Chronic, persistent pain is disturbingly common and can result from a number of known and unknown conditions. For example, you might be experiencing the early onset of arthritis, or be dealing with persistent pain from a surgery several years back. You might also have persistent pain for a reason doctors can’t quite identify, making it even harder to accept and cope with.
Because chronic pain is different for everybody and is somewhat subjective in nature, it’s hard to treat in an effective or full way. However, you can mitigate the pain you experience with a handful of physical and psychological strategies.
Strategies for Coping With Chronic Pain
These are some of the best strategies you can use to deal with chronic pain:
- Be open and honest. Men are conditioned from a young age to express as little pain as possible; our society deems it noble and “manly” to hold in your pain and avoid stating your feelings explicitly (especially if those feelings imply any weakness). However, bottling up your feelings of pain, or pretending they aren’t there is one of the worst things you can do. The more open and honest you are about the type of pain you’re experiencing and when the more doctors and your family members will be able to help you.
- Track instances of pain. One of the best strategies for alleviating pain and psychologically gaining control over the situation is to track instances of your pain, documenting what type of pain you feel, how severe it is, and what you felt while experiencing it. Journaling itself comes with many psychological benefits, and the detailed descriptions of your pain may help doctors and physical therapists find appropriate solutions for what you’re experiencing.
- Attend physical therapy. Physical therapy is effective for almost any type of physical pain. Working with a therapist will help you understand the root causes of at least some of your physical distress, and you’ll learn exercises you can do on your own to mitigate what you’re experiencing at its most severe.
- Take medication. Over-the-counter medicine can sometimes be an effective tool to use against chronic pain, though it’s a good idea to get your doctor’s advice first. Anti-inflammatory medication, like ibuprofen, for example, may help relieve some symptoms of arthritis. If OTC medications aren’t working, your doctor may be able to provide you with a prescription.
- Utilize deep breathing. Deep breathing, relying on the diaphragm, is an effective way to gain psychological control over your pain. It helps you to relax, forces you to concentrate on something other than your pain, and decreases your body’s need for oxygen all at once.
- Another great way to distract yourself, relax, and soothe your anxiety is to practice mindfulness meditation. Meditation is shown to have a host of physical and mental benefits, though you might find it takes some practice to perfect. The idea is to clear your mind of distractions and clutter, and simply exist in the present moment for periods of up to 30 minutes—and sometimes longer.
- For some types of chronic pain, physical exercise may be an ideal solution. Exercise stimulates blood flow throughout your body, and releases compounds like endorphins and endocannabinoids, which can help your body manage pain. It also serves as a distraction and can help you relieve stress.
- Join a support group. You aren’t alone. If you’re struggling, one of the best strategies is to find other people experiencing similar symptoms and talk with them. Support groups are usually easy to find, free to attend, and are enormously helpful in giving you an outlet (and possibly some new strategies to try).
Finding What Works for You
Chronic pain is an individual, subjective experience. Just because you share the same condition as someone else doesn’t mean you’ll experience the same types of symptoms (or at the same level of severity). It especially doesn’t mean you’ll respond to the same pain management strategies in the same way. Accordingly, it’s in your best interest to experiment with multiple strategies, until you find the right combination that works for you.