Healthcare often neglects the relationship between pain and your mental well-being. However, it is important to mention that employing the connection between these two terms can help us improve human beings’ emotional and physical health.
Today we will explore the direct relationship between pain and mental health and the role of meditation in pain management. Plus, take a look at the role of friends and family in supporting people suffering from pain.
The Bilateral Connection Between Pain and Mental Well-Being
The way we perceive pain is largely influenced by our mental well-being. Certain psychological factors can make the feeling of pain even worse. These include factors like:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Sadness
You can say it is a cycle in which the pain leads to mental health issues like stress, which ultimately intensifies the sensation of pain. But don’t worry! We just need to create coping strategies to help us handle both pain and mental health issues side by side.
In particular, chronic pain can serve as a catalyst that intensifies feelings of tension and even depression. In a constant fight against chronic pain, individuals can become vulnerable to a lot of psychological problems.
A bidirectional approach to managing physical and mental well-being requires us to not only target the physical factors causing chronic pain, but also address its psychological consequences.
Using Meditation for Pain Management
Using meditation to address pain can be quite effective. Meditation techniques can soothe pain. Some of the most effective meditation techniques are as follows:
- Guided Meditation
In guided meditation, a skilled practitioner helps you calm your body and mind, taking your focus away from pain. When the focus is shifted away, you automatically feel better. You can also meditate without a practitioner, but having someone for guidance will allow you to concentrate on meditation rather than pain.
- Visualization
Psychologists believe that the human body is unable to differentiate between:
- Visualizing something
- Doing it in reality
Spend time meditating and visualizing calm, peaceful places full of serenity. It will help you shift your focus from pain to nature’s beauty.
- Body Scan Meditation
This is specifically beneficial for individuals suffering from chronic pain. Scan your body, starting from the top, pay attention to different parts of the body, scanning them all the way down, and then again moving up. In a boy scan, you need to address pain by utilizing these qualities:
- Mindfulness
- Focus
- Acceptance
- Clarity
- Mindful Breathing
In this type of meditation, you relax your body and take deep breaths. To make your body feel at ease, you can practice mindful breathing regularly. It activates the relaxation response in your body.
- Loving Kindness Meditation
In this type of meditation, you need to be kind to yourself. It will help you get rid of the mental health problems you’re experiencing due to chronic pain, thereby breaking the cycle. Try to find self-love and compassion for yourself to enhance your physical and mental well-being.
The Benefits of Meditation for Mental Wellness
Several researchers have claimed the mental wellness benefits associated with regular meditation practice as well. Here are a few of those:
- Stress reduction: You can easily improve your mental health conditions, including post-traumatic disorder and irritable bowel syndrome.
- Improved memory: Regular meditation increases memory and mental clarity. This actually helps fight age-related memory loss.
- Improved sleep: Meditating on a regular basis improves your sleeping habits. You can fall asleep quickly, which enhances your sleep quality.
- Less pain: Meditation regulates your emotions, which reduces your pain.
- Less anxiety: Good sleep reduces anxiety, fears, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Regular meditation also lessens the occurrence of depression.
- Improved willpower and attention: When you meditate, you develop mental discipline, leaving behind your unhealthy habits, which helps you stay focused for a longer period of time.
Self-transformation is one of the most valuable qualities of our human mind. It changes shape and nature; it can expand and contract. It can mimic any object simply by concentrating on it. In reality, our minds are “shape-shifters. “
We use this quality in meditation to free ourselves from defects and limitations and become what we truly desire. Meditation allows us to realize our unlimited potential and helps us in our pain management process.
The Role of Social Support in Pain Management
The role of different individuals in our society, such as friends, family, and physicians, in supporting individuals experiencing chronic pain is very real. Let’s take a look:
Friends and Family
Support from friends and family can be important in overcoming pain. They can be a guiding light in coping with pain.
Emotional support from loved ones helps develop a sense of resilience that entirely changes one’s perception of pain regulation.
Medical Professionals
Healthcare professionals also play a significant role in providing emotional support to patients experiencing chronic pain. However, the best approach is for friends, family, and healthcare providers to collaborate to provide mental and physical assistance to the patient.
Addressing the Misconception
In the pathway of implementing psychological approaches for overcoming pain, we need to get rid of social biases and the thinking that pain is only a physical problem.
Overcoming the Biases
Most people tend to think that pain is merely bodily and it has no connection with our mind. We need to break down these biases and develop a holistic approach towards pain regulation.
Be Kind
We need to be kind towards individuals suffering from mental and physical pain. Instead of being judgmental, develop a sense of empathy towards the patients.
Empowering the Patient
Patients should feel more empowered in their journey of managing pain. Make them feel independent and more in control. It will encourage them to:
- Talk openly to their physician
- Make informed decisions
To accomplish this, healthcare practitioners need to assure patients that they are their companions in this journey of physical and emotional well-being and not only the individuals providing their services.
Conclusion
There exists a strong correlation between pain and mental health. We can use psychological therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and meditation to help manage pain in patients suffering from chronic conditions.
Therefore, it is important to provide a balanced regimen to a patient. If the chronic pain patient suffering from mental illness receives support from friends, family, and physicians, it can go a long way in making them feel better.