3 MORE Daily Habits You Can do to Help Your Chronic Pain

Last month I shared 3 daily habits you can do to help your chronic pain. This month I share 3 more daily habits! These habits continue to focus on the nervous system. By regulating the nervous system you can help calm the body and the mind, reducing your chronic pain experience. Let’s dive in!

Sleep Routine

Sleep and chronic pain have a bi-directional relationship. Poor sleep can lead to increases in pain, and pain can make it hard to fall asleep. Sleep is very important for overall recovery. When you have poor sleep, especially for days and weeks at a time, your body is not performing at its optimal level. Incorporating a sleep routine into your daily life can aid in helping you fall asleep quicker, improve your sleep, and in turn improve your pain. My top tips for a sleep routine are as follows: 

• Put away all screens and electronics an hour before bed. Removing blue light can help your circadian rhythms, reminding your body it is time to sleep. 

• Do a calming activity before bed; this could be reading, journaling, having a warm bath or a warm cup of tea. Anything that relaxes the body and prompts it to recognize sleep is coming. 

• Go to bed at roughly the same time every night. Just like the first two tips, a consistent bedtime can prompt your body to know it is time to sleep, helping you fall asleep quicker.

Journal

Journaling can be a great way to get your thoughts and emotions out of your body. Sometimes, when living with chronic pain, stored emotions have been said to stay in the body. This can show up as pain, tension, or illness. Now this is not to say that your pain is all in your head, your pain is very real and very much in your body. However, you cannot separate the body and the brain. Dealing with any stored sadness, anger, resentment, or fear may benefit your physical body, so why not give it a try? I suggest taking 10-20 minutes to freely write whatever comes up in the moment. Don’t judge your thoughts, or try and change them. Allow yourself to feel whatever you need to feel and express it out on paper. Notice how your body feels afterwards. Perhaps it will feel like a weight is lifted, or tension is released…you’ll never know if you don’t try!

Connect 

Social connection is beneficial for many reasons. Connecting with others has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression and improve sleep, well-being and quality of life. When living with pain, it can be hard to get the motivation to connect with others. This is especially true if it involves activities, adventuring, or being out for hours at a time (especially on higher pain days)! The good thing is that socializing does not have to be a big ordeal. Calling a friend, having a friend over for a few hours, or talking to people online can all be beneficial. Finding some way to socialize daily can leave you feeling less alone in your pain experience. 

Add these tips into your daily life and see how they impact your pain experience!