Chronic pain can be a burden, and while we would never wish it on anybody, we always want to look for a silver lining in life. We’re hesitant to say that there are benefits associated with having a chronic pain condition, but we do think that going through a chronic pain battle gives you a unique outlook and life experience. In today’s blog, we want to look at the bright side of chronic pain.
The Silver Lining Of Life With Chronic Pain
Chronic pain has molded you into the person you are, and that can have an upside! Here’s a look at the bright side of life with chronic pain.
1. You Are Stronger Because Of It – It takes an incredibly strong person to get out of bed and face their chronic pain condition every day. You may not feel stronger because of your chronic pain condition, but trust us when we say that you are strong and resilient. You don’t need to be strong every single moment of every day, because chronic pain is incredibly draining, but in those moments where you force yourself to exercise, to complete your physical therapy routine or to simply eat a healthy meal, you are showing your strength in the face of chronic pain.
2. You Have Empathy – Nobody knows exactly what you are going through, but having chronic pain gives you a unique perspective when it comes to relating to the personal problems of others. Empathy is a trait that many people with chronic pain want others to have with them, so they are often great at giving that empathy to others. You know how to support others even when you don’t know exactly what they are dealing with.
3. You’re More Patient – Chronic pain is rarely overcome with one visit to the doctor or one trip to the physical therapist. Effective treatment takes time, and you need to have patience. Many chronic pain suffers come to the realization that this is going to take time to treat, and they become more patient as a result, and this patience spills over into other aspects of their life.
4. You’re Creative – Living with chronic pain forces you to adapt to flare ups at a moment’s notice. You end up finding creative ways to handle your condition and keep it from disrupting your life. There’s nothing like an unexpected challenge to bring out your creative side.
5. You’re More Perceptive – Finally, we find that chronic pain patients tend to be more perceptive not only to their own health but to the world around them. You begin to sense when a flare up may be coming and take steps to keep it from ruining your day, and you may be more perceptive when others just don’t seem like themselves. Many patients with chronic pain feel like they put on a mask in order to hide their chronic pain condition from the world, and this makes you more perceptive to when other people are putting their walls up.
Dealing with a chronic pain condition is no fun, but we urge you to look at the bright side and see what positive changes your condition has brought out in you. And for help managing a chronic pain issue, we hope you’ll reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team at (952) 738-4580.