As someone living with chronic pain, the last thing you want is for a routine to feel like a second full-time job, but at the same time, that’s what it becomes for so many people out there. You don’t have the energy to handle so many hours of research, appointments, and physical therapy, all in the name of trying to maintain some level of symptom relief, yet that’s what it takes.
People find themselves relying upon countless resources for assistance, realizing far too late that their routine takes two, three, four hours out of the day – with more than just a few spare minutes here and there dedicated to pain management.
It’s not that people should ignore their management efforts along the way as if it’s not something that helps their quality of life; instead, it’s essential to find a balance with anti-pain activities before it becomes routine overload that turns such helpful strategies into something so obnoxious that there is no time for anything else aside from pain relief.
Understand the Minimum That Works
Many individuals with chronic pain essentially compile their resources like baseball cards. They tell themselves that if something helps a little bit, they’ll keep it in the running for as long as possible.
Then they add. Before they know it, they’re caught up with twelve potential types of help, and in the meantime, they forget which ones actually help because they’re so busy trying to remember who gives what card on what day.
Instead, work with three things that make a difference – and build upon your day. A morning stretch, a lunchtime walk and an evening wind down. A time for heat, a time for special exercises, and a time for certain supplementation needs. It doesn’t matter what they are – it matters that there’s not too much complication that renders each task ineffective.
When you pare down the works to what resonates with your body and mind, you not only give your body a break but your schedule and mental wherewithal to go elsewhere. If you need to return down the line with more options, fine – but in the beginning, effective simplicity is key before burnout occurs.
Know When Time Isn’t of the Essence
Management routines lose their essentials when specific timing is required. If you need to do the same thing at 2 PM every day but one day you have a meeting at 3 PM because your kids are sick all week at home and then next week there’s bad traffic on your commute home that renders everything ineffective – what good is a planned routine?
Instead, allow yourself to succeed by implementing timed windows opposed to actual-time schedules. The morning routine can happen from when you wake up until noon; the wind-down process can start at 7 but push into 9. It’s not how responsible you are about effective timing but how you recognize real life without judgment.
The same goes for duration. Stretching can be two full stretches of one repetitive exercise at ten seconds on good days (enough practice) but one stretch at five seconds on bad days (still progress). It doesn’t matter how much you do as long as it’s consistently done.
Incorporate Cannabis As Necessary
Cannabis use has become popular these days as a beneficial option towards someone’s healing path thanks to fewer side effects than traditional medication – if one’s body agrees. However, it’s not easy to find one’s sweet spot with cannabis; cannabis is nuanced in that where a specific product works wonders for one person, it may hurt someone else just as easily or do nothing.
Cannabis can feature CBD or THC or both; it can be more effective as an edible opposed to smoke or vape; dosing is difficult since it’s only effective with certain levels – which means you may need to gradually go higher than expected over time – but ultimately it’s easier to determine what’s best without needing to go back every week.
That being said, sites like http://www.bulkcannabis.cc/ allow individuals to order reliable products that remain consistent over time so there’s no need to consistently visit brick-and mortars that can yield inconsistent results.
Thus, cannabis becomes one tool among many not incorporated every single minute of every single hour but instead, on an as-needed basis. Some people find it works best for sleep; others find it helps with inflammation; some rely upon it for muscle tension or break-through pain when nothing else works.
How To Accept Flare-Ups (And Not Let Them Break You)
When you create routines, you want them to work. But inevitably more often than not – flare-ups occur. Those who deal with their pain better compared to peers do well because they factor these into extra spikes.
It’s essential to have a flare-up plan beforehand; there’s no way in which flare-ups can be prevented from occurring – sometimes it’s simply out of the body’s control. However, there’s something to be said about realizing when you have an opportunity to work from home for one day (staying in bed with an extra strong pain killer) or an extra day off of exercise and non-urgent plans that can wait.
The best part about a flare-up plan is giving yourself permission to step back from certain expectations. If you always walk each morning and you’ve realized even walking while this headache exists would exacerbate the problem – skip it! The routine is meant to work in your favor – not against.
The Small Stuff You Might Not Pay Attention To
Sleep is one of the biggest reasons why people manage their pain – and yet increasing pain jeopardizes good sleep efforts enough so those plans go awry fast. Pain makes good sleeping habits impossible while lack of effective sleeping habits makes pain worse – and the cycle creates chaos for all involved.
Instead of trying to idealize everything about sleep (while you sleep; when you wake; if you wake), try to control one small thing regarding sleep instead. Whether the room should be cooler than ideal; if pillows work better than others; or morning stretching or movement is better than nighttime efforts – acknowledging that one might be manageable without complication or idealized stress.
The same goes for diet. No one needs an anti-inflammatory diet that’s impossible to maintain (and fails). Instead, sustainable practices work best – yet you’ll find if you can incorporate one cup of water (or four) throughout the day; if some veggies resonate better than others – or how patterns emerge when consistent dietary consumption versus pain response occurs (and changes when necessary).
When To Bring In The Professionals
Physical therapy, massage therapy and acupuncture/counseling are all fantastic options – especially when other holistic efforts supplement your routine.
The question is not whether they’re viable options but how they fit into your sustainable routine? If something requires weekly appointments for an infinite length of time, then once weekly isn’t enough if you’re trying to get better with certain idealized solutions first.
Plan for what’s next aside from weekly sessions. When are they able to be done? The home exercises you’ve learned through an extended physical therapy situation for stabilization techniques may help down the line; massage therapy could help once a month instead of weekly down the line, but initially lower expectations are warranted.
The Mental Load Nobody Prepared You For
The emotional component of chronic pain can get holed up in someone’s head more than expected over time: making constant decisions against what you’re capable versus others judging your outcomes based on results creates emotional havoc.
Ensure there’s something inside your normal routine which gives tribute to this mental load. That means supplemental therapy after physical efforts; connecting support groups; journaling between how treatment is going versus trial-and-error successes – or simply scheduled perceived “normal” efforts that feel good regardless.
Making Sure It Stays
The best routine will seemingly integrate into life seamlessly because everyone thinks it’s going to be this complicated process requiring twenty minutes of prep and ideal circumstances from day-to-day/week-to-week/month-to-month – and that’s why they fail.
Instead see if there’s integration possible: If you need heat but would like outdoor efforts – make them work together through walking/running/crossing other opportunities. If heat works through your pain and tolerance but you’d also like relaxation while doing so – one could go where another might not make sense.
Note what’s working – not obsessively writing down every second. Good days versus bad days with notes why may help detect patterns without micromanaging into oblivion – the goal is to have it become so second nature like brushing your teeth. It’s part of your day – but not part OF your day.
You’ve successfully adapted tools when they’re not working thanks to enough flexibility which gives you happiness through living your life despite symptom management. That’s what sustainability truly means.
