Bad pain days take everything out of you. They suck your body and soul dry. You feel empty and destroyed. You try to distract yourself so you can have a better attitude, but the pain is so overwhelming you can’t get past it. You wish you could go to sleep and then magically wake up with no pain. You wish you could sleep the pain away. You wish that somehow, somewhere there was a button you could push that would make it disapear. But you’ve been through it enough times to know there is no magic.
What there is is life.
Your life that is worth living, even though it’s full of pain.
Being in pain is not the end, it's part of the journey. Pain helps you to discover who you are, and who you want to be. It's strips off all the outside layers and leaves you exposed. You can't hide when you're in pain. Click To TweetYour life is worth living
Being in pain is not the end, it’s part of the journey. Pain helps you to discover who you are, and who you want to be. It’s strips off all the outside layers and leaves you exposed. You can’t hide when you’re in pain.
So what can you do when pain threatens to take over you? How do you find comfort when your body is screaming at you? How do you focus on the idea that this moment will pass when you feel like you can’t get past the moment?
Get physically comfortable
It sounds crazy to get physically comfortable when your body is screaming at you, but what I mean is you should do what you can to make everything else more comfortable. Wrap yourself in a fuzzy robe, put on some fuzzy socks, hop on a heating pad, put on a warm compress (affiliate links), and take care of your body. Take an Epsom salts bath to help your pain, and enjoy a good book or magazine while you’re at it.
Escapism
This looks different for everyone, but for me it’s books. I can distract myself from pain and discomfort when I’m reading about the pain and discomfort of someone else. A good book can get me firmly immersed in the world of somebody else. Sometimes I get so immersed that I get sad when my book is over because I have to reenter the real world.
Get mentally comfortable
Being in pain is mentally stressful as well as physically so. As your pain level ramps up so does your desperation. If distraction isn’t working you can turn to some mediation or light yoga. I know I know, no one wants to be told to do yoga when they can barely move, but I’m talking about the kind that is about relaxing the muscles in your body. Because when you’re in pain your muscles have a tendency to tense up. Yoga can help loosen them. If you’re not up for light yoga, meditation can help with this as well. Sometimes all it takes is a reminder that you need to relax your body and get rid of your tension.
Turn to friends and family
Sometimes I go to my husband, sister, or call a friend and tell them that I’m hurting and that I need them to talk to me. There’s nothing better than a cozy chat where I can complain about my pain a little, and they can complain about their life a little, and then we can talk about better things. It makes me feel happier every single time.
I don’t want to trivialize pain and say that all these things will work all the time. Sometimes these ideas will fail, and you will just be in terrible pain with no relief. When those moments come (and they will come) remember that your life is worth living, even though you have pain.
Great thoughts. I use Netflix a lot to escape.
I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. I suspect I have celiac, but have not been tested for it. I know I have multiple allergies. I also have small children and every day to lift my head off the pillow is a struggle. I find a lot of comfort in reading about other moms dealing with similar issues. It makes me feel less alone. I also love my heating pad and I do something called lymphatic massage with a very light touch. Something about being touched in a healing and caring way makes me feel better mentally even if it doesnt really physically