7 Ways to Build Resilience in the Face of Chronic Pain

By Peter Abaci, MD

Chronic pain can come from many sources — injuries, accidents, autoimmune disorders, too much sitting — you name it. No matter the cause, it poses significant challenges and can be a real struggle for the person in pain to overcome. An important part of winning the battle against chronic pain is being able to overcome adversity. Having enough inner strength, courage and discipline is essential, yet not always easy to come by, especially when you feel like your body is falling apart.

Managing Chronic Pain With Resilience

One of the key traits to overcoming adversity is that of resilience, which is the ability to withstand both physical and emotional difficulties. Instead of allowing yourself to feel helpless, you understand that this is a “season” to get through. You’re open to trying new approaches, or perhaps you double down on what you’ve been doing, in the belief that things will be better, sooner or later. Think of resilience as a way of problem solving and adapting in order to achieve positive change and meaningful results. It’s a mindset, a willingness to work through problems rather than giving up.

Unfortunately, many people with chronic pain lose their resiliency. We can easily become frustrated by feeling beaten up by the pain and by a lack of positive results from the medical treatments we pursue. But just like helplessness, resilience can be learned. It grows as we overcome difficult challenges, and by doing so, we grow as individuals. Resilience helps us find the good when all we can see is the bad, and leads us away from feeling like a helpless victim of circumstance. Being resilient means not staying stuck in a place we don’t want to be.

How to Build Resiliency

Becoming more resilient doesn’t mean you’ll never be worried, fearful or otherwise distressed again. But it does mean that you’ll be able to keep these very natural emotions in check and move on through the difficult times. To help you better overcome the pain and misery, here are seven ways you can help build resiliency:

1. Find meaning in adversity

Instead of wondering why is life is giving you problems, thank life for giving you an opportunity to explore yourself more deeply, and to become stronger as you learn new ways to connect with yourself, with others and with life.

2. Build optimism

You can choose to be optimistic by thinking carefully about what you are thinking, then focusing on your good, positive and hopeful thoughts. You can also infuse these great thoughts into your mind by thinking about the good things that have happened to you, the ways you’ve helped others, and the many wonderful things you look forward to. And when you think about those wonderful things to come, imagine yourself actually doing them, as if they are happening now.

3. Accept change

Live is a continuous arc of change; no one leaves it the way they came in. Embrace changes, even those that may seem unfortunate at the moment, as opportunities for exploration and growth.

4. Move toward your goals

Always keep your eye firmly fixed on the big picture, on the wonderful vision you have for yourself, rather than on today’s problems.

5. Connect with other positive people

Feelings are contagious, which means that connecting with those who are happy, compassionate, optimistic and otherwise filled with positive thoughts can lift your mood and improve your health.

6. Be open

There may be multiple ways of solving a problem. Don’t stay stuck on just one method or approach to managing your pain. Keep an open mind about other ways of accomplishing your goals.

7. Try to grow

Post-traumatic growth is a concept in psychology where the experience of something distressing or even harmful eventually leads to growth. Finding ways that working through a pain problem or injury that actually helps you to evolve as a person or even become healthier can be a highly rewarding outcome.

Looking for more pain relief? Your resilience just might get you there.

This piece was originally published on PainReliefRevolution.com and was republished on Chronicality.com (June 17, 2016) with the author’s permission. Tips are from his book, “Conquer Your Chronic Pain: A Life-Changing Drug-Free Approach for Relief, Recovery, and Restoration.”