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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : February 11, 2019 1:45 PM IST
Don't give up if you have chronic health conditions ©Shutterstock
What is a pain cycle? It is typically seen in chronic pain, where it is continuous and in some cases nonstop. Chronic pain can be in the form of headaches, back pain or result from injury. Chronic pain also stems from conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and cancer. This pain can be so much that it affects even the basic hygiene activities of daily living in all aspects of your life from home, work to social settings. You start to limit your physical activities to minimize pain which leads to social withdrawal thus leading to developing negative thoughts and beliefs about you, your capabilities and life itself. This is the pain cycle. Pain is not just physical. It can be mental and emotional also. Suffering through depression and stress is also a pain cycle as it takes a heavy toll on our body.
There are many instances when a doctor will clearly say that there is no cure for your condition. But don't fret. "In this type of situation, I suggest you look beyond your doctors and dive into the ocean of information that is available today about every problem around us. It is important to make choice to take control of your health. The answer is not more medication or so. The answer is being mentally tough, more aware and educated. The answer lies in identifying the root cause, says Seema Giri, a corporate professional, entrepreneur, international speaker, and author of The Authorities - Powerful Wisdom from Leaders in the Field, who, for many years, has suffered from fibromyalgia, hypothyroid and rheumatoid arthritis.
"I suffered through an autoimmune disease. Suffering from an autoimmune disease can take a heavy toll on your body. You tend to forget what normal is. There are layers of pain, layers of suppressed and unprocessed emotions- you know, the ones you say are ok but still bother you in the back of your mind and that limit your life. Having suffered from debilitating autoimmune diseases (fibromyalgia, hypothyroid and rheumatoid arthritis) that went undiagnosed from early childhood until I was an adult, I reached a point where I decided that I have had enough of living with pain when I became a mother. I made conscious decisions to break the pattern to provide a better life for my son. I started with the basics to eat better (nutrition), to look after my body (exercise), to undergo therapy and counselling (mindset) and to work on the soul (spiritual). These four pillars of health were used to build a solid foundation that helped me to go from being completely bedridden to becoming what I am today." she explains.
Here are Seema's 10 tips that you can start doing right away:
1. Follow a clean diet. Add as many raw vegetables as you can. Eat organic as much as you can. You can even become an urban gardener, like me, and grow your vegetables on your balcony. You may also try an elimination diet. Start with eliminating gluten, dairy and red meat. You may be sensitive to these foods or even gluten intolerant. You can make intolerant to foods that you were able to handle at a younger age.
2. Make sure your plumbing is working properly. It is important that you are expelling waste properly and regularly, both urinating and excreting. This is especially important before you detox. This happens when your gut is clean. Not passing waste is like not cleaning your fishbowl for months. Yes, it s really bad.
3. Exercise consistently. What is the best form of exercise? The one you will do. The idea is to move your body. So do your favourite activity.
4. Allocate sufficient time for sleep. This is when your body restores and recharges.
5. Practice Daily Self-care and Self-love. This includes giving yourself permission to breakdown and cry
6. Process unprocessed emotions. Let go and forgive.
7. Ask for help. You re still a strong, respectable person, even if you ask for help.
8. Stand up for yourself and make your voice be heard. This doesn t mean you have to be aggressive or put anyone else down. It does mean paying attention to your likes and dislikes.
9. Reduce your stress. It s important to understand what triggers your stress and your flare-ups. When you know them, then you can actively remove them or avoid them.
10. Be in action!
