There are so many counterproductive coping mechanisms out there, and so many ways to undermine our own progress. It seems, some days, like just trying to keep moving can be the greatest challenge of the day, and yet we have so many things we do that keep us feeling like we just can't do it.
I happen to have "lucked out", and had the opportunity to work with a wonderful pain management therapist for the past, few years, who has been helping me work on skills that can help me manage my life in ways that are supposed to provide balance, so that perhaps I can at least reduce my need for pharmaceutical help. Now that I have finally found a pain med combo that actually works on almost all of my pain factors, there have arisen circumstances that have put my ability to use them in the future, in question. Sounds about right for Irony's playbook, hmm? Good thing I was already working with this therapist, or Irony might have won!
Therefore, I've been searching for alternative pain management methods, and was given this booklet to study:
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| Managing Chronic Pain - Reclaiming Your Life ©2012 Intermountain Healthcare. All rights reserved (and hopefully not disrespected) |
Sounds great, right? Well, it is... sort of. It is great to find that one isn't alone in the battle, in terms of the fact there are others out there who might be waging invisible battles much like the one that one is facing. It's relieving to know that the feelings and thoughts one has are not completely unique, and that there is hope. It's nice to have it demonstrated that such things are understood by others out there, and if not given the proper/sufficient acceptance and help, that there are still people out there who understand what a difficult battle it is, to feel like one is fighting all by oneself.
I guess that was the motivation behind the PB project, to begin with. Even if the reader isn't facing chronic illness or other chronic pain condition(s), it's sometimes comforting to know that feeling challenged by things that can feel overwhelming is not unique to the reader alone, even if they feel isolated from others in some way.
On the PB Facebook Page the other day, I asked the group what counsel they would most want to receive if they were having a rough time of life. The answers were pretty simple: they mostly just wanted someone to let them know they are loved. What a huge difference knowing we are loved can make! I've always felt strongly about letting others know they are loved, but I hadn't really realized what a precious gift that can be, when struggling with something difficult and painful, until I experienced it for myself.
I guess that might sound funny, but it's true, and that has only reinforced my desire to do it to others. Ever send a "random" message to someone you've not contacted in some time, just to let them know you're thinking about them? It can truly make all the difference in the world to the person who receives such a small but much-needed acknowledgment of caring.
I'm grateful that I can say I have people in my life who help me feel that my presence in their lives is appreciated, and even treasured! It is a gift I do not take lightly, and I can only hope that paying it back, and "paying it forward" can help make my experience worth having been had.
So now you know, if you are feeling isolated from life, you are also not alone. Sometimes, when there feels like there is no one out there who understands nor cares, strangers on the internet can reach where others may not. And this is one of those times when someone out there does care, even if we've never met. There are many of us out here, too. Don't stop looking, and don't give up on yourself.
You keep trying to hold on to some piece of hope, and so will I.
Better day tomorrow, my friends.
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