People with chronic diseases are always in pain; this is one of the main reasons why people with chronic diseases experience a low quality of life. Therefore, most people with chronic illnesses spend a lot of money on medications that they can use to minimize pain. But there are other non-medicinal cognitive ways to control pain.
We must remember that our brain is an organ that perceives pain. This does not mean that you are making the bread. Rather it means that you can use your mind to control the pain, since that is where it originates. So, you can also use the brain for good.
Changing the way our brain works and responds to pain is a learnable skill that can be very helpful in mastering and managing pain and its effects on our daily lives.
To demonstrate the power of the mind, try the following exercise.
• Get comfortable
• Close your eyes
• Think of a lemon
• It is bright, yellow, juicy and ripe.
• Bring the lemon to your nose (in your imagination) and smell the citrus aroma
• Cut the lemon in half and imagine biting into the lemon with the sour juice dripping into your mouth and dripping down your chin.
• Suck the juice
• Stay a few more seconds with this image in your mind
• Now open your yes
This is a simple example of how the mind can affect the body. If we can affect the body so easily without trying too hard, imagine what we could achieve if we worked at it!
Another way to manage pain using your mind is to try distraction. One of the best ways to distract yourself is to change your mind and what you’re thinking and not focus so much on the pain.
As you know, the mind cannot concentrate on two things at once. That’s why it’s hard to rub your head and pat your stomach at the same time.
Therefore, you can use your mind to distract yourself from the pain you feel. There are many different distraction techniques that you can learn. Below, I’ll outline a few distraction techniques for you to try.
Distraction is a technique that can be used for brief, painful activities, such as opening a jar or climbing stairs. It’s also helpful if you’re having trouble falling asleep.
Our minds have trouble concentrating on more than one thing at a time. Therefore, if we can focus our minds on something other than the bread, the bread will be less. Remember, though, that you don’t want to totally ignore your pain and never ignore chest pain.
Here are some examples of distraction techniques:
• Participate in an exciting activity such as gardening, knitting, cooking, watering flowers, or just sitting outside by a lake or river. All of these activities can get you out of your pain once and for all.
• You can also sing a song. For example, if you are going to do an activity that you know will cause some pain, such as vacuuming, you can sing a favorite song or think of a relaxing place or sunset.
• Remember the alphabet backwards.
• Go for a walk in nature and be aware of every step you take. Breath deeply.
By engaging your mind in this way, you will be able to cognitively distract yourself from the pain.
So when you’re having a rough day of pain, feel free to try one or more of these methods. They will really help you feel better and with less pain.