Back pain: why mindset matters
It’s no joke. When you have an episode of back pain, it can really get you down. It hurts when you move. It keeps you awake at night. When you cough or sneeze you may get some pain shooting down your leg. It really sucks and it may seem like it will never go away.
This morning I struggled with my own mindset. I hadn’t slept well and I read something that I took personally. It made me doubt everything. I was frozen because I felt like I had been wasting my time. I felt like this feeling of failure would last forever. It sucked.
Later in the day, I realized that what I thought was my fault, had absolutely nothing to do with me. I misunderstood the situation. I made things worse in my head and I let it get the best of me. At that moment, I recognized how my brain took a silly event and spiraled all of my self-doubts into chaos. I suddenly knew that I need to do some serious work to shift my belief system.
Managing mind set when dealing with back pain is extra important. Just as I needed to learn that I was spiraling out of control and that my perception was totally wrong, what you believe about your back pain will affect how you recover.
The reality of low back pain is that it is very prevalent. Evidence has shown that back pain can be managed through exercise and education. Yet the prescription for rest and medication is still the first line of action. More often things like surgery and opiods are reimbursed over therapy, even though the evidence shows different. https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/news/20180321/millions-get-wrong-treatment-for-back-pain-study#1
I know it can be really scary when you’re in the height of back pain. I encourage you to take a moment to breathe. Remind yourself that it will get better, even if it takes time. Remember that movement helps and allowing yourself to move even if it hurts a little will be good in the long run.
Back pain can be manageable. You have a choice in how you view your pain. You can hold onto those false beliefs that movement or activity is bad and you are doomed for a life of misery, or you can change your mindset and believe you will improve no matter what it takes. I hope you choose to believe in yourself. I hope you choose to believe in your ability to heal. I hope you choose to invest in YOU. And I hope you know, you are worth every inch of effort it takes.