So many people today are living in some state of chronic pain. I am one of those people. 10 years ago, I was formally diagnosed with fibromyalgia. In the research I conducted for fibromyalgia, I came to understand that no one really knows the exact cause of the pain. Viruses, trauma or injury, or bad dental work can be a few of the reasons, but, in many cases, fibromyalgia is often just a catchall term to diagnose pain that has no definitive explanation.
Whether you have fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain due to disc degeneration or chronic fatigue (just to name a few), there is hope. You may never be completely pain free, but, for the most part, you can feel a lot better.
Once I was diagnosed, I was determined to find a way to feel better. I knew that I had to take matters into my own hands to restore my health. Here are three strategies that worked for me.
1. I learned to slow down.
One of the best pain reducers for me was learning mindfulness mediation. It taught me to:
- Learn to breathe deeply to get oxygen into my system to lessen my pain.
- Practice staying in the present moment.
- Let worries about the future dissipate through the mediation and relaxation exercises.
2. I realized the importance of my exercise routine.
Doing strength training and aerobic exercise allowed me to do my daily activities without the overwhelming fatigue that I once felt. The key to this was finding the best time of the day to work out; for me, morning was best.
There were many days when I felt just too sore to workout, but I made myself do it any ways. Once I started, I felt so much better that I was able to finish with energy. This definitely was a process, and some days I just knew I couldn’t do it. On those days, I would go for a walk or do a relaxation tape.
3. I cleaned up my diet.
I always felt that I ate well, but I took it one step further. Eliminating gluten and dairy from my diet really helped. It was a difficult transition because I loved all grains and dairy products, but when the daily headaches disappeared and my energy returned, I knew it was worth it. Interestingly, my family eats the same things I do now and they all feel better for it. But, it wasn’t easy. When I made these changes 15 years ago, the selection of gluten-free and dairy-free food was not great, so I had to learn how to prepare a lot of my own food.
Today, my diet mostly includes lean protein -- sometimes vegetarian, lots of vegetables, and whole grains from non-gluten sources -- brown rice, potato starch, buckwheat and other ancient grains. I drink at least 12 large glasses of water each day and avoid caffeine as much as possible.
Does everyone need to do as much as I do to feel well? Not necessarily, but every change you make will tell you what more you need to do.
Did I make all of the changes at once? Definitely not! It was a process, but any time I reverted back to my old habits, the resulting pain made it easier to get back on track.
The bottom line: If you have chronic pain, there is so much you can do to feel better. Just knowing that pain-free days are ahead is the best motivation to get started. Take one step at a time and keep building. You will feel so much better that you won’t want to go back.
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What a great video.
You did a wonderful job on it.
Nancy
Good morning Nancy,
Thanks so much for your kind words. I am really happy that you enjoyed the video. It is so terrific to get comments for the people who read our blogs regularly. If you ever have any questions for us about healthy aging, please send them along. We are more than happy to answer them to get people thinking about aging in a positive way.
Take good care,
Diane