Margot!!
New Member
Are you having success at recognizing the emotions connected to your pain? If you have, how do these emotions make you feel?
I have had some moments of clarity and discovered things about myself and my relationships that have contributed to the pain. Fear of the pain and anxiety that I will be in pain are my biggest hurdles right now. It makes me angry, I get frustrated and the pain increases. it's exhausting somedays but KNOWING there is something I can do to change the way I feel physically is worth a million dollars. Helps me stay hopeful even when it isn't immediate.
It feels like my body has pain habits, does that make sense? Can anyone relate? Certain times of the day my pain increases and It feels like I have to break those patterns. When I try to figure out what is under the pain psychologically, its fear and anxiety. It all makes sense, my body has been dealing with this pain since 2013 when I injured my knee and year after year the pain got worse, then the fibro Dx in 2019. At this point, I am convinced I was misdiagnosed and pain has been part of my life for a long time. I feel like I need to help my body trust that I will take care of myself. Peg said it- Your body is trying to teach you how to take care of yourself.
Bedtime and sleeping is still a struggle. I have caught myself glooming and dooming about sleep, once the negative thoughts start, the pain increases. I investigate what the pain is trying to communicate and I get frustrated because my body is not listening. Maybe my body is frustrated with me too lol. Has anyone felt like they needed to make peace with their body? Since childhood I feel like I have been at war with my body. Im not always nice to my body, I say mean things to my body when I am in pain. maybe I need an unsent letter to my body.
I talk to myself all the time now, mostly out loud. When I feel the pain, I investigate what feelings are present and I tell my body things like, "I am safe and healthy" "it doesn't hurt to walk it doesn't hurt to stand" "It doesn't hurt to sit and it doesn't hurt to lay down" "Body, please increase oxygen to my muscles" these reminders and prompts have been helpful. Im going to add a new phrase, "I love you body, thank you for all you do."
Side note- I cry alot. Sometimes I know why sometimes I don't but I let it come and then it goes. Sometimes the pain leaves after I cry. When I investigate the pain the tears come before I am aware of what the feeling is. Naming the feelings under the pain is getting easier and I just carry tissues all the time now. I will take ALL of this over constant pain any day. I can do hard things.
I have had some moments of clarity and discovered things about myself and my relationships that have contributed to the pain. Fear of the pain and anxiety that I will be in pain are my biggest hurdles right now. It makes me angry, I get frustrated and the pain increases. it's exhausting somedays but KNOWING there is something I can do to change the way I feel physically is worth a million dollars. Helps me stay hopeful even when it isn't immediate.
It feels like my body has pain habits, does that make sense? Can anyone relate? Certain times of the day my pain increases and It feels like I have to break those patterns. When I try to figure out what is under the pain psychologically, its fear and anxiety. It all makes sense, my body has been dealing with this pain since 2013 when I injured my knee and year after year the pain got worse, then the fibro Dx in 2019. At this point, I am convinced I was misdiagnosed and pain has been part of my life for a long time. I feel like I need to help my body trust that I will take care of myself. Peg said it- Your body is trying to teach you how to take care of yourself.
Bedtime and sleeping is still a struggle. I have caught myself glooming and dooming about sleep, once the negative thoughts start, the pain increases. I investigate what the pain is trying to communicate and I get frustrated because my body is not listening. Maybe my body is frustrated with me too lol. Has anyone felt like they needed to make peace with their body? Since childhood I feel like I have been at war with my body. Im not always nice to my body, I say mean things to my body when I am in pain. maybe I need an unsent letter to my body.
I talk to myself all the time now, mostly out loud. When I feel the pain, I investigate what feelings are present and I tell my body things like, "I am safe and healthy" "it doesn't hurt to walk it doesn't hurt to stand" "It doesn't hurt to sit and it doesn't hurt to lay down" "Body, please increase oxygen to my muscles" these reminders and prompts have been helpful. Im going to add a new phrase, "I love you body, thank you for all you do."
Side note- I cry alot. Sometimes I know why sometimes I don't but I let it come and then it goes. Sometimes the pain leaves after I cry. When I investigate the pain the tears come before I am aware of what the feeling is. Naming the feelings under the pain is getting easier and I just carry tissues all the time now. I will take ALL of this over constant pain any day. I can do hard things.
