol can become the cause of a less restful, good night’s sleep. It can cause you stress or feeling low or depressed the next day and may also make the pain worse.
Quit Smoking
Some people turn to smoke as a quick and temporary relief from the pain and stress they are doing during a certain time period in their lives. However, the irony is that smoking may be adding to your pain in the long run. Smoking slows down the healing process, worsens the circulation, and increases your chances of degenerative disc issues, which happen to be a cause of low back pain.
Hence, for your overall health and well-being and managing your pain in the long run, it is recommended to quit smoking. You can consult your doctor or a professional for programs and methods to help you make this necessary lifestyle change.
Give Yourself Some Time Off
Understand your body is in pain, so make sure to not push yourself too hard. Set limits for what you can and can’t do, keeping your health and wellness in mind. At times, this may mean saying no to events when your body needs rest, or depending on your preferences it may mean getting regular massages. Sometimes what your body and mind really need can also be a dinner date with friends or family to boost your spirits.
It is important to care for yourself when you are experiencing chronic pain, how you do it can vary.
Keep Up With Your Medicines
A big part of managing pain is strictly follow your doctor’s prescription and treatment plan. Make sure you take the time to understand the medicines you are taking, how they affect your body and how they help you.
It is best to maintain a normal activity level and mood during the treatment. However, if you don’t feel the same as before, it may mean you need to try a different medicine. Talk to your doctor and try to get the best help for your body.
Distract Yourself
Sometimes, the best way to manage your pain is to simply keep yourself distracted. Dealing with pain can be very frustrating and it can make getting a day very difficult. But, if you keep busy with different activities and try to keep your mind on things other than the pain, it can be very helpful in living a normal life.
Go for the cooking class you have been thinking of, try yoga, or join a book club. Even if you are not able to control the pain, you can still control your life and how you live it.
Take Professional Help
Reaching out to professionals with experience in helping people in similar conditions is a good habit to develop. There is also nothing wrong with talking to your friends or family and asking for help.
It is also a good idea to find out more about your condition and share that information with other people in your life. Remember, you are not alone, chronic pain is more common than you may think, chances are you might be able to get help from around you.