Dr Justine Dreyer
Dealing with pain can be challenging and it is easy to feel overwhelmed and controlled by it.
But.
Pain no longer has to control you.
Pain no longer has to define you.
Pain no longer has to overwhelm you.
Here are some things you can do to take back control:
1. Acknowledge the pain. Stop trying to suppress it. I know that sounds like a terrible idea, but in order to move beyond the pain you need to recognise that it serves a purpose and is trying to protect you. If the pain signals are not working to get your attention, it escalates and becomes stronger until you acknowledge it. When you try to suppress the pain, it actually becomes worse.
2. Identify the physical, psychological, and social contributors to your pain. Pain is rarely purely physical. Associated depression, anxiety, external stress or external enabling factors can play a huge role in perpetuating and escalating your pain. They often lose some of their power as soon as you recognise them.
3. Identify the physical, environmental, social, and psychological things that you can control. What routines, reactions, words, or behaviors can you control? Pain often leads us to feel helpless, but this is a feeling, not a fact. You are not as helpless as you feel.
4. Practice being present in the moment. When you catch yourself predicting the course of your day or your life or find yourself stuck in a past memory, gently bring yourself back to the moment you are in. You can use grounding techniques and mindfulness to help you.
5. Seek help from a therapist who understands the pain and provides evidence-based forms of therapy for pain, such as pain neuroscience education, pain reprocessing therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, or supportive therapy.
6. Movement is an essential part of pain management. See and follow up with a movement specialist who understands pain and won’t worsen your pain by using inappropriate techniques for your type of pain. This can be a physiotherapist, chiropractor, yoga instructor, or any other exercise and movement practitioner who has studied further in the field of Pain.
Contact us
We are here to help you take back control and live your life moving forward, despite the pain.
Make your appointment at 044 333 0520 or reception@georgepaincentre.co.za.
