Living with chronic pain
Me, college, sophomore year #baby #chronicpainsurvivor
What are the ripple effects of chronic pain?
If you’re dealing with chronic pain - physical, mental, or emotional - you get it, you know how disruptive and defeating it can be. And what can be even more frustrating than the actual physical pain itself is the compilation of ripple effects that can come along with it. I like to refer to this as the Chronic Pain Cycle. What starts out as physical pain in your body, starts negatively impacting all areas of your life:
lack of energy/feeling lethargic
weakness
weight gain/loss
loss of joy
difficulty concentrating
anxiety/depression
guilt or shame
lack of interest in what you enjoy
loss of identity
decrease in productivity
negative impact on relationships
hopelessness
irritability
decreased libido
lack of desire to be engaged in world
decrease in confidence
The mental health & chronic pain connection
The correlation between chronic pain and its effect on your mental wellness is HUGE. It’s been studied (a lot) and is a very real and common experience for those suffering from chronic pain. So why do so few people talk about it or take action to do anything about it?
The answer is simple: They don’t know how.
Stat time: 20.4% of the U.S. adult population suffer with chronic pain. That means 50 million people in the U.S. alone are dealing with one of chronic pain’s main challenges - its invisibility factor. Chronic pain is not visible to others in the same way as a broken arm. This can lead to shame and guilt when those around you don’t believe or understand the pain you tell them you’re experiencing. Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a friend say to you, “Oh, come on! Get your butt up from the couch and come meet us out for dinner!”… right after you just told them how much your back, shoulder, neck (fill in the blank) hurts. Insert eye roll here.
Now add on the effect chronic pain has on your mental wellness - aka yet anotherrr invisible condition - and the downward spiral continues. Oh, and if you are already prone to anxiety or depression (that’s me!), well… you better hold on tight for the ride.
We’re taught to suppress this part of the chronic pain cycle and “tough through it” because admitting that it has been impacting other areas of your life is deemed as you being weak, but this only makes it worse. And if you talk about it a lot, you’re now seen as a chronic complainer.
Ok, so let’s review.
Bad news: Physical pain and mental wellness go hand-in-hand
Bad bad news: It can be quite the vicious cycle.
Good news: You can do something about it. You can break the cycle.
Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Yes. Is it worth it? That’s for you to decide. For me, it was a no-brainer. If you’re suffering from chronic pain and its ripple effects, I invite you to take a minute and ask yourself: Is it worth it to live a fuller, more enriched, meaningful, life? Is it worth it to feel more energized, experience more joy, and fill your life with adventures and opportunities that currently seem out of reach?
We can become so used to living in this constant state of pain that we begin to lose sight of the impact it’s having on our mental wellness and overall state of wellbeing - accepting that this is just the way it is and hoping to make the best of it. We give in to the cycle.
Now, no one can guarantee you a pain free life, but that doesn’t mean you have to remain a victim of your circumstances.
If there was a way to get you back in the driver’s seat of your life, so you could break free from the chronic pain + mental wellness cycle, reignite your spark for life, and start feeling like YOU again… would you do it?
Breaking the cycle
I’ve been living with chronic pain for 10+ years. After having a waterskiing accident when I was 17, getting knee surgery at 20, and being in a car crash in an Uber at 23 (neck brace come at me), you could say my body has been through a lot. I’ve been to loads of physical therapy, countless chiropractors, cupping treatments gone wrong, trigger point injections, a month-long intensive pain management program… you name it, I’ve tried it.
So what actually worked? The ONE thing that brought me back to, well, feeling like me again, was through exploring the ripple effects that come with the chronic pain cycle. I took a deep look at the areas of my life that had been affected by my chronic pain over the years - my anxiety levels, depression, my social life, physical activity abilities, energy levels, mood, sleep, career performance, libido, poor food habits, weight gain, connection with loved ones & friends, finances (all those PT and chiro appointments add up… fast) - and implemented simple changes in my daily habits in each area. I started implementing mindfulness techniques daily, nourishing myself with foods that brought me energy and reduced inflammation, incorporating new types of movement into my day, and exploring new activities and creativity paths that bring me pleasure.
After implementing various habit transformation techniques that aided to my wellbeing and overall happiness, I was finally in a better, stronger place - both physically and mentally. My body was in an optimal physical state to recover faster and, mentally, for the first time in years, I felt in control and optimistic of where my life was headed.
My message to you ♡
So if you’re out there reading this, and you can relate, my message to you is this: Don’t give up. You CAN break the cycle. You are a freaking warrior and stronger than you know. Now is your time to reclaim your worth. Get back in the drivers seat and start living your best damn life. You got this.
xo,
Em