Category: Living With Chronic Pain

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) was developed in the 1980’s by psychologist Steven C. Hayes in response to his own struggles in dealing with panic attacks. Instead of arguing, ignoring, avoiding or negotiating with our emotions we should accept them as reasonable responses to situations we fear, but refuse to let them define the outcome.… Continue reading Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

We all feel anxious and scared when faced with situations that can escalate our pain. But sometimes just thinking about a scenario can set us off as well. Worry and fears about what “might happen” consumes us. Getting out of our head and into the real world can be difficult. But it’s imperative if we… Continue reading Anxiety and Pain

Anxiety is part of our lives. But those of us who suffer from chronic pain know how much anxiety can increase muscle spasms and inflammation throughout our body. Just the thought of doing basic chores, getting out of bed, socializing, leaving the house can be too much to imagine. All exacerbating our pain. Last week… Continue reading Changing How We Think About Pain

Stress, anxiety and chronic pain make our muscles tense. Initially it’s in preparation to a perceived threat the body believes requires a response to either fight or run away. But when a release doesn’t happen, the muscles stay in perpetual spasm. It doesn’t take much to start the cycle- problems at work, financial worries, family… Continue reading How to Perform Progressive Muscle Relaxation

We all feel stressed and anxious at times. The body sees this as a potential threat and responds by getting ready to fight or flee. As a result, all our muscles tense up in anticipation. If not released it leads to muscle tension and spasms. Add that to chronic pain and the levels can escalate… Continue reading Progressive Muscle Relaxation