Managing Chronic Pain

Are you living with chronic pain or a chronic illness? Are medications only helping a little or not at all? When we are dealing with a chronic issue it can cause emotional distress and interfere with our daily functioning. No matter what your age or condition of health, constant pain and illness will begin to take its toll on your quality of life and wellbeing. Help for managing chronic pain and the emotional effects of dealing with an ongoing challenge is important so you can feel like your old self again and improve your quality of life.

The effects of chronic pain

Chronic pain and chronic illness can lead to depression if it is not carefully managed. Arthritis, chronic back pain, sciatica, chronic headaches, or an injury of some kind can impact your ability to be independent. When your mobility is affected, you may feel as though we cannot go out and connect with other people in the way you used to. This kind of situation can lead to isolation and feelings of loneliness. Some people experiencing this avoid getting help. This is not recommended, as it is important you take steps to protect your mental and emotional functioning while dealing with a physical issue.

Therapy for dealing with chronic pain

When you are dealing with chronic pain and chronic illness you need to look at both conventional and alternative forms of therapy that will take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. Strategies such as relaxation techniques, yoga, mindfulness, and learning how to tune into your body will help you feel better and more in control. In therapy, we will also address the reality of physical pain and look at strategies you can do for yourself that will help such as adjusting diet and physical activity levels.

In addition to looking at strategies for managing chronic pain, in therapy, we work to control and manage the emotional pain that comes with any ongoing health challenge. Studies show that emotional pain and physical pain can be linked and it is important to cope with and heal the emotional and mental health issues that can come up when dealing with chronic pain or illness.

The importance of healing ongoing emotional pain cannot be overstated, as research has shown us that emotional pain can contribute to physical pain. Therapy can help you work on all levels to bring you to a place where you are feeling optimistic again, functioning well, and experiencing greater wellbeing.