Practical Suggestions For Getting Through The Day In Chronic Pain
After years of experimenting and collaborating with hundreds of other chronic pain patients who have Central Pain Syndrome, I have come up with a simple list of daily “to do’s” that are guaranteed to make your day at the very least as healthy as it can be.
Start your day out with two minutes of gratitude
Before you get out of bed (or once you’re out of bed if your bladder can’t wait), intentionally think of what you’re grateful for in your life for at least two minutes.
Drink 1 liter of water first thing
This jump starts your veins from being dehydrated and ensures your liver and kidneys have the best support they need to start out the day.
Don’t skip breakfast, even if you have no appetite because of your meds
Pain is exhausting and we all need to keep eating at least every three hours.
Stretch for at least 15 minutes per day
Sit, lay down, stand up, whatever you are capable of, every single person alive can stretch somehow. Muscle and flexibility is the best protection against future injury.
Keep drinking lots of water
At least a gallon per day if you can. Remember, coffee, soft drinks and alcohol dehydrate your system so you have to drink even more water to compensate. Don’t worry, you can train your bladder like clockwork with enough consistency over about two weeks of time.
Do something that makes you happy everyday
This may be reading a favorite book, watching a favorite show, crafting or art projects, research, talking with people who inspire you, writing, or any number of other happy things.
Eat plenty of protein
It’s specifically recommended for patients with chronic intractable pain to eat extra protein as the protein in our bodies is being drawn from even more for our bodies to cope with the pain.
Feel every emotion you need to feel
Grief, anger, sadness, thankfulness, whatever the emotion may be, give yourself permission to feel it and feel it deeply.
Keep trying new methods to sleep better until you hit your stride
Sleep is so important, especially for those of us in chronic pain. Our bodies need all the support recovering that we can get.
Questions or comments? Join the CPS patient conversation at our closed Facebook group or email us at info@cps.foundation