The Best Mental, Emotional, and Physical Exercises for Faster Pain Relief

Finding qualified pain professionals is an important part of your chronic pain relief strategy. But sometimes you just need immediate help. Fortunately, there are several mental, emotional and physical exercises you can do to help relieve your pain while you find professional help to manage your pain. 

This informative guide will help you understand three important aspects of underlying chronic pain along with easy exercises to help you deal with the pain.  

 

1. Addressing Pain Using Mental Exercises 

The mental aspect of pain refers to beliefs, intentions, attitudes, and motivations related to pain and pain management. Here is a list of mental exercises that you can perform to address this aspect of pain. 

Mediation and Mindfulness 

Meditation and mindfulness are possibly some of the most powerful mental exercises for pain control. Research has found that mindfulness meditation that particularly focuses on the breath can reduce pain intensity up to 70% while minimizing the pain unpleasantness by 93%. [1] 

Visualization 

Suppose you are currently visualizing your pain as a red mass that’s constantly throbbing and aching. Now try to direct your brain into slowly shrinking it, making it soft, lighter in color, and pain-free. Or, imagine your body completely soaked up in a bathtub filled with relaxing, lukewarm water. Feel all your body parts, including toes, hip joints, ankles, knees, and back being warm and relaxed without any pressure or pull. Feel yourself floating and imagine your pain melting away. 

The key here is to know what things particularly relax you so you can envision them and control the mental effects of your pain. Patients with arthritis particularly benefit from this exercise. 

Writing Out Your Thoughts 

Writing out your thoughts on a piece of paper has been known to provide pain relief in many populations. Experts recommend writing for at least 15 minutes a day for at least four days to cope with the cognitive aspect of pain in a better way. 

Affirmations 

Repeating affirmations have been a common practice in many societies for decades and can also help relieve pain as well. Using this practice for as little as thirty minutes a day can provide quite a few pain relief benefits. Affirmations can simply be sounds, vowels, or anything that works for you. 

For example, living with chronic pain can cause long-term fatigue and weakness. An affirmation to use in this case might be a reaffirming statement like, “I am strong. No matter what life has planned for me, I am strong enough to get through it.” 

Positive Thoughts 

You might find yourself struggling with thoughts like: 

“I can’t live another second with this pain.” 

“Why me? This pain is extremely unfair.” 

“I am ever going to get rid of this pain?!” 

While these thoughts may seem harmless, they actually tend to increase pain.  

Try switching to more positive thoughts instead of imagining the worst for yourself or catastrophizing. Focus more on the positives and be optimistic that whatever treatment you are getting from a pain professional will help you eventually live a better life. 

 

2. Addressing Pain Using Emotional Exercises 

The following emotional activities can help you deal with the psychological aspect of your pain.

Controlled Breathing

You do not need to be a meditation expert to reap the benefits of this exercise. All you need to do is find a quiet corner somewhere and practice diaphragmatic breathing i.e. breathing deeply using your belly muscles instead of the usual shallow breathing. Do it for a few minutes whenever you feel like your pain is causing you emotional stress.

Distraction

Did you know that pain actually serves as a part of the natural survival mechanism in your body? But when it gets chronic, it can become an actual emotional issue that constantly demands your attention. And this attention is what makes it worse. 

So to avoid the emotional burden that accompanies pain, distract your mind. Try any other activity that you enjoy, such as watching a movie, listening to a song, or reading. 

Music

While music definitely serves as a pleasant distraction, it can accomplish much more than that. Research evaluating patients with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia has found that listening to music more frequently can increase the feeling of strength while decreasing the pain, disability, and depression associated with this disease. [3] [4]

Food Thoughts

Thinking about your favorite food, whether a hearty meal or delicious dessert, has been found to reduce pain. 

Laugh

Looks like “laughter is the best medicine” is true indeed. Laughing releases endorphins in the body that constitute the body’s own analgesic system. So whenever you feel like your pain is getting worse, have a good laugh. 

 

3. Addressing Pain Using Physical Exercises 

 Here are some physical activities to address your pain. 

Applying Heat or Ice Packs 

Using ice packs on the affected area can help relieve pain. If you are unable to tolerate it, consider using heat packs or warm bottles to relieve chronic pain in joints and muscles. 

Physical Therapies 

Physical therapies, including stretching, walking, aerobic exercises, etc. can help reduce your pain intensity. Remember to take things slow as overdoing these activities can lead to harmful effects.  

Massage 

Massage is a great way to alleviate pain related to soft tissue injuries. It is generally not recommended if the pain lies in the joints. 

Using Pressure Points 

Applying pressure to specific areas of the body can be very beneficial for relieving pain. These areas are known as pressure points and are distributed across the body. Each of these pressure points is linked to a specific type of pain and a pain professional can refer you to an appropriate therapist for identification and a better understanding of these points. 

Acupuncture 

 Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese technique that involves the insertion of thin needles at specific body points with an aim to restore balance and promote healing. This activity also increases the release of endorphins that boosts a pleasant mood while relieving the intensity of pain.  

Water Exercise 

Water is probably the oldest medium of physical treatment with both physiological and psychological benefits. Water provides an environment where you can move and exercise with little or no pain. As a benefit of buoyancy, you’re able to move with lower energy effort. The resistance will help increase muscular strength and endurance because the resistance of water is significantly greater than air.  

Your Journey Towards a Healthier, Happier Life 

Despite all the advancements made in the field of pain management education, many people are still not familiar with all the things they can do on their own to help deal with chronic pain. The strategies discussed in this guide will help you better manage your pain and speed up the results of conventional treatments. 

About Phusion Wellness 

At Phusion Wellness we know you’re the kind of person who wants relief from pain; to get back to work, play with your kids or even sleep through the night. In order to get there, you need someone who understands pain management and treats you like a real person without passing judgment. The problem is many pain management clinics force certain treatments just to check-off a box, rather than treating their patients which can lead to hopelessness and frustration. 

We believe that’s unfair, and you shouldn’t have to deal with being treated that way. That’s why we offer pain management without negative judgements. We understand you want to get back to living your best life. 

Here’s how it works: 

• Meet with our new patient specialist 
• Send your records 
• Meet with our provider to receive your treatment plan

The best way to get started is to request an appointment on our website so you can finally find pain relief.

 

Important: If you or any other person are feeling suicidal or are in immediate crisis – don’t use this guide. These resources can provide you with immediate help worldwide.