Mindfulness for pain: how to say thank you
Alison Bale
Using science and practical skills to reduce persistent pain ?? Improve your mental health and get your life back ?? Mindfulness teacher for groups and individuals ??
How would you feel about saying ‘thank you’ for pain? It seems like a bizarre idea. And yet viewed from the perspective that pain is a protective mechanism – an alarm system designed to help us – not being grateful can hinder recovery. Getting past any reluctance to be thankful for protection is something mindfulness for pain can change.
The poet Rumi wrote: ‘Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life’. The human brain does not find this easy. It is wired by evolution to look for problems, difficulties. The bad becomes like Velcro – it sticks – while the good – like Teflon – slips away. And yet bringing gratitude together with mindfulness has been shown to reduce the intensity of pain, and the anxiety associated with it, and improve self-management for people with arthritis.
Practicing gratitude does not mean you ignore problems. Or seek to be endlessly positive. Mindfulness encourages an awareness of what is present, not a denial of it. Being aware of pain and still bringing attention to what is good can lower pain and fatigue.
For more on how gratitude relates to mindfulness for pain, and five ways you can get started today, click here.
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1 年Alison, your insights on gratitude and its impact on pain management are truly inspiring! Your approach to mindfulness is so valuable in improving mental health. Thank you for sharing these practical tools for personal well-being and self-management.