How to take my mind off chronic pain

[chillydownwiththefiregang]

Any tips for chronic pain? How do you take your mind off it?

My physio has recommended mindfulness/meditation to help. Does anyone have any app recommendations please?

Thank you.

Vodka or gin.

Yes I know, not helpful.
It's the only thing that does really help, though.

Oh, and warm water. Bath, hydro pool.....

No app recommendations but following as I also have chronic pain I find what helps me is keeping busy if I can whether that’s folding the washing or just as simple as calling a friend to take my mind off it for a bit. I also find getting up and dressed really helpful as I wallow in it less if that makes sense. Be kind to yourself though as it sucks x

Thank you everyone.

Vodka sounds good- especially as it's NYE

I assume the cause of the chronic pain has been treated to the extent it can be?

I don’t recommend patients pay for apps, the free bits are fine. Smiling mind is one or the free bits of Calm or headspace.

I’d definitely recommend joining the free community of practice at Breathworks, they have loads of resources and free sessions.
community.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk/
and lots of their practices here. soundcloud.com/breathworks-mindfulness

Mindfulness has evidence to reduce pain www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3090218/ and is part of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), that underpins many pain management programs. A good book on that is
Living Beyond Your Pain: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Ease Chronic Pain. I don’t like the terms clean and dirty pain though in it, in mindfulness we tend to use primary and secondary suffering instead.

Has your physio directed you to the Flippin Pain website, lots of good resources there too, including the “Honest Physio Guide to Pain Management”. Pain Concern are a good site for resources in general about pain management as is livewellwithpain.co.uk/ten-footsteps/

As general pain management resource books go, personally I quite like Evan Park’s Chronic Pain Rehabilitation: Active Pain Management That Helps You Get Back to the Life You Love.

The odd vodka or two in moderation helps too!

Insight Timer is a great place to start - Just do breathing in out (or you can look up 3-4-5 breathing, Box breathing etc) for 2/3 mins if 5 mins feels too much.