Managing Chronic Pain with Mindful Practices
I’m very familiar with physical pain and over the years have developed a personal daily practice that helps me manage it. In particular, I’ve struggled with migraines since I was an adolescent. I’ve tried many different things to stop the headaches and so far haven’t been successful (although I don’t intend to stop trying!).
Although the cause remains elusive, I continue to explore different ways to manage the pain of my migraines and, along with drinking lots of water, watching what I eat, exercising regularly and trying to get enough sleep, etc., I rely on my daily mindful practices to help me manage the pain when a migraine attacks. These practices include mindful yoga, meditation and exploring my thoughts through mindful writing.
As with everything in our lives, mindset is key in managing our thoughts about pain. There was so much I wanted to get done last week, and I was determined that pain wasn’t going to hold me back. I began to feel stressed and overwhelmed. So, even though I had trouble lifting my head off the pillow, I still did some gentle, restorative yoga and I spent time managing my thoughts through writing and meditation.
While these practices didn’t eliminate the pain, I do believe the pain was somewhat less than it might have been and I was actually able to continue moving towards my goals.
Here’s a body scan meditation that I use regularly whenever I have a nasty migraine (or hip pain, or lower back pain, a sore neck, etc.).
Breath-Based Mindful Body Scan Meditation for Pain
Find a comfortable position lying on the floor, the couch, or your bed. If you have them, you can also place a pillow, cushion or bolster under your knees and a pillow under your head for more support. Cover yourself with a blanket if you’re cold. Eye pillows (heated, cool or neutral) are also really nice to use in this position.
Close your eyes and begin to notice your breath going in and out through your nose. Notice the sensations of the breath. Become aware of the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe in and out. Don’t try to regulate the breath in any way, just let your body breathe naturally.
When you’re ready, bring your awareness to your feet. Notice any sensations in your feet (i.e.Is there tingling?, Is the temperature warm or cold?, What about pain? Or perhaps there is nothing at all). If you notice any sensations, just observe with a curious attention, don’t try to change or alter the sensation in any way. Over time what you’ll notice with sensations is that they ebb and flow; they never stay exactly the same for very long.
Continue to do a body scan up through your legs to your abdomen, upper body and eventually to your head. If you notice any particularly intense or uncomfortable sensations as you move up through your body, stop and rest your attention there for a few breaths. Breathe into the sensations and observe. Be curious and don’t try to change the sensation, just notice. Once again, notice how the sensations change over time. If a particular area of the body is tense, see if you can breathe into that part and release some of the tension.
Once you’re finished with the body scan, rest in overall awareness of your entire body for a few breaths. See if you can notice any changes in how your body feels.
What about your thoughts? Are you able to think any differently about your pain? Always remember that our thoughts create our emotions. We may not be able to choose how our body feels, but we have control over how we think about the pain.
Stay in this position for as long as you can. When you’re ready, slowly open your eyes and start moving your body gradually again before you get up and carry on with your day.
When I do this breath practice and notice the sensations in my body, particularly during a severe headache, I become more aware of how the rest of my body is feeling in relation to my head. Quite often I notice tension in my shoulders and neck and do some additional releasing stretches for those areas, which often helps to reduce the pain.
I invite you to try this breath practice next time you feel pain and become curious about your pain and discomfort. The more you do it, the more you’ll notice how your thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations shift.
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