How can saying “thank you” for pain help you heal? It might sound strange, but gratitude combined with mindfulness has been shown to reduce pain and anxiety, helping you manage your symptoms more effectively. In my latest video, I explore…
‘Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.’ So said the writer, Mark Twain. How well do you do offering kindness to yourself? Are you better at offering it to others? There’s a common misconception…
The Buddha once advised his followers not to believe everything he told them. He suggested they should try out his teachings in their own lives. Using what was useful, discarding what wasn’t. This is an example of learning to trust…
Almost daily we are encouraged to ‘fight’ – against cancer, against drugs etc. As if a war footing were a desirable default setting. You could be forgiven for thinking your pain would resolve if you could just strive harder. What…
Good things come to those who wait. And if you are living with pain, you may feel you’ve waited quite long enough. Sometimes the physical element of pain is a normal part of being human. And you cannot always prevent…
The attitude of letting go can ease pain in a number of ways. Pain often stops you doing what you want to do, and this can lead to you getting stuck. It’s natural to want to push away things you…
There are many different routes to reduce pain. Because persistent pain comes in many different forms. Sometimes there’s a diagnosis, like fibromyalgia, or spondylitis. Other times it is non-specific, like most back and neck pain. There can be so much…
What do you mean by non-judgement in relation to persistent pain? After all, you make judgements all the time. How can pain be anything but ‘bad’? Just some of the questions you might be asking in relation to using the…
Pain is here. Sometimes that’s one of the most powerful things you can say to yourself. It covers acknowledgement of your reality and an acceptance that like it or not, pain is sometimes an inevitable consequence of being human The…
At least 30 per cent of men and women live with chronic pain. And there is often overlap between pain and mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety and/or depression. There are many misconceptions about the best way to work…