Attitude and pain: change your attitude, change your pain?

Diana-M

Diana-M

Beloved Grand Eagle
Something interesting I was thinking about today. After being very weak for a year, I finally started exercising a month ago. It’s been great! I actually look forward to it now and I don’t put up with shenanigans from my symptoms— I ignore them. I power through and I actually enjoy my exercise. It stands for empowerment and hope for me— so I wouldn’t want to miss it now.

Doing the dishes on the other hand….lol…. I’m in so much pain. I can hardly stand up to empty the dishwasher. Even thinking about doing dishes gives me pain.

But, here’s the question that came over my mind today: what’s the difference in my attitude between these two activities? One stands for empowerment, hope and freedom—and the other stands for drudgery and pain.

The truth is, I probably am in a mild degree of pain doing both— but with the dishes it’s so much more painful! So, I thought this: what if I thought of doing dishes as empowering me the same as exercise?

It’s all a matter of attitude! Mind over matter! Sure, maybe it’s a con job to convince myself dishes are “fun”—but getting better is fun. Is it not? :)

I would love to hear your success stories of pain perception based on your attitude. (I’ll report back on this experiment with dish doing.)
 
When I put the dishes away I get a sense of satisfaction that the drainers on the kitchen sink draining board are clear and looking tidy again (we air dry our dishes as we don't have a dishwasher... other than my husband! :)) I also like to see all the plates and dishes nicely stacked in the kitchen cupboards and all ready to use again. But maybe that's just me and one can't make oneself feel like that if you just don't.

What about listening to some music while you put the dishes away and think of and use the movements of doing the task as exercise?... Lifting one's arm and reaching up and stretching it to put a plate away in a kitchen cupboard is just as beneficial as reaching up during an exercise work out or during yoga or chi gong session. I often exaggerate the movements to make them a gentle workout.

And sometimes I sing to myself while I'm doing chores to include putting the dishes away to a song I like or, call me a 'fruit and nutcase' (as we say here in England), I make up little rubbishy nonsense ditties about the stuff I'm doing, like I'm a little kid... "I'm putting away the plates ha ha, the beautiful cornflower blue plates ha ha. Here's a fork, there's a knife... no more trouble and strife"!:rolleyes::D:eek:o_O

All of the above reduces the amount of pain that I 'suffer' while I do chores... I feel some pain to varying degrees but it stops me 'suffering' from it.
 
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Oooh great question and thread!

I love @BloodMoon suggestion about listening to music while washing the dishes -- I love to do this.

I absolutely dread folding clothes after laundry. I mean, I will let them sit for DAYS in the basket after they've been cleaned (ashamed). What I started to do is make a ritual out of it by finding an old show or new movie to watch while I fold them. I actually look forward to it now.
 
HealingMe said:
I absolutely dread folding clothes after laundry.
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Isn’t it funny how we each get our satisfaction from different things. @BloodMoon likes to see all the dishes neatly in the cabinet. I don’t care as much about that, but I could try to start caring. But when it comes to folding clothes, I love to see them all in their neat tidy piles. It just feels so satisfying!
 
Before I started digging into TMS, I was doing everything the chiro recommended, and that included buying a standing desk for work from home. My job is one of my biggest stressors so anytime I'm standing at this desk all kinds of pains kick in, but I can just be standing around talking and no problem.

I get pain with exercising too, but I think that's more conditioned and fear-based than anything.
 
Diana-M said:
I would love to hear your success stories of pain perception based on your attitude.
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I employed this at the gym when I worked with a trainer for ten years, (before 2020 screwed everything up). She really pushed me well beyond what I ever thought I could do in my life, never mind after age 60. Some of the things were scary, and some were painful, and sometimes I felt like I couldn't possibly do all the reps she was asking. These are the attitude tricks I employed:

1. I decided that I was perfectly capable of assessing any pain I felt and properly judging whether it was just scary, or possibly harmful. 99% of the time I decided it was not harmful, and I never suffered any consequences. Occasionally I would tell my trainer what I was feeling and she would make an adjustment which solved it.

2. Whenever I felt I just couldn't keep going, I would take a deep breath and visualize my muscles getting stronger if I managed to push through. And I would, with renewed strength.

3. On mornings when I felt too crappy to make it to my session, I forced myself to go anyway, partly because she would charge me for a last minute cancellation, and partly because I knew that's not how she wanted to earn her fees. And I always, without fail, felt so much better afterwards.
 
I came here with IBS symptoms and when I started SEP I started exercising. I have slowly worked up to walking about 2.5 mi about 5 days a week. I don't put pressure on myself to do this-it's my time to myself and to listen to podcasts. Well, wouldn't you know it-I know have hip pain. I thought I had overused something at first until I realized it was TMS. I just power though and keep going. So think of doing things in baby steps! Even exercising and the dishes!!
 
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