𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝘀. If you live with chronic or recurrent pain, you probably already know what I’m talking about 😣. 𝘈 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴.
Flare ups can happen for a number of reasons, are usually spontaneous and sometimes can be attributed to certain triggers, while other times occur seemingly randomly. Paying attention to factors that may trigger a flare up can help to identify situations where they may arise and therefore help you to intervene sooner, before the intensity ramps up. Regardless of when or why flare ups happen, it can be helpful to have a ‘𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯’ at your disposal to help you to get through them. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹: ~Experiment with heat & cold. A hot or cold pack, shower, or bath 🛁 can help to ease pain. ~Gentle, positive movement. ~Meditation. ~Distraction (watch a funny movie, talk to a friend on the phone, read a book, or other hobby if it can be done comfortably). ~Sit or walk outside. ~Breathing exercises. ~Listening to music, podcasts, or comedy. ~Going for a massage, acupuncture, osteopathy, or other treatment if it has been helpful to you in the past (make sure your practitioner is familiar with your personal situation) ~Medication, as prescribed or guided by your medical practitioner. ~Reaching out to a practitioner who can guide you with pain-management strategies if you need additional support . It can be helpful to have a list of ideas of things to try since flare ups can sometimes feel overwhelming and affect our ability to think clearly (anyone else experience brain fog 🥺 as a symptom?). And remember that however intense, inconvenient, and downright crappy a flare up can be, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺. You 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 feel better. Be gentle with yourself and please reach out if you need support.
Do you experience pain flare-ups? What seems to help you to get through them? Let me know in the comments section below.