Amelia Grant

Living with chronic pain is a never-ending battle. It has an impact on every aspect of your life, from day-to-day tasks to relationships and your job. It stresses you out physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Every day, millions of people suffer from the effects of chronic pain.

While medication and other treatments can help, they are often insufficient to control all of the symptoms and restore your life. Living with chronic pain can be unbearable if it is not properly treated.

1. Develop Coping Skills
While living with chronic pain may paint a bleak picture, keep in mind that these are worst-case scenarios. Despite the pain, many people continue to live healthy, productive lives.

This is due to the fact that they have discovered ways to cope with the pain, often by combining medications, alternative treatments, lifestyle changes, and positive coping skills.

2. Exercise
Inactivity is bad for your body and can aggravate your pain. Consult your pain doctor or a physical therapist about a safe exercise program that is appropriate for you. It should be tailored to your current fitness level and take into account all of your diagnoses.

Don't limit yourself to the gym. You can exercise at home on your own or with streaming videos or DVDs, or you can find a local rehabilitative exercise class.

Exercise helps you maintain your mobility when you have chronic pain. It also keeps your muscles and joints active, which can help alleviate the symptoms and effects of chronic pain.

Regular exercise also helps to avoid disuse syndrome, a condition in which muscles weaken due to inactivity. Weak muscles are more prone to pain and can even result in other injuries.

However, before you begin, seek advice from your healthcare team. You want to make sure you're doing the right types of exercise, so you don't end up doing more harm than good.

3. Find the Right Medication
You may need to try several medications before you find the one(s) that work best for you. While trying different prescriptions can be frustrating, doing so may eventually lead to better pain control.

You might be concerned about having to take medication for the rest of your life and dealing with the side effects. You may be concerned about painkiller addiction as well.

While most pain medications are safe and effective when used properly, you should discuss any concerns with your doctor. They can assist you in weighing the benefits against the drawbacks, as well as fully explaining the risks associated with taking them.

4. Try Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can be a powerful tool in learning to live with chronic pain, whether used alone or in conjunction with medications.

Massage therapy, magnetic therapy, and energy medicine, such as Reiki, acupuncture, herbal medicine, mindfulness, and cupping, are examples of commonly used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for chronic pain.

5. Learn to Relax
Stress causes muscle tension, which can amplify pain sensations. Relaxing muscles relieve strain and reduce pain sensations. Learning to relax your body can aid in pain management without the use of additional medications.

Relaxation is a pain-management technique that can be used alone or in conjunction with other treatments.

6. Get Help
Try not to do everything by yourself. It never hurts to ask for help every now and then, especially on your most difficult days.

Develop your ability to delegate. For example, allow a neighbor to pick up something at the store for you or have your mother watch the kids while you do the housework. Allow yourself some time to rest or complete minor tasks that will not aggravate your pain.

7. Seek Support
Two out of every ten Americans have experienced chronic pain at some point in their lives.  Chances are, someone close to you understands what it's like to live with chronic pain. You may both benefit from discussing and sharing your difficulties.

Support groups can also be beneficial. Your peers can not only provide advice and tips on what techniques and products worked for them, but they can also be sympathetic ears when you need to talk.

8. Do Your Own Research
There are several websites dedicated solely to chronic pain information and many more to specific illnesses and injuries. Some websites are excellent sources of general information and breaking news about medications and treatments. Many websites also provide book reviews.

Maintaining a high quality of life while suffering from chronic pain can be achieved by staying informed and educated about your condition.