Keep Your Batteries Charged

[Alastair]

PainSupport eNewsletter

Keep Your Batteries Charged

Energy is at a premium when you have pain. If you overdo things, you may exhaust yourself and your pain levels will rise. You will need to rest before you can get going again. Also you may well become frustrated at not being able to do what you want to do. A good way to overcome this is with our old friend 'pacing'!

Now, if you think of your available pain tolerance and your energy as being like a mobile phone battery it will help you to understand what 'pacing' means.

If the phone battery is completely drained, you have to recharge it before you can use the phone again.
Whereas if you use just SOME of the battery and top it up regularly your phone will always be ready to use.

Your own pain tolerance reserve is like this - if you spend it all in a 'go for broke' effort, you will end up having to rest for some time to regain your energy, recharged your batteries and reduce your pain.

However, if you do a little at a time, break it up with rest periods or a change of activity, you will conserve your energy and keep your pain levels more stable.

For instance, instead of sitting at the computer until your work is finished. Sit for, say 20 minutes, then get up and move about, or at least give your eyes a break and rest them on something in the distance and give your body a stretch.

Or, if you have a meal to prepare and your find standing difficult, do it in stages. Choose menus that don't mean standing for an hour or so in one stretch. Break the preparations up into manageable chunks, do some of the work sitting if you can, and take a rest every now and then.

Conserving your batteries like this is an excellent way to safe energy and control your pain.

If your pain levels are very out of control you would benefit from developing a proper pacing schedule. You can learn how to pace your activites effectively in various ways:

- on Pain Management Programmes run in hospitals,
- on one of the local Expert Patient Programmes (in the UK),
- with the online version of the Expert Patient Programme (if you live in England),
- or,
- if you live in the UK you could try my own Pacing Programme. The workbook is only �3.50 including p&p, it's illustrated with amusing cartoons and is packed with charts for you to complete and a structured (and easy!) programme to follow. Please ask me if you would like more information.

TOOL KIT - If you liked this idea why not keep it in your Tool Kit notebook or folder of self-help pain relief methods. If you haven't started one yet, why not keep a special notebook or folder as your Tool Kit to remind you of techniques and skills for coping with pain. Your Tool Kit is especially useful when pain flares up.

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WORDS OF WISDOM
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The pessimist complains about the wind
The optimist expects it to change
The realist adjusts the sails

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AND FINALLY...
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A man drives to a petrol station and has his tank filled up. While doing this the garage owner spots two penguins sitting on the back seat of the car. He asks the driver, "What's up with the penguins in the back seat?"

The man in the car says, "I found them. I asked myself what to do with them but, I haven't a clue." The garage owner ponders a bit then says, "You should take them to the zoo."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," says the man in the car and drives away. The next day the man with the car is back at the same petrol station. The garage owner sees the penguins are still in the back seat of the car.

"Hey, they're still here! I thought you were going to take them to the zoo!"

"Oh, I did," says the driver, "and we had a great time. Today I'm taking them to the beach."

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Keep smiling!

I hope you find the above ideas useful. If you would like more information on any of the items above plus more ideas for pain relief, please go to the website below or contact me on jansadler@painsupport.co.uk for details of my CDs, tapes and books which contains many more methods for relaxation, pain and stress relief.

Jan at PainSupport
www.painsupport.co.uk