Thriving Not Just Surviving - Living Abundantly With Pain
Tip#5 - Have a Bag Full of Tricks

 

Great magicians and comedians always have a full bag of tricks. If something doesn’t work for one audience they can quickly switch to another. If one trick doesn’t amaze, the next is performed so quickly that the crowd doesn’t even remember the one that didn’t work. If a joke flops, a good comedian will make a joke of the flop. Living in chronic pain requires the same level of ingenuity and resourcefulness.

Research has shown that people living in chronic pain function at a considerably higher level if they have multiple pain management techniques than if they have only one or two ways of dealing with pain. One way you can create these multiple techniques is to make a list of the events, times and situations that cause the most pain. You can then apply the techniques that you currently use to those situations. If you only have one or two techniques, you will need to find a few more to add to your bag of tricks. Be creative.  It makes sense. If you have only one way to cope with your pain and it doesn’t work on that particular day you have no other options. You are a magician on a stage with a crowd waiting expectantly for your next move – but you don’t have a next move.

A better alternative is to have a variety of options from which to choose. If one doesn’t work, you have another. Hope is always close because something else in your bag of tricks just might work. You have options.  Having options (in any area of our lives) is an important part of maintaining hope – even more so when it comes to chronic pain management. When we run out of options we can become frustrated, depressed and lose hope. Our pain controls our lives.

I have a few songs that ground me in Christ and help me to remain calm when my environment is causing me pain. My kids recognize these songs – they mean that Mom is about to lose it. That helps them calm down, too. Here are a few examples of some of the other tricks in my bag:

· Deep breathing and prayer
· Lying with a pillow over my head to block out the light
· Going to the Chapel
· Going for a five-minute walk clears my head and provides quiet time
· Turning off the phone
· Reading comic books
· Sitting in my favourite chair and enjoying a cup of chamomile tea
· Watching a funny show that doesn’t take any concentration

None of these techniques actually take my pain away, but they do calm my spirit and help me cope with the pain. Sometimes these tricks may even keep my pain from worsening.

Do you have enough tricks in your bag of hope?