In some ways, it doesn’t matter whether the pain is psychogenic, injury-based, or caused by a disease. In the end, you’re still trying to live a normal life with chronic pain. However, you have ways to cope. Your doctor can help with prescriptions, but not everyone has that option. Even if you do, there can be days when the pain is too strong.
That’s why you need to look at improving your physical and mental health. Making some positive changes in your daily life can go a long way toward helping you manage your chronic pain.
Stay Healthy To Limit Pain
Your chronic pain can come from several different sources, but you can better manage it by living a healthy lifestyle.
Stay Hydrated: Being dehydrated can worsen pain, especially in your joints. Your body needs plenty of water to run efficiently. That means you need to limit your alcohol and caffeine intake, and you need to drink water regularly.
Eat Foods That Are Easy To Digest: Processed foods can take a while to digest, which can aggravate inflammation in your body. By sticking 
with leafy greens and fruits that are naturally low in sugar (like plums), you can help reduce some inflammation that can cause chronic pain. You don’t have to completely cut out wheat, fat, or dairy, but limiting them can help as well.
Get Regular Exercise And Sleep: Think about it. Your body is already having troubles. Why tax it some more by not getting the exercise and rest it needs? It can be tough to stay active when you have chronic pain, and your doctor can help understand what you should and shouldn’t do. But getting plenty of rest and aerobic exercise can help your body work better.
Reduce Stress To Reduce Pain
You cannot focus solely on having a healthy body and ignore your mind. Stress, tension, and toxicity in your life can aggravate your condition. That’s why it’s important to take steps to reduce stress and be more relaxed.
Try Yoga Regularly: When you are stressed, your muscles tend to tense up. Your immune system doesn’t work as well either. Yoga is both relaxing and good for your body’s health. All that stretching and breathing can increase your blood flow, flexibility, and calm feelings. This lowers your tension (literal and figurative), helping to reduce pain and improve your ability to handle it.
Spend More Time With Supportive Friends: One of the problems with chronic pain is trying to explain to others that it’s a real thing. Some people just think it’s all in your mind. That’s why you can reduce your stress by nurturing relationships with those that support you. Spending a nice night in with good friends can do wonders for your mood and stress levels.
Learn To Let Go: Chronic pain forces you to leave behind a lot in your life. 
You just cannot live the same way you used to. That can be depressing and tough to deal with, but it can also be liberating. By learning to let go of things, you begin to focus on what’s really important in your life. You even begin to identify just how powerful self-care can be to managing your pain.
Your chronic pain does not exist in a vacuum. It comes from your body, so how you live your daily life will impact it. By keeping yourself physically and mentally healthy, you can help successfully manage chronic pain.
Author:
Jackie has four children, and lives on an Oregon farm. She is passionate about providing a healthy and happy home for her family, and aims to provide advice for others on how to do the same with her site Hyper-Tidy.com.
Mark,
Please forgive the delay in reply. I have been off my feet the last few months. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a unique empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies, together with commitment and behavior change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility. I have personally gone thru this training, and at first… Yes it seems demeaning and patronizing. HANG IN THERE… They are laying the groundwork that will come together more and more with each class.
Also Mindfulness classes are good as well. Sadly, (without a bunch of phsyco babble) Pain is all in out head as that is where we process the pain signals. It does not mean we don’t have pain in our bodies because we do. However the Brain is where we process and learn to cope with pain. To slowly change how we view pain, and work with it in our lives.
I hope this helps,
Norman
Hi there, ive had fibromyalgia for a few years and getting worse also chronic sinusitus headaches. I WAITED a year and a half to get on to the pain management team in the Uk run by the Nhs who are promoting retrain your Brain theory which to me was a step backwards to its all in my head? 🤔 i found the whole aproach annoying even the lessons seemed patronising has anyone her had any experience with this is it worth doing Thanks mark
Hi All, I just want to ask if anyone ever tried using medical cannabis as an alternative meds? I have read many articles about medical marijuana and how it can help you in terms of chronic pain, bone injuries, eating disorder/anorexia, anxiety disorders and panic attacks, inflammation, even cancer and a lot more. Cbd and thc are also new to me and I don’t even smoke. If this is true I cant find any solid conclusive evidence that speaks to its efficacy. Any personal experience or testimonial would be highly appreciated. Thanks
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