Simple Tips on Managing Pain Flare-Ups

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.

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