Living with persistent pain can be an overwhelming, challenging and can negatively affect every part of your daily life and well-being. Some of you might not know this but I
too live with chronic pain. It’s a result of countless previous injuries, concussions,
trauma, some surgeries and more than one chronic auto-immune disease. And if
you are one of my personal clients, you know the crazy pace I like to keep and
that medicines, injections and such are an absolute last choice for me. So, after both living it firsthand and working with thousands of clients over the years pursuing relief, I can share some expertise in this department.
While I recommend and personally do many things to manage pain, stiffness, and body
dis-ease, (supplements, vibration, cryo, infrared, massage, movement, etc.) The absolute most important thing I can recommend is to learn some mindfulness techniques. They are holistic, simple, powerful and in some cases, can even eliminate pain. Let me know in the comments how they work for you!
~Freddi
*If you are loving this series, want more on Mindfulness and to get on the waitlist for our next Mindfulness Program sign up HERE.
First Let’s Understand the Mind-Body Connection
Mindfulness revolves around cultivating a heightened awareness of the present moment. This is just simply recognizing what “is” without judgment. This heightened awareness extends to the mind-body connection, where the interplay between thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations has been proven over and over to be intricately connected. The following practices are all tools in my tool kit to manage pain and well-being. Try them. Not once, but over and over until they feel natural and easy and you figure out which one(s) are working the best for you. As with most holistic approaches, they might not always be instant, but you will be surprised how well and sometimes fast they work to at least take the “edge’ off.
Mindfulness Techniques for Pain Management
1. Mindful Breathing:
Engaging in deep, intentional breathing can promote relaxation and alleviate tension
associated with pain. By focusing on the breath, you redirect your attention away from the pain, fostering a sense of calm. Just focusing on your breath in a natural breathing state can help, but I find doing some deep, slow and full breathing while focusing on your breathing can really help manage some of the worst pain. And as a bonus, it will reduce your stress levels too. I have literally used breathwork to deal with intense painful injuries and even dental work without Novocain.
How we breath is powerful and most of us are breathing far too shallow every day, contributing to poor health and stress.
2. Body Scan Meditation:
A body scan involves directing focused attention to each part of the body, noting sensations without judgment. This practice helps in identifying areas of tension and promoting relaxation, reducing the perception of pain. Sit or lie down in a comfortable, relaxed position. I like to begin at my head and focus on any pain or sensations as I work my focus down my neck, my shoulders, chest, torso, hips, thighs and so on. This is just as simple as focusing on what you are feeling in that very moment. This practice can be enough to reduce or even eliminate what was causing you discomfort.
To take this up a notch, you can practice visualizing healing energy or light coming into the top of your head from above (from the universe, God, sun, source…) Picture the light traveling through your body as you scan each area. While it travels throughout healing you, grabbing what isn’t serving you and ultimately releasing what is painful into the ground as it exits your feet.
3. Mindful Movement:
Practiceslike yoga or Tai Chi incorporate mindful movement, allowing you to connect to
your body, improve flexibility, reduce stress and ease physical discomfort.
4. Observing Thoughts and Emotions:
Mindfulness encourages observing thoughts and emotions without becoming entangled in them.
By creating distance from the emotional aspects of pain, individuals may experience a reduction in the overall perception of discomfort. Try remembering, “Recognize-Release-Reframe”.
RECOGNIZE your thoughts. Are they positive or negative. Are they helping you heal or keeping you invested in the pain or the negative. (Because what we think about, we really do bring about in a bigger way.) Now RELEASE the thoughts that are not helping you. Picture them outside of you instead of inside and disconnect. Next REFRAME those thoughts from a place of positivity, strength and hope. Picture those new Mindful thoughts coming into you, to serve you. Mindfully, purposely.
The Science Behind Mindfulness and Pain
A great deal of research confirms that mindfulness practices can positively impact the brain's response to pain. By activating areas associated with self-awareness and emotional regulation, mindfulness can really change your mind and body's perception and experience of pain.
Integrating Mindfulness into Daily Life is Key
1. Consistent Practice:
Make Mindful Living a daily practice. Integrating short sessions into your routine is easy and powerful. Consistency is key to experiencing the cumulative benefits over time.
2. Mindful Living:
Extend mindulness beyond formal practice to your daily activities. Be present during
daily tasks-connected and aware of what is going on in your body and your mind
to foster a continuous state of awareness.
Final thoughts;
While mindfulness may not eliminate the physical source of pain, it can empower
you to change their relationship with pain and by cultivating a mindful
approach, you develop tools to manage the emotional and mental aspects of pain,
fostering a sense of resilience and well-being that can spill over into other areas of your life as well.
Begin Your Mindful Pain Relief Journey! 🌿 Choose one or more mindfulness technique above and commit to practicing it daily. This is key to make it second nature.
*Be sure to read all of our 5 part series on Mindfulness CLICK HERE. And if you want more on Mindfulness and to get on the waitlist for our next Mindfulness Program sign up HERE.
Share your experiences in the comments and let's support each other on the path to pain management through mindfulness.
#MindfulPainRelief #HolisticWellness #Mind-BodyConnection
#Well-being #PainManagement #Painfree #Strategies #Wellness
As with all of our posts, any thoughts, references, recommendations are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Choosing to act on any information provided is solely your decision and liability as the reader.
Don't forget! If you want more on Mindfulness and to get on the waitlist for our next Mindfulness Program sign up HERE.