As September is Pain Awareness month, I thought I would focus today’s post on pain. Pain comes in many forms, whether it is physical, emotional, or mental. It wreaks havoc on our moods, our sleep, causes premature aging, and prevents us from engaging in activities that we wish to do. When we are in pain, our natural tendency is to tense up, to resist the pain, and to breathe shallowly. These things all in fact work against us and can increase our pain response.
The next time you find yourself in pain, try these 3 simple steps to help reduce and alleviate your pain.
1. Deepen your breathing. Take slow, deep, breaths, with a pause at each inhale and exhale. Repeat a mantra to yourself such as “I breathe in relaxation, I breathe out pain”.
2. Acknowledge to yourself that you are in pain. Rather than fighting it and wishing it would go away, look deeper. What is the pain telling you or preventing you from doing? Perhaps you have been doing too much and the pain is asking you to slow down. Or, perhaps the pain is asking you to pay attention to an area of your body that you have been ignoring.
3. Rest. Listen to your pain responses and do not try to “push past the pain”. Doing so can cause further injury and delays the healing process.
Naturopathic medicine has a host of natural tools that can help reduce pain and inflammation without harmful side effects. To find out more, book an appointment so we can promote healing and restore health in your body!