Dealing with pain is a hassle of daily life for everyone, but for some, it takes over their lives. Seeking relief, many become addicted to the very pain medication that they hope will provide the solution. However, the situation is not hopeless, and you can do a lot to manage your pain more effectively without drugs.
Incidentally, these tips are also helpful if you are using alcohol, another drug, food, sex or any other behavior to try and cope with pain.
1. Understand What Pain is For
Pain serves an important function in everyday life -– to protect your body from harm. Rather than trying to fix pain when it happens, become more aware of it. Notice the different types of pain you experience –- muscle cramps, bumps, scratches etc.
If pain medication is effective, it is generally unhelpful for understanding your own pain patterns, because it blocks off your awareness of the cause of the pain. Without understanding the cause, you won’t find a solution.
2. Use Behavioral Techniques to Relieve Headaches
In today’s fast-paced world, headaches are among the most common forms of pain we experience. There are many causes of headaches, and they can usually be dealt with by tuning in to what your body needs, rather than reaching for pain medication. Many common causes of headaches have simple solutions. Try to get into the habit of using behavioral techniques first, and using medication only if they are ineffective.
Don’t forget to report any recurrent headaches to your family doctor to rule out any physical causes.
3. Take Care of Your Back
Back pain is another common form of pain. Back pain is often caused by incorrect posture, particularly when stooping or lifting -- even if you have a pre-existing injury. Rather than taking pain medication to deal with back pain, take care of your back by preventing pain before it happens.
If you are prone to back pain or have a previous back injury avoid lifting whenever possible. Ask for help if it is available. Let go of the belief that you have to do everything for yourself.
4. Recognize and Acknowledge Emotional Pain
Often pain is emotional in origin. This does not mean you are imagining your pain, that it is all in your head, or that the experience does not hurt. It just means that the pain messages your brain is receiving are related to emotional causes.
There are many examples of emotions that people with chronic pain often have difficulty expressing and which exacerbate physical pain.
There are many ways of releasing emotional pain, including talking to a trusted friend or counselor, writing in a journal, and moderate exercise. The intention here is not to re-live and hang onto the past, but to express your feelings about it, let go, and move on from what happened. If you don’t feel able to do this, speak to your doctor.
5. Allow Yourself a Reasonable Amount of Time to Heal From an Injury
There are many types of injury, courses of recovery, and factors affecting the time it will take you to heal, such as your health, age, and the nature of the injury. During this time, prescribed pain medication is helpful for getting you through. Develop a schedule for incorporating more movement and strengthening exercises to prepare the injury site for normal daily use.
Engage in ongoing dialogue with your doctor about reducing your medication as the healing time progresses. Be honest with your doctor about what you are feeling. Talking about your pain on a level of 1 to 10, with 1 being no pain and 10 being the most pain you can imagine experiencing, can help you communicate the intensity of what you are feeling.
6. Understand How Pain Medications Can Be Addictive
There are two ways in which pain medications such as opiates are addictive.
Firstly, over time, you need to take more to get the same effect as your body develops physical tolerance to the drug.
Secondly, pain medication numbs your awareness of emotional pain as well as physical pain, so emotional pain can feel more intense when the pain medication wears off, particularly if you also experience withdrawal.
Many people do not realize that their pain is emotional in origin, and just want the hurt to stop. So they take more medications, which become less effective, and they become more addicted.
Trust your doctor, and be open to alternatives to a medication increase.
7. Remember You Can Never Be Pain-Free
When people experience a long-term pattern of chronic pain, they often forget how much pain is involved in everyday life. Some pain is normal and healthy. Yet people with chronic pain become so focused on being pain-free that they become intolerant to any pain, despite often neglecting to live a healthy lifestyle, which would develop their resilience.Accepting that some pain is inevitable is a good way to avoid reaching for the pill bottle as soon as you start hurting.
8. Relax Into Pain, Don’t Clench Against It
This is a difficult technique to learn but worth the effort. Practice in relaxation, deep breathing and meditation techniques are extremely helpful in achieving this. The more relaxed you are, the more you will understand where your pain is coming from, how to resolve it, and the less tension you will put back into your body.9. Make Changes in Your Life
If a major aspect of your life, such as your job or relationship, is causing you grief, then it is likely to be felt on a physical level at some point. It may be time to explore new options in your life, such as a career change or relationship counseling. These kinds of life changes are more common than ever before, and are often viewed as a sign of maturity and responsibility, rather than in the negative way you might imagine it to be perceived.10. Enjoy Life
Even in great pain, people are capable of happiness. Make sure you have a regular dose of laughter and good company. That will relieve your pain more effectively than all the medications in the world.11. -
Sources
Caudill, M. Managing Pain Before It Manages You. Third Edition. New York: Guilford. 2009.
Sadler, J. Pain Relief Without Drugs: A Self-Help Guide for Chronic Pain and Trauma. Third Edition. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press. 2007.
