Jennifer LytlePeople living with chronic pain are at heightened risk for mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
Coping With Chronic Pain
Here are ten strategies for coping with chronic pain.
- Family Medical Leave Act
If you are employed, talk to your HR representative about FMLA. Remember this visit is not therapeutic in nature. It might be helpful to consider this as a visit with a lawyer or an officer of the law. Human Resources is invested in protecting the liability of their company/organization within the law. It may be in your interest to retain decorum as though you were talking with an individual with influence in a legal system that can either judge on your behalf or against you while remaining within their legal bounds.
- Soul Searching
When grappling with physical pain that cycles without end, it might be meaningful to consider aspects that are within your power to change. Do you enjoy your work? Do you find value in your friendships and relationships? Are you able to take a break from the routine of life and get away on an extended sabbatical in a new setting? Questions like these may help sift out those choices which no longer serve you well.
Making shifts and adjustments in life may prove uncomfortable or upsetting in some instances, but often fresh starts can bring incredible relief and rejuvenation. A licensed professional can support you through this process, even if it is open-ended and hypothetical. Frequently, when one thinks of change, there can be this idea of life-altering decisions. Skilled clinicians will help work with you on realistic and manageable changes.
- Exposure Therapy
With the support of a skilled professional, some chronic pain that cycles or flares occasionally, exposure therapy may be considered as an option. Typically, this treatment is reserved for issues related to anxiety or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. However, depending on what you have already considered, Exposure Therapy might assist with the fear or thoughts related to experiencing pain.
- Group Support
People with chronic pain can benefit from the support of others who also experience ongoing physical symptoms that can otherwise isolate an individual. Consider overlapping individual counseling with group therapy or have plans to weave group work with individual work. A skilled clinician can help you find reputable resources for group work while supporting you in the treatment goals incorporating both modalities.
- Mindfulness Training
Working with a skilled clinician on controlling one’s thoughts can have profound benefits. It is a practice of slowing down thoughts and considering them with the understanding that a thought is not necessarily right (or wrong.) Through mindfulness practices and other cognitive work such as The Work (see #7), one grows in understanding that their lens or framework of perception can be limited. Mindfulness is an exercise of thinking about what one is thinking about.
- Body Work
Planned physical movement in the form of Tai Chi or Kung Fu work in tandem with mindfulness training. This discipline assists a participating individual in becoming partner with their body in juxtaposition to the perception that they are victim to chronic pain. Additionally, body work like acupuncture can pair well with mindfulness to discover areas where painful emotions may be stored or impact physical health.
- The Work, by Byron Katie
As part of mindfulness and exposure therapy, one helpful tool may be those offered by Byron Katie. These are exercises and specific questions that can be used to reframe one’s perspective and relationship to thoughts about pain. A skilled practitioner or trusted friend can work with you through the exercises available for free on her website.
- Grounding Exercises
Grounding is a specific exercise which draws, or grounds, an individual into the present moment. Frequently, chronic pain can bring up past or future images. These images may stir up emotions of depression or anxiety. These thoughts can amplify physical sensations. Grounding aids in the person becoming aware of where they are and how they are so that the present moment is not impacted by experiences outside of the current one. A skilled clinician can simplify grounding and work with clients directly so that it can be done without any support.
- Give Back
One of the regular treatments I offer clients at Joyful Journeys Counseling is to find ways to give back. Whether through time, talent, or treasure, you have something to share! Tapping into local volunteer opportunities like Mobile Loaves and Fishes or your local foster care system allows you to connect with others who also need support. This experience supports the mindset work referenced repeatedly in addition to the undefinable reality that philanthropy feels good.
- Journal
Writing taps into one’s creative potential. Writing is a legitimate therapeutic intervention and can aid in processing painful emotions in addition to moving individuals out of that lens. Find an accountability partner and commit to writing a gratitude journal each day. Tie this practice into something that you do every day, without fail. For some, this is taking vitamins or medication. For others, it may be brushing their teeth or drinking coffee on the couch. Whatever you habitually do, find a way to invest 5-minutes (start as small or low as you need to be able to commit to the activity) a day in writing something you are thankful for from the day. If this is challenging, a single word each day counts as journaling. An attractive journal may make it easier for this new commitment.
About the Author
Jennifer Lytle is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Central Texas. She founded Joyful Journeys Counseling to provide accessible, quality mental health care in Central Texas. As a clinician, Jennifer promotes a client-centered, strengths based, solution-focused, trauma-informed approach. Jennifer specializes in crisis intervention, conflict resolution, communication training, parent education and coaching, and treatment for anxiety-related disorders. In her personal life, she is married to her best friend from high school for over fifteen years. Her husband and she are parents to four wildly beautiful souls. She occupies her free time reading historical fiction, enjoying outdoor hikes with family, and sourcing bargain antiques.
