One of the main causes for acute pain to become chronic is due to psychoemotional factors, that is, our attitude and mood in the face of the pain we suffer. Pain makes us modify our lifestyle and the activities we carry out, so our mood can be affected.
The different psychosocial factors affect the patient’s way of coping with pain and on many occasions social activities with family and friends are stopped in order to avoid pain.
The way in which we face pain determines its evolution. Fear of pain causes us to change our habits and routines. These activities normally generate the movement necessary for the proper functioning of the muscles, preventing them from atrophying.
Job dissatisfaction is another very important psychosocial factor. After a period of time off work as a result of a pathology or operation, if the patient tries to avoid returning to work, the lack of mobility will prevent the muscles from developing properly. In other words, the patient prefers to stay at home resting rather than going to work because he/she thinks it is favorable for the pain. The patient needs to return to the routine slowly to reactivate the muscles.
The personal environment is another factor to be taken into account. On many occasions the environment, family or friends, make things easier for people suffering from some type of pain. In the end, the patient ends up assuming that he or she is incapable of performing the tasks and therefore stops doing them and facilitates the atrophy of the muscles.
Learning to live with pain or overcoming it?
More than half of the population has suffered acute pain at some time and to prevent it from becoming chronic it is necessary for a specialist to examine the causes and apply a treatment to solve it. When suffering from chronic pain, the best thing to do is not to become obsessed and try to maintain the usual routine, incorporating some modification so that the pain does not intensify.
However, this does not mean that we should stop paying attention to the intensity of the pain and control the circumstances in which it hurts more.
In addition, attitude and mentality are key elements that should not be neglected. It is recommended that the patient have positive thoughts to strengthen the mind and continue doing the activities he/she likes the most, despite the pain, as they can help increase self-esteem. Pain should never be a reason to paralyze our life, we must adapt to pain, but not let it control our lives.
Pain beyond the physical impact
Pain not only affects the patient physically, but also emotionally. It prevents the patient from leading a normal life, which can cause stress. Currently, there are different treatments to alleviate chronic pain, but in some cases the patient may need psychological help to cope with the pain. It is necessary to learn to cope with the pain and look for a solution.
On many occasions, in order to avoid the pain, we look for ways to forget it through alcohol consumption or the abusive use of television or social networks. This makes us forget about the pain momentarily, but we will not make the problem disappear, but on the contrary we will contribute to its growth and aggravation. To avoid this situation, psychological help is very important to regain the mental tranquility to return to the routine.
We must be aware of the pain, prevent it from taking control of our life and drag us into negative thoughts. We must be informed on how to deal with the pain, but without becoming obsessed. Along the way, seek emotional support from your family members so as not to face the situation alone.
Having healthy habits, such as sleeping the necessary hours and having a balanced diet, helps to combat pain and be calmer. Getting back into a routine and staying active reduces stress and prevents our mind from focusing on the pain. In addition, using relaxation techniques helps to both cope with stress and decrease pain.
Learning to reduce negative feelings such as anger, sadness or anxiety also helps to mitigate the pain and focus on regaining control of your life. Try to engage in enjoyable activities such as taking up hobbies or meeting up with friends. Help from mental health specialists can be a great support during this process because they can offer effective techniques for coping with chronic pain.