Learning
to relax will help you feel more calm and in control regardless of the
pain.
Pain can
affect your ability to sleep.
Learning
to relax can help you get to sleep and make it easier to get back to
sleep if your pain wakes you up
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How
to Relax
Relaxed
Breathing
Breathing correctly is a vital part of relaxation. The
aim of breathing correctly is to fill your lungs with air as effectively
as possible. As you breathe in a muscle called the diaphragm should
push your tummy out allowing your lungs to expand and collect all the
air.
Exercise:
Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your tummy. As you take a
deep breath try and keep the hand on the top part of your chest still,
while pushing the hand on your tummy out. If you are using your
diaphragm to breathe, you should not need to use your shoulders or chest,
and this can help to relieve tension around your neck and shoulders.
Muscle
relaxation
First of
all find yourself a comfortable lying or sitting position and close
your eyes if you wish.
Stage
1
- First
of all take a deep breath, hold it for a moment and then let it out
slowly
- As you
breathe out let your body go as loose and floppy as you can
- Take
another deep breath and again breath out slowly
- Now
return to normal breathing. Try not to take too many deep breaths
in a row as you can become dizzy.
Stage
2
- When
you feel ready try and let go of the tension in the muscles
of your face, neck, shoulders, arms, hand and legs. Go through
each body part one by one.
- As you
let yourself relax try and let go of your tension each time you
breathe out
- Try
and imagine that every time you breathe out the tension is just flowing
away.
Stage
3
- Whilst
your are relaxing your muscles try to repeat the words relax
or calm to yourself.
- Try
picturing a relaxing, peaceful or happy scene such as a holiday you
have been on.
- If you
find it hard to imagine a scene then focus on a particular part of
the room and stare at it in a calm way.
Remember
Learning
to relax is a skill and like any other skill it requires some practice
to get it right. So be patient with yourself. Try practicing these techniques
every day and you will soon notice that you are getting better and better.
Eventually you should be able to do these techniques anywhere that you
need to; on a bus, in the office or when you are walking.
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Pain
Distraction Techniques
Distraction
techniques can be a useful way to help you cope with your pain. They
don’t take away the pain completely but can help take the edge
off it. At the very least distraction techniques can help you take your
mind off the pain. The more senses you use to whilst practicing these
techniques the easier you will find it to block out the pain signals.
Taking
your mind away from the pain
- Close
your eyes and think of a pleasant, happy or relaxing scene. Maybe
you are in your garden on a warm sunny day or on a beach on a
tropical island. Now imagine that you are really there and focus on;
What
can you see?
Are
you alone?
Who
is there with you?
What
can you smell?
What
can you hear?
Do
you feel warm?
How
do you feel?
- If you
are looking forward to an event such as a holiday or a dinner party
with friends try planning what you will do. Go into every detail and
focus on all the pleasant aspects of the event.
- Concentrate
on the visual aspects of the environment you are in. Now try
to describe to yourself things that you see e.g. the wallpaper, carpet
pattern, what people are wearing etc.
- Play
word or number games in your head; such as counting backwards in 3’s
or creating anagrams from the names of people you know.
- Read
a book or listen to music and try hard to focus on words and the story
they tell.
Focusing
on the pain
Imagine
that you can see your pain from a great distance away. Do not think
about how much it hurts but just focus on describing it to yourself.
What are the sensations, where are they coming from. It is almost
as if you are observing the pain from someone else’s body. Try not
to get upset about the pain. Instead try and describe it as if it does
not belong to you. This technique can be helpful whilst practicing
your relaxation.
Try imagining
your pain as a shape with colour, texture and sound. Focus hard on this
shape and try and make it smaller, lighter, softer and quieter until
it floats away
Some people
find it easier to ‘re-label’ their pain by imagining it
as something other than pain or distress. For example if the
pain is warm and throbbing it may feel similar to how you feel when
the hot sun is on you.
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