Nobody has time for a chronic pain condition, but for busy individuals who try to push through the pain to get on with their day, taking the time to appropriately treat their condition may be the first item that they skip when they are trying to plan their hectic schedule.

You may even convince yourself that you don’t have time to receive treatment for your chronic pain because between getting the kids to school, working, planning dinner and doing chores around the house, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day.

If this sounds like your life, this blog is for you. Below, we explain how you can work to improve your chronic pain condition when you’re struggling to find the time to treat it.

Treating Chronic Pain On A Bust Schedule

Here are some tips for how you can work towards a healthier version of yourself and treat your chronic pain condition when you don’t have a lot of extra time to spare.

1. Incorporate More Movement In Your Life – Movement is wonderful for your body and your chronic pain condition. Activity helps to strengthen muscles, boost your circulation and avoid weight gain that can further stress your body. Find little ways to become more active throughout the day if you find it hard to get to the gym for a full workout. Take the stairs over the elevator, park further away from the entrance to work or the grocery store, or walk around while you’re on a phone call or waiting for your kids to finish soccer practice. Strive to take more steps every day.

2. Make The Time – This is obviously easier said than done, because you can’t physically create more hours in the day, so any time you carve out for physical therapy or exercise will come by sacrificing something else. Our best advice here is to make 15-20 minutes each day where you turn off all the distractions and focus on yourself and your health. That may mean waking up 15 minutes earlier, staying up a little later, or simply having a conversation with your family about how you need a few quiet minutes after dinner to focus on yourself and your health. Finding just a few minutes each day where it’s only about you will do wonders for your physical and mental health.

3. Improve Your Diet – Your diet can help or hurt your chronic pain treatment, so make some simple adjustments to ensure it’s working to solve your chronic pain. Busy people can sometimes over-rely on unhealthy options like fast food or flash frozen options. Meal plan for the week or take a few minutes each night to prep your meals for tomorrow so that you know where your meals are coming from and you can make healthier choices. Also, consider investing in a water bottle so that you can always stay hydrated when you’re on the go, as dehydration can lead to blood pressure issues and muscle pain.

4. Reevaluate Your Priorities – We understand that exercise and physical therapy may not be the most fun thing in the world, but few things are more important than your health, so you’ll want to keep that in mind when you’re planning your day. Really start to get in the habit of making time each day for your health, and soon it will become easier to follow through with your exercises as you develop a routine. Make sure your priorities are in the right order.

5. Connect With A Professional – Finally, if you’re too busy to fight your chronic pain condition on your own, enlist a professional. A pain specialist can figure out what’s going on, develop an individualized care routine and may even be able to see you through a virtual visit so that you don’t have to take time driving to and from the clinic. Let a professional make sure that you get the most out of the limited time you have to commit to a pain management program. In the greater Twin Cities area, connect with Dr. Thomas Cohn for help with your chronic pain problem. Give his clinic a call today at (952) 738-4580.