Reducing your pain score now
Are you in pain, today? LISTEN and the EXHALE!
I have tips for handling pain that are gentle and effective. They work in the moment by either a) relaxing the fight/flight response (too much fight or flight means a heavy stress hormone load coursing though your body, which can add significant amounts of additional discomfort to pre-existing complaints OR b) creates a trusting relationship between yourself and your body, even when you can’t “fix” the problem.
Here are examples of how we can be gently curious as we assess our pain:
~How and where am I hurting right now?
~Is there anything I can do in THIS moment to bring relief?
~If I can’t bring relief to myself, is there something kind or gentle I can do to reassure my stress or fear in this moment?'
Here are some gentle affirmations to get you started, if you are into that sort of thing.
~Listening with kindness and curiosity to my own pain creates trust within myself.
~When I am hurting and feeling lonely or powerless, gentle and curious attention to myself in the moment tells me that I truly matter.
~Even if I can’t fix the big problem, I can respond to my needs in this very moment through paying attention to what my body is communicating.
~I can listen to my body the way I would listen to a friend. I don’t always have to fix the problem; there is value just being present to it sometimes. This deepens friendship and trust.
PRO TIP How to to bring down your pain score in just a few moments
1) RATE YOUR PAIN 0-10, as you feel it right now in this moment (not how it usually feels or has felt on the worst days)
2) EXHALE: Take a normal breath but then EXHALE with just a little more power and just a little longer than you normally would. REPEAT it 3x or as often as you want.
3) SOFTEN: Now, bring your thoughts to the area that hurts. Try to SOFTEN your thinking about it, try to relax a bit as you do. Imagine that you are exhaling into the area that hurts. Move, shimmy or gently stretch the area as you exhale, and think of softening the muscle and tissue that is hurting.
4) STOP: When you notice yourself stiffening or clenching, or feeling angry or upset about having pain, STOP for a moment. Inhale normally, exhale a little bit longer. Repeat, soften the tensed area or thought.
5) CHECK your pain level again, in this moment, 0- 10.
If your pain score dropped, congratulate yourself for putting your parasympathetic nervous system online for healing! (That's the rest-digest-heal part of your nervous system).
!! Remember to try to soften, to exhale, and to be curious when you ask yourself how you feel in this moment.
Example:
+ Do I feel uncomfortable *now*?
+ Is it still pain or is it another feeling (such as tightness or a sense of aggravation that could potentially be pain at any moment. BTW I know that sounds strange but when you notice it, it feels like a warning, it SEEMS like pain but then when you wait a second, it feels more like potential FOR pain.)
+ Did you know that doing this means you are engaging your vagus nerve to help you feel better? Polyvagal Theory
https://www.occupationaltherapy.com/articles/polyvagal-theory-chronic-pain-5586
And don’t forget, after doing these exercises of breathing and gently listening/assessing, it is time to re-evaluate the pain and do the 0-10 pain scale again. I am confident it won’t take many times of practicing either skill before you feel a difference. I would love to hear from you if you give these a whirl!
#painrelief #exhale #milwaukee #painmanagement #parasympatheticnervoussystem #Polyvagal #chronicpain
