Do you suffer from chronic pain? It could be anywhere… your neck, your shoulders, your head, back, or even your knees. Chronic pain is any pain that lasts at least 12 weeks and doesn’t respond to the usual pain-management remedies. The pain can be sharp or dull, and you may feel a burning or aching sensation either steadily or intermittently.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, people with chronic pain are twice as likely to experience depression and anxiety than the rest of the general population.
Dealing with pain for long periods of time can result in the loss of sleep, decreased energy levels, excess stress, and hopelessness. These are also symptoms of anxiety and depression, which shows how chronic pain and suffering mental health can magnify each other for the worst.
Poor mental health and negative feelings may increase your body’s sensitivity to physical pain.
Here are some ways that you can improve your mental health, and distract yourself from your chronic pain.
Practice Meditation
Meditation and deep breathing are a wonderful way to relax your body and mind to potentially relieve stress and pain. Focusing on your breath instead of your racing thoughts will help you to relax your muscles and relieve any tension you may be holding onto.
Exercise
One of our favorite ways to relieve pain naturally is through exercise. Moving your body and getting your heart rate up will release endorphins and increase your overall mood.
If you fall into a dedicated workout routine, your days will have more structure, and you will also feel more confident.
Cut Back on Alcohol and Caffeine
Drinking excess alcohol and/or caffeine can result in sleeping problems. You’re probably already having a hard enough time sleeping with your pain or emotional stress, so alcohol or caffeine will just make the situation worse.
Pain Journal
Keep track of your pain each day in a journal. Every day, write about your pain to document the important details your chiropractor or healthcare provider may need to see in the future. Talk about where the pain is, how much it hurts on a scale of 1-10, how long it lasted that day, etc.
Maintain a Healthy Diet
A well-balanced diet is important for both your mental and physical health. If you commit to fueling your body with clean ingredients and the right nutrients, you will have more energy in your days to use your brain and move your body.
If you eat poorly and only consume processed foods, you will not only gain weight, but you will have less energy and your depression/anxiety will be enhanced.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care is one of the best treatments for chronic pain because it can help to relieve chronic symptoms such as inflammation and muscle tension. Once you are diagnosed with a pain condition, your chiropractor will design a treatment plan for you to follow. This may include spinal manipulation, daily stretches, or therapeutic exercises.
MuscleCare
If you do not have access to a chiropractic clinic, MuscleCare is the next best option - it’s basically a chiropractor in a bottle! It’s an all-natural, topical pain relief created by Dr. Chris Oswald and his team of scientists. It’s a bio-innovation in magnesium that pushes magnesium through your skin and into your areas of pain, and it pushes the pain out. You’ll feel a difference in just a few minutes.
If you apply MuscleCare 2-3 times a day, your pain will get better each day, and this will hopefully help you get out of any emotional funk you may be experiencing.
To get your own MuscleCare, shop here.
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