Dealing with chronic pain can easily take a toll on your general wellbeing, especially your mental health. There are days that you feel angry, sad, anxious, and hopeless. Other days you feel like the people around you don’t see how the pain is affecting you. You start having feelings of resentment and frustration.

While it can be difficult, staying positive can help alleviate the negative feelings, which makes difficult days easier to handle. It also goes a long way in helping you in your healing journey.

Here are 7 tips to help you stay positive when dealing with chronic pain.

1. Foster a positive mind

While negative feelings can bombard you from all corners, try as much as possible to think positively. Train yourself to recognize patterns of negative feelings and change them to positive ones. For instance, if you start thinking about how you are a failure for not being able to accomplish something on your own, choose to celebrate the progress that you are making. Praise yourself for the things that you can manage on your own, albeit small achievements.

Most importantly, try not to suppress difficult feelings. Remind yourself that it is okay to feel unhappy sometimes and allow yourself to process the feelings and address them.

2. Stay engaged

Keeping to yourself can be the primary trigger for negative thoughts. It is easy to see as if the people around you don’t care if you are keeping them off your feelings. Try as much as possible to open up to people who care about you. You can hang out with friends and family doing the things that you love. This can be a good distraction from the pain. In addition, find a support group for people dealing with chronic pain. This will give you a positive environment to share your feelings and a platform to learn from what others in your position are doing.

3. Keep track of your pain

When dealing with chronic pain, you encounter days that are more difficult than others. There are days when pain is just unbearable, which triggers negative feelings much faster. It is good to be cautious of such episodes so that you can be prepared on how to deal with your feelings. The best way you can do this is by keeping track of your pain. This unlocks valuable insights on patterns, triggers, and other things about your pain. It becomes easier to stay positive, happier, and healthier when you have such information. You can use remote patient monitoring devices to keep track and store data about your health. These devices allow you to take health assessments anytime and anywhere.

4. Manage stress

Chronic pain can cause stress. Unfortunately, it becomes difficult to stay positive when battling stress. What you need to do is recognize that the pain can lead to stress and find ways to manage the stress. For instance, you can continue with your hobbies and doing the things that make you happy such as watching movies or listening to music. You can also do things that help calm your mind, relieve tension and help you relax such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing.

5. Stay healthy

When you are healthy, everything else seems to fall in place. Ensure that you eat healthy meals and stay hydrated. In addition, exercise regularly wherever you can. However, remember to do only what you can. Inserting too much pressure on yourself can lead to negative feelings. Try as much as possible to get enough sleep at night. This helps in improving your moods, reducing stress, and helping you think clearly.

6. Try visualisation

Deep relaxation has a way of ushering in a form of calming to your nerves and mind. It helps get rid of the negative feelings and thoughts and lets you see life from a positive perspective. Visualisation helps you travel to a world that you find calming. You can visualise yourself in your favorite place or doing something that you love. This not only helps you relax, but it also gives you hope for better days.

7. Seek professional help

It is not always easy to deal with negative feelings on your own. In times when you feel like no one understands you, it can be easy to have thoughts of self-harm. When you find that it is becoming difficult to deal with negative thoughts, it is good to seek the help of a professional. Talk to your doctor about the negative feelings. Your doctor will know what to prescribe for you, and can also give you the best advice on how to deal with them.

Conclusion

Negative thoughts are bound to come when you are dealing with chronic pain. However, finding ways to counter them and remain positive has a greater impact on your health and healing. So try to divert negative thoughts by slowing down, being mindful, and staying engaged.

Find ways to manage stress and picture yourself in your perfect place. In addition, stay healthy and keep track of your pain. It is also good to work with a professional.

This article was kindly written and contributed by Dea Styles.