The Pain Series: Part 4 - Overcoming Pain

PART 4: OVERCOMING PAIN

"Pain is an opinion on the organism's state of health rather than a mere reflexive response to injury. The brain gathers evidence from many sources before triggering pain."

~ Leading Neuroscientist - V.S. Ramachandran

In the last article of 'The Pain Series' (Part 3: Managing Pain), we had a look at different ways to manage pain.

We also identified that in chronic pain, we must go beyond managing pain and look to overcome it.

In this part, we are going to do exactly that! I'm going to give you the tools to start overcoming your pain!

Now, in the majority of cases, pain can be overcome by stopping what is aggravating the area and by strengthening areas of your body that are weak and unstable, and improving mobility in areas that have tightened up.

However, sometimes improving your movement through strengthening and mobility work is not enough, and the pain still exists. This is when more is needed beyond exercises, which we will cover in this part.

Some of these tools presented here to start overcoming your pain may sound outlandish. You are probably going to be thinking, “how can something like this work?”.

It goes against everything you know about pain! And it really does take a new way of thinking.

But if you truly want to OVERCOME your pain, it’s time you put any scepticism aside and do what’s set out in this article.

We've seen in Part 1 and Part 2 of this email series that pain is different from what is traditionally believed, so it's time we take a different approach to overcome it!

From now on, your health becomes your priority, and it's up to you to make this happen!

Most of the steps to be healthy and overcome pain take an active approach. There is no magic pill, no cream, no heat pack, no new massage technique, or no new gadget.

No doctor or pill is going to make you get up and move more. No doctor or pill is going to put healthy food in your mouth and not let the bad stuff in. No doctor or pill can make the required changes in your life for the better.

If you really want to be pain-free, although a Doctor or another Health Professional can guide you, it's up to you to do the necessary work to be a happier, healthier you!

It does take some daily work, but it's work not only for overcoming pain but for better health and all the benefits that come with it. A stronger, healthier body. A less stressed, healthier mind. Moving better, looking better, feeling better and getting more out of each day!

When you start seeing improvements in all areas of your life, you'll see the worth in it.

Now, let’s get into it.

STEP 1: SHIFTING OUR VIEWS AND FOCUS

To do this, as we touched on earlier, we must shift our focus away from the pain and any 'abnormalities' we may have and shift it towards our health and wellness.

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL # 1: CHANGING VIEWS ON PAIN

The first step in overcoming pain is changing the way we view our pain.

Here are eight new beliefs to hold, which will help you see your pain in a different light and help overcome it.

EIGHT NEW BELIEFS ON PAIN

1. My pain CAN be overcome.

2. To be pain-free, It's up to me!

3. Pain is formulated in my brain, not where I'm hurting most.

4. What is seen in medical imaging is NOT the cause of my pain.

5. If I'm hurting, it does not necessarily mean I am doing damage to my body.

6. Avoidance of activity is not the answer.

7. Pain is NOT a normal symptom of ageing.

8. It's NOT the end of the road.

Thus far, in 'The Pain Series' Articles, we've learnt that we CAN be pain-free with osteoarthritis or other physical 'abnormalities'.

We've also learnt that to overcome our pain; it's up to ourselves to do this!

We've debunked the commonly held belief that when there is pain, it's due to some underlying physical injury or 'abnormality'.

We now know that pain comes from the brain, is NOT the result of what is seen on medical imaging and the underlying 'abnormality' is the weakest part of our body where the pain is showing up.

If we think our pain is coming from the site of 'abnormality' and there's not much that can be done about it, it makes sense to think the pain is always going to be there.

By knowing pain comes from the brain, we free ourselves from the fear of thoughts such as "I will always be in pain because my (insert abnormality) will always be there".

Another commonly held belief that keeps us stuck with our pain is that if we are in pain, we must be doing harm, or damage, to our body.

When pain comes from the brain and NOT the area of 'abnormality', we can safely say that when we are hurting, it does not necessarily mean we are doing damage to our body.

By viewing pain in this way, we can stop avoiding any activities due to pain and the associated fear of 'doing damage'. We can begin progressive activity and get ourselves moving the best we can, which is exactly what our body needs!

In chronic pain, avoidance of activity is NEVER the answer. (This will be discussed in a later section of this article).

And finally, we should never put anything down to 'ageing'.

There IS a large correlation between age and pain and many other physical ailments (I.E., decreased strength, decreased balance, falls, etc.), but 'ageing' is never the cause.

No matter how old you are, your pain can be overcome, and you can get in great physical shape. It is not the end of the road.

When we change our views on our pain by installing these eight new beliefs, we can then do what's required to start making progress with our pain and improve our health.

DAILY TASK: Write down the eight new beliefs of pain. Really think about, and feel, each belief when you are writing them down. (Time to complete = 5 minutes).

"Mary Fasano at age 89, earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard. David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, taught himself ancient Greek in old age to master the classics in the original. At ninety the architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Guggenheim Museum, at seventy-eight Benjamin Franklin invented bifocal spectacles. When Pablo Casals the cellist, was ninety-one years old, he was approached by a student who asked, "Master, why do you continue to practice?" Casals replied, "Because I am making progress." We might think "What for?" Who am I fooling? Am I at the end of the road? But that thinking is a self-fulfilling prophecy, which hastens the mental decline of the use-it-or-lose-it-brain."

~ 'The Brain That Changes Itself' - Norman Doidge

Pain is not something you "just have to live with". It's never too late to overcome your pain, get fit, get healthy and be excited about the future. Which is exactly what we will do in Overcoming Pain Tool # 2.

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL # 2: MOVING FOCUS AWAY FROM PAIN TOWARDS HEALTH, WELLNESS AND A FUTURE THAT EXCITES YOU.

It can be much easier to focus on what's wrong in our life or the health conditions that we have.

Especially when we are in pain, everything going well in our life takes a back seat.

We can be so affected by our pain that our daily life begins revolving around it. 

We can have thoughts that arise, such as "this pain is only going to get worse", or "the condition is going to get worse", or "there is not much that can be done", or “This pain may end my ability to walk.

We may also have heard stories of someone going through suffering, or even worse seen a loved one, such as a parent, go through suffering. We then may fear the same will happen to us.

We start to see our future as looking grim.

We may lose motivation; we can become less happy, start moving less and stop doing what's required to be healthy. All recipes for pain getting even worse.

But, this all stops, NOW!

An important key to health is having a future that looks exciting to you, no matter your age or what condition you find yourself in. And the good news is... How your future can look is up to you!

In this step, we are going to start planning how you want your future to look and just by doing this; you set yourself in the right direction to make it happen!

Right now, no matter where you are, no matter how much pain you are in, or how your health currently is, start thinking about how you want your future to look. 

Allow yourself to move your focus away from the pain you have and to think of what life could be like without pain. 

Think about what would make you happiest, what you would like to do, how you would like to move, how you would like to feel. What activities you'd like to do or keep doing. 

Allow yourself to let go of any fears you may have about your future and start getting excited about the things you want to be doing.

Last week a reader, Marilyn, wrote to me and said: "I am a very active grandmother of 5 very energetic grandchildren. I attend the majority of their sports events all year. I live in a two-story home with lots of stairs and continue to do all of my own yard work. It is all so much fun, and I want to be able to continue with this lifestyle for many years to come."

I love this! And Marilyn will be doing these things for many years to come.

These are the type of activities we want to be keeping our focus on, whilst keeping our focus away from any fear-based future. 

We are changing our focus away from the pain and instead focusing on where we want to be.

We then do the work to keep us in good health and moving towards where we want to be!

No matter what situation you find yourself in, you can focus on a better future. If you’re stuck, start small and keep it up!

GRATITUDE

Another way of changing focus away from pain and to the good in life is to be grateful.

You can be grateful for anything. Your husband/wife. Your children. Your grandchildren. Your television. The computer you are reading this on. The glass of water you just drank. The chair you are sitting on. The sun. The air you just breathed. Just being alive. I could go on and on. Everyone has something to be grateful for, find them

Each day lets think about 3-5 things to be grateful for and write them down. When writing them down, make sure you feel the feeling of gratitude.

DAILY TASK: 1) Change your focus - Do your best to focus on the good in your life now and how you would like it to look in the future. Write down how you would like your life to look. What you would like to be doing. How you would like to feel. How you would like to move.

As you write it down, spend time feeling what it would feel like if this was to happen. Whenever your thoughts move to the negatives in your life, do your best to bring it back. (Time to complete = 5 Minutes)

2) Write down three-five things you are grateful for (Remember to feel the feeling when doing this). (Time to complete = 3 Minutes)

There we have the first two tools for overcoming pain for the first step in overcoming pain; we now move to step 2.

STEP 2: FREEING FROM STRESS

We have now established healthier beliefs about pain and have moved our focus towards living a life that would make us happier.

It's now time to analyse our current situation and decrease the stress in our life, which we know can intensify our pain symptoms.

Which leads us to...

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL # 3: CHANGING YOUR SITUATION

In Parts 1 and 2 of these Pain Series articles, we established that increased stress causes and intensifies, our pain experience.

Which means a necessary step to decreasing our pain, to eventually overcome it, is to remove stress in our life. 

This could be physical. I.E. you continue to re-aggravate the area by doing too much physical activity of some sort on the area (for example too much golf), on an area which could already be weak. If you feel this is the case, it’s best to see a Physiotherapist in person. Or sign up for an online 1:1 consultation to get to the bottom of your pain.

Or it could be emotional stress.

There are many reasons why stress can show up, and because we have all lived, and are currently living, different lives to each other, it shows up for different reasons in each of us.

It's up to YOU to find the reasons for your stress and do what is necessary to change your situation.

There could be a certain someone bothering you. The place you live may be causing you stress. You may not be happy with your current state of health and/or fitness. Your hobbies, or work, could be causing you stress. The situation you have found yourself in could be bothering you, or the thought of just crossing a busy road could be making you feel uneasy.

These are all a handful of examples of stress we could be dealing with, and they are all stresses we technically can do something about.

If the stress is something physical, you can stop the activity causing you pain. This will allow the body tissues to heal and you can get yourself stronger and moving better before you get back into the activity.

If the stress is emotional, you can stop seeing that certain someone causing you stress. You can change locations. You can get healthier and fitter, you can change your job, change your hobbies or stop crossing that road.

Although it's never usually this easy, I'm highlighting the fact that certain actions can be taken in most situations.

To begin removing stress, one of the first things we should do is an audit of our life and find what it is that is bothering us.

Once we know this, we can then go about doing what is necessary to start freeing ourselves from this stress, which will help decrease any pain you have and help to live a happier life.

Sometimes the decisions we need to make to decrease our stress are NOT easy, but we must remember to put ourselves first always. When we begin putting ourselves first, we become much happier, more energised and can give more to others also. It is not selfish!

You'll notice that when you start the audit of your life to determine your stress, you'll find there will be certain parts of your life, causing you stress that you just cannot change. Change is just not an option for these parts.

We can't change the weather, we can't change the past, we can't change human nature, we can't change other people, we can't change our relatives, sometimes we can't change where we have to live.

We must recognise these parts of our life and make peace with them or how we see the situation. This is where the other forms of stress relief techniques come in.

We will get to these other stress relief techniques in the next overcoming pain tool, but for now, it's time to remove the stress in our life by changing that which we can.

DAILY TASK: Spend 20 minutes today (and 10 minutes on following days) writing down a list of things in your life that is causing you stress (both physical and emotional) and also come up with ways that you could change them. Each day start making the changes to begin living a happier life. (Time to complete each day = 10 minutes).

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL # 4: JOURNALING

So now we've begun changing our situation to decrease stress, it's now time we work on reducing our inner conflicts, which again... Is stress.

We all have so much going on in our lives: Our relationships, our health, our kids, our grandkids, the bills we have to pay, our money, our jobs, our hobbies, our worries, our triumphs, our joys. This list could go on.. And on!

Not all of these are bad, but having a lot of dis-ease going on can wear us down. It's not possible to remove all these stresses. Otherwise, we'd live a pretty dull life.

Having so much to deal with leads to a constant chatter in our minds that we usually just ignore and get on with it.

We have this extra mental weight without really even knowing it, living our life on autopilot. 

One of the best ways I have found to silence the underlying buzz in our minds, with ease, is journaling.

Journaling can do wonders for decreasing stress in our daily life. It can shine a light on what it is that is bothering us and show us that whatever it is, really doesn't need to be a concern. 

When we do this consistently, we decrease the amount of stress we hold onto and increase our ability to handle any new stress that comes our way.

HOW TO JOURNAL

Each day write down, in longhand, anything and everything that crosses your mind for a set amount of time. Do not overthink it; just do it for the set amount of time.

The only rule is to make sure ONLY YOU will see it! 

You must be able to freely write about what's on your mind. Your honest and deep thoughts, without fear of judgment. As soon as we feel someone else may see what is written down, this task loses its effectiveness.

The thoughts are yours and for your eyes only.

When you create a safe space and can express your mind on the page freely, you'll be surprised at what you uncover about your current situation and yourself.

No matter how crazy it is, no matter how silly it may be, only you are going to see what you're writing... So get it out, get it down!

When you get in the routine each day of doing this, you will begin feeling the journaling as a healing tool and your stress levels decreasing — a way of expressing certain feelings and stresses that have been bothering you for some time.

If you're feeling sceptical about doing this, just give it a try for at least ten days and see the difference.

Like most health-related tasks, to get the benefits, consistency is the key.

DAILY TASK: Write down, in longhand, whatever is on your mind. Get into the habit of doing this daily. Keep your diary private, they are your thoughts and no one needs to see them. This will help you process thoughts and feelings that could be getting you down. (Time to complete = 10 minutes).

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL #5: MEDITATION/ MINDFULNESS

I've covered meditation and mindfulness before because I really do feel it is one of the most important tools in keeping ourselves healthy.

Although the thought of meditating may not sound very fun, it does not have to be a boring, very disciplined practice.

Think of meditation as spending a set amount of time, with intention, on doing something good for yourself, to help reduce stress. That's it! It's that simple.

Meditation/mindfulness plays a significant role in helping with pain for two reasons:

1. Meditation can help with the pain symptoms directly by increasing relaxation - which will help desensitise the nervous system increasing our resistance to stress and the way we deal with it which in turn will help decrease pain.

2. The majority of us tend to think negative about most situations or place high expectations on ourselves, causing our own stress. This may sound a little confusing, but the happier we feel about the world and ourselves, the less stress we are under. 

By quietening the mind for a while, we can let go of troubling thoughts and even process suppressed emotions from our past, which may be currently troubling us.

These suppressed emotions and troubling thoughts add to the pain experience.

When we stay consistent with meditation, over time, we'll find ourselves getting more and more relaxed and able to deal with daily stress.

With this new sense of relaxation, you'll start feeling less and less pain.

Here is the meditation technique I recommend (click to see)

VISUALISATION

Similar to what we did in Tool #2 (Changing focus), when meditating spend a few minutes focusing on feeling how you would rather feel instead of being in. What it would feel like to be pain-free. What you would be doing if you weren’t in pain. Your mind is going to resist, but do your best to allow your mind to go there.

Our minds don't know the difference between what is real and what is imagined. So start training your brain to remember what it feels like to be pain-free, which will help to start changing your brain

DAILY TASK: Spend 10 minutes each day performing the meditation/mindfulness technique above with 2 minutes of that being visualisation. (Time to complete = 10 minutes).

Start adding all these tools into your life each day. When you are consistent with these tools, you will be on the right path to overcoming your pain.

SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP

If you are having trouble with the tools above, or you are continually reliving painful memories that you just can’t seem to get over, it may be best to seek out professional psychological help. Do NOT feel any shame in this.

A trained professional can help you process these memories and emotions, and this will do wonders in helping you overcome pain. Speak to your doctor about a referral for this.

STEP 3: LIVING A HEALTHY LIFE

To finally overcome pain, one of the most useful things we can do for ourselves is to change our habit to more healthy ones

In today's modern society, it's quite easy to become a slave to all the new technology making it harder and harder to display the willpower to do more of what keeps us healthy.

What most of us seem to neglect is that some of these helpful tools we use nowadays can sometimes do more harm than good.

With a click of a button, we can have all sorts of different, often unhealthy foods delivered right to our doorsteps: not just foods, but appliances, furniture, clothes etc. We can binge-watch our favourite TV shows for hours without ever leaving the couch.

We can work from home, without actually ever leaving bed.

A vast majority of people get tangled in these enchanted routines that go on for a lifetime.

How many people do you know personally that start their day by having nothing but coffee, driving to work, sitting in front of the monitor for 9 hours straight, getting takeaway on their way back and staring at the TV before they head to bed?

And this can go on and on and on, until one day we realise that we've spent months, years and decades nurturing these unhealthy habits.

Scary, right?

Yes, a lot has changed in our lives since years ago. Not that I'm saying that we should go back to living in caves and hunting wild animals, but it's imperative to find a suitable balance that will allow us to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We've sacrificed a lot over the years: nutrition, physical health and perhaps most importantly - sleep. All habits that can cause more pain.

Which brings me to our next tool in overcoming pain.

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL #6: GETTING THE PROPER AMOUNT OF SLEEP.

First and foremost, let's get something settled - sleep is NOT for the weak.

Sleep is one of the most crucial and by far the most under-appreciated tools for living a healthy life. It affects not only our physical health but our mental and emotional health also.

Our body needs sleep to recover and regain its energy, and if we neglect it, which all of us are guilty of doing, the results can be frightening.

Not getting enough sleep can affect us in all kinds of different ways. Our hormones change. Our mood is affected, we become irritable and cranky and forgetful; our balance is off, so we have an increased risk of falling and causing an injury; our digestion suffers and not to mention that all of our pain symptoms intensify from a sensitised nervous system.

All people, regardless of their age, should aim to get 7-9 hours of good, quality sleep. The range differs from person to person, of course, and you need to figure out how much sleep you need to feel well and rested.

There are plenty of things you can do to improve your sleep WITHOUT using any kind of medication.

You can read my article on improving sleep for seniors right here to find out more.

We should never try to skimp on certain aspects of our life - sleep being one of them. (Unless we have to).

Start making good quality sleep a priority. Buy those quality pillows, invest your money in a good mattress, and why not treat yourself to top-notch linens? Invest in your health.

Once we get all the elements right (comfort, lighting, temperature, sound, etc.), we can finally experience the fruitful properties of sleep on our bodies and our pain levels.

Allow your body to heal and rejuvenate, and you'll notice the drastic changes it has on your overall health and your pain.

DAILY TASK: Don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. Start making it a priority and do whatever it takes to start getting a good night’s sleep. Start by reading my sleep article here. Make your sleep environment the most comfortable it can be. Set a time you plan on going to bed and stick to it. (Time to complete = 7-9 Hours).

Now that you've learned how sleep can affect your pain, let's get onto the next step you should take in overcoming your pain.

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL #7: HEALTHY EATING

As I mentioned earlier, unhealthy, processed food is much more accessible than real, healthy food. Not to mention that in a lot of cases, it tastes better!

I'm not suggesting that you need to suppress the urge to eat some chocolate every now and then or refrain from a nice glass of wine when you want it.

However, eating a healthy diet plays a huge role in our pain experience; thus, we should aim to eat healthy each day.

Now, there are plenty of foods, herbs and spices that research has shown (and people swear by) for pain relief. They do contain some healthy and anti-inflammatory properties.

But it's not about finding a magic food or diet; it's about starting to eat in the healthiest way you possibly can, to get healthy and decrease your pain symptoms.

To get started learning about proper nutrition and eating healthy, check out the Healthy Eating section on this website which will help get you started.

You can also ask any questions in the More Life Health Facebook Support Community (click to join).

Everyone has different food requirements and needs. I recommend paying a visit to a dietician or good nutritionist so you can work together in creating a diet suitable for yourself.

DAILY TASK: Head to the Health Eating section of this website, and learn and do what’s required to start eating a healthier diet. Begin by throwing out any junk foods that are not good for your health and causing you pain. (Time to complete = 1 hour) and then start adding in the healthy foods.

Now onto the last step for overcoming pain:

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL #8: GET MOVING

Physical movement is a basic human need, and today we tend to overlook this

It's far too easy for us to stay inactive, and our comfortable lives are very hard to leave behind.

However, limiting our movement can have serious consequences. As a result, our muscles tend to get smaller and weaker, and we become less fit. What used to be an easy activity for us is now getting harder. We may become out of breath easier and feel our muscles fatiguing with less work.

Our joints start to stiffen up, and our body gets out of shape, placing more stress on our bodies.

It affects us both mentally and physically, and to combat pain, we must start moving more!

Movement is medicine.

The best way to implement more movement into our lives is by gradually increasing exercise but making sure we aren’t overdoing it.

Start with little amounts and gradually progress what you are doing over time.

Building a strong, healthy, fit body takes time, so it's important not to push yourself over the limits and to take it slow. Implementing a regular, slow-paced workout routine will do wonders for your body, and you can make improvements regardless of your age or current situation.

You will start getting stronger, and more flexible, and you will feel fitter, notice you are moving with greater ease, you will begin feeling a sense of confidence and power over your situation and….. you’ll feel your pain symptoms decreasing.

The trick is to focus on doing the activities we enjoy and remembering the healthy beliefs we formed way back in step 1.

"Just because we have pain doesn't necessarily mean we are doing damage". 

and

"Resting is not the answer."

The answer lies in consistent exercise with slow, gradual progression while implementing all other steps and tools into your daily life.

Never push yourself into pain. If you're pushing into pain, you've done too much.

If you have trouble designing your own routine, you can always seek help by signing up for an online consult, or you can simply shoot me an email, and we'll work it out.

I also send out regular exercise videos to newsletter subscribers (join below), and there are plenty of exercise videos on the exercise section of this website and the YouTube page.

Making big improvements in pain to eventually overcoming it takes time. It is never usually a smooth road, and setbacks most probably will occur. But the goal is to always look forward, keep a positive frame of mind and, over time, do more and more exercise.

DAILY TASK: Spend at least 30 minutes to 1 hour every day doing some form of physical activity. Do one of my exercise videos here. You don't have to join a gym to exercise! Take a stroll through a park, go for a swim or walk around the neighbourhood. Find what you enjoy!

Do something that you enjoy doing and start looking forward to an active future. (Time to complete = 30 minutes - 1 hour).

OVERCOMING PAIN TOOL #9: SPENDING MORE TIME WITH PEOPLE YOU ENjoy AND DOING THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY!

Another step I'd like to touch on is spending more time socialising.

As we grow older, we tend to become more self-oriented. We drift apart from certain people, lose connections, and lose our loved ones. All of this can lead to isolation and being less social.

This is why I'd like to take a few moments and talk about loneliness and the importance of socialising.

There are plenty of studies confirming that loneliness and pain are closely connected. Loneliness can affect your health in many areas.

Many people who tend to isolate themselves for prolonged periods of time can experience symptoms of anxiety and depression, which are known to cause further emotional and physical problems.

Other than that, it's reported that being less social can lead to muscle tension, inflammation, migraines, insomnia, digestive issues and an overall weaker immune system.

Humans are, by nature, social beings, and we thrive when surrounded by people we love.

And while it's perfectly normal to have some me time and to focus on our physical, mental and spiritual health, it's just as important to socialise every so often.

Of course, some people are introverted by nature and don't require the company of others as much as other extroverted individuals. Nevertheless, even introverts should make an effort to get involved in some social activities every now and then. It may be unnatural, but when you make the effort, you will feel much better for it.

Spending quality time with people you enjoy spending time with can do wonders for your pain - both emotional and physical.

Also, start doing more of the activities that you know make your heart happy! Just do it! These activities are what make you who you really are!

DAILY TASK: Each day, spend time interacting with others you really enjoy hanging around. Laugh. Have fun. Chat. Get things off your chest.

Reach out to your loved ones and spend time with the people whose company you enjoy. Start making a conscious effort to be more involved in social activities that fulfil you. Join the More Life Health Facebook Support Community (click to join).

Start filling your days with more activities that make you happiest. You know what those activities are, so do what it takes to get involved in more of them. (Time to complete - minimum 1 hour).

Make sure not to overdo this. Like exercise, make sure to start with small amounts of time and build on this.

CONCLUSION

These steps above are the roadmap to overcoming pain. Yes, they do take time, but your health is worth the time and effort.

By following these steps, you will create a routine that will set you on the path to ending your pain and better health.

There may be times when your pain increases in intensity, making completing many of these activities difficult.

If you do have one of these flare-ups in pain, it does not mean you have gone backwards. It could be for many reasons you have had the flare-up, but know this flare-up is only temporary.

During these times - rest, take pain medication as needed (as per your doctor) and utilise any other of the pain management techniques discussed in Part 3.

The pain WILL decrease eventually, and when the pain is manageable, you can get back into the tools mentioned in this article. Slow and steady!

When you continue doing all the steps in this article, eventually, you will reach your goals and finally be able to break the shackles of pain that have been tormenting you for some time now!

All the best on your journey to a pain-free, happier life- you will get there! :)

FURTHER READING

Here are some books I recommend on pain, which will allow you to see your pain in a different light and help you overcome it.

Explain Pain - G. Lorimer Moseley, David S. Butler

The Mindbody Prescription - Healing The Body, Healing the Pain - Joe Sarno

The Brain that Changes itself - Norman Doidge

Surgery, The Ultimate Placebo: A Surgeon Cuts Through the Evidence - Ian Harris