Do you often find your mind wandering to the worries that are consuming your day? Do you feel chronic pain throughout the day and are struggling to manage it? Are you constantly checking your phone for new emails, social media notifications, or text messages? Is multitasking the only way that you are able to complete tasks throughout the day? If the answer is yes, our pain management Los Angeles physicians have a few techniques that can help you practice mindfulness through chronic pain, the word that everyone's been talking about since the pandemic.
Holistic Options For Pain Management
As difficult as it seems to live with chronic pain, there are ways in which you can holistically cope with pain so that it becomes less debilitating within your everyday life. Through brain training and mindfulness, you can help tailor your own treatment so that it takes your individual experiences with pain and its limitations into account. Although working with a pain management specialist in Los Angeles is ideal, there are ways to manage your mind to control your chronic pain.
Starting your Day: Meditation
Merriam-Webster defines "mindfulness" as "the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis." Starting your day with a form of meditation that is intimate and comfortable for you is the ideal way that the day should be started. If you've never meditated before, there's no need to worry! The pain management Los Angeles physicians at Interventional Pain Doctors have a great beginner's meditation practice that can help you kickstart your day.
- Find a quiet spot in your home that gets plenty of natural light. We recommend performing the meditation at the start of your day before you've had time to be distracted by your phone or other tasks.
- Start off with short practices. We recommend taking five minutes to close your eyes and focus on your breathing with no music or external noise.
It's a common misconception that your meditation has to be with a particular goal or vision in mind. Start out slow. There should be no rush with meditation. Even simply focusing on your breath can help you feel more conscious and present for the rest of the day, improving memory and focus.
Massage Therapy & Pilates
Managing your chronic pain requires your mental health and your physical activity status to work harmoniously. Through massage therapy and pilates at the leading pain management Los Angeles offices, our physicians can help build upon your holistic treatment care plan by practicing mindfulness techniques with you. Therapeutic massage may relieve pain by way of several mechanisms, including relaxing strained and painful muscles, tendons, and joints while also relieving stress and anxiety.
Pilates, similar to yoga, is a great holistic way to strengthen and tone your body’s core. Focusing on the proper alignment of your spine and shoulders, this exercise works to build strength and endurance. In addition to an effective workout, patients with chronic pain can experience heightened confidence.
Be Mindful Of your Screen Time
Before unwinding for the night, make sure that you're keeping your wellness and health in mind. Taking your phone to bed with you does have negative effects, no matter how easy it is to stay up and keep up-to-date on social media. Studies show that the blue light emitted by your cell phone inhibits the production of melatonin, which is the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. Not only does it increase your alertness at night when you need to be catching up on valuable rest, but it also reduces levels of alertness the next day. If behaviors are not corrected, staying up past your bedtime online can lead to chronic sleep deficiency. Here are some screen time tips that pain management Los Angeles professionals recommend to increase your awareness during the day:
- Don't keep your phone beside your bed at night. Charge it in another room of your house, and purchase an alarm clock that can wake you up with a tone just like your phone would.
- To prepare yourself for sleep, remove yourself from the phone about 30 minutes before bedtime. Instead, pick up another hobby that does not involve blue light emissions, such as reading.
Practice Self-Compassion Techniques
When things go wrong, it's not an uncommon reaction to get upset and become hypercritical of ourselves. Inherently, this behavior is proof that we are working to get better each day. However, the feelings are being manifested in the wrong way. Here are some techniques for practicing self-compassion that pain management Los Angeles physicians approve:
- Treat yourself as you'd treat a friend! Allow yourself to make mistakes. When your friend makes mistakes, you're more likely to forgive them. Treat yourself the same way. You can't expect perfection all of the time.
- Care for yourself as you would for others. When you notice that your friend is feeling down, you might surprise them with their favorite coffee or be there for them while they talk to you. Do the same for yourself! If you're feeling down, it is okay and healthy to soothe yourself, whether it be by stopping to grab your favorite coffee or listening to your favorite music while relaxing for the evening. However you decide to unwind, the goal should be focused on lowering your levels of anxiety and negative thoughts.
Interventional Pain Doctors | Pain Doctor Los Angeles
Interventional Pain Doctors believes that developing mental health strength is key to developing physical strength. Dr. Nicholas Fuller, Dr. Chad Heng, Dr. Daniel Loder, and Dr. Jeffrey Jeng at Interventional Pain Doctors provide an extensive list of treatments that can boost your mental health and keep you feeling mindful. For more information regarding our services, visit our website or contact any of our locations today.