Rolling with the Punches: PJ from Pajama Daze on Living with Multiple Chronic Conditions
This article is written by Agatha Singer.
According to statistics, over 1.5 billion people on the planet suffer from chronic pain. Every single one of them knows that this affects every level of a person’s life. Depression, anxiety, and many other health issues are common problems that occur because of the chronic condition.
But you have the power to change your life for the better. Even if your pain cannot be cured, you can make your days lighter and ensure you are able to enjoy all kinds of fun activities. To achieve this, you’ll need to improve your general wellbeing, get new hobbies, and learn to seek help when you need it, among other things.
How to Make Your Days Brighter Despite Chronic Pain
1. Learn how to express your anger
Anger is a big part of living with chronic pain, states research. It leads to disruptive impulse control as well as a host of personal issues and conflicts with people dear to you. It’s a thing that can destroy your relationships as well as greatly affect your mental health. The majority of people suffering from chronic pain are angry not only at healthcare professionals and ‘outside’ people in general. They are also angry at themselves, which makes this feeling particularly straining for the psyche.
Bottling up anger is the worst thing you can do, so you should focus on learning how to manage it instead. Some methods to try include:
- Expressing your anger through art.
- Exercising to ‘work off some steam’.
- Taking a ‘time-out’ when you are about to lash out on someone else.
- Learn breathing exercisesto help calm and center yourself.
2. Start a healthy diet
Eating healthy is going to improve your wellbeing on many levels. In many cases, this can even help reduce your pain. This is particularly the case if you are overweight because excess weight often aggravates chronic disorders.
If this is your case, you should start with a diet that will help you regain healthy weight without damaging your body and risking more pain. This kind of program should consist of a diet rich in nutrients and antioxidants and an exercise plan that your condition allows. Click here to see how you can develop such a personalized program. And remember that you will need to create a plan that accounts for your health. The diet you choose has to be well-balanced and approved by your doctor.
If weight loss isn’t your main concern, you simply should switch to a healthy diet rich in whole foods. Avoid junk foods, snacks, processed products, and red meat with a high fat content. Use the Mediterranean cuisine as your guide for the healthiest food options.
And remember that the healthier you are overall, the stronger your mind and body are. It’s this strength that will give you some resilience to chronic pain.
3. Expect to be let down (don’t let it bring you down)
It’s a sad truth that a person suffering from chronic pain often has to do this alone. Loneliness only contributes to stress and mental problems caused by the condition. Those, in turn, make the painful episodes worse.
There is no avoiding the fact that at some point, even the closest people might let you down. Bear in mind that this might happen because the person is suffering through some personal issues. However, such things are hard not to take personally.
But no matter how hard, that’s exactly what you need to learn how to do. You should be prepared for such a situation and have coping ‘protocols’ in place for when it happens. This will help you get through the experience without damaging your emotional and physical health.
4. Get a hobby or two
Learning new things as well as doing the things you enjoy is a sure way to brighten up your life. And that’s exactly what you need when living with chronic pain. Practicing a hobby will help you focus on something positive and might even reduce the frequency of intense painful episodes.
The hobby can be anything from cooking to solving crosswords. However, be sure to choose something that won’t aggravate your condition. You should also try to practice at least one type of art. The power of art therapy is a proven fact, says Harvard Medical School. You should use it to help overcome mental and emotional issues that come up when living with chronic pain.
The most important thing to remember when you are struggling with pain on a regular basis is that you shouldn’t allow it to control your whole life. Always do your best to stay in charge of itand adopt healthy habits that will strengthen your body and mind. A healthy diet is an essential part of your success because the serotonin production in your body is literally governed by your gut. Therefore, a healthy diet is key to feeling happier and relieving pain naturally. New hobbies and non-destructive anger-management strategies, as well as preparedness for difficult situations, are other vital elements of leading a happy life with a debilitating illness.
Author bio: I’m Agatha Singer, a work-from-home mom of two little nuggets. My interests range from the latest business management trends to healthy living and adventurous traveling. I always stay open to new ideas and expertise to make my writings handy and captivating for you. I’ll be happy to see you on my blog!
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