Why A Positive Attitude Helps In Coping With Arthritis Pain Part 1
Cathy Posner
Why A Positive Attitude Helps In Coping With Arthritis Pain Part 1
Think Positive To Relieve Arthritis Pain.
My name is Cathy Posner and I live in Wauchope which is on
the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. I was
born in 1957 and in late 2004 was told that the aches in my
joints were Rheumatoid Arthritis.
My husband, Ray has a very positive approach to everything
and I guess that has rubbed off on me, so rather than sit
back and let things progress I decided to see what I could
do for myself.
Let me give you an example of Rays positive attitude. In
September 2003 he had to have open heart surgery to replace
his aortic valve. We live on 160 acres so before he went
into hospital he slashed a walking track so that he could
regularly exercise when he came out of hospital.
Not only that he left the tractor set up for slashing. Four
weeks after surgery, even though he was not allowed to lift
anything heavier that a 2 liter bottle of milk (about 4
pints) he got the OK to slash the paddocks as long as he did
big easy turns at the end of each run. (Actually I think he
secretly enjoyed having me open the car door for him and
carry the groceries.)
So, as you can see, in his mind there was no way that he
wasnt going to get back to a normal life as quickly as
possible, but within the guidelines of what the Doctors told
him.
Now when you live with someone like that its hard not to
take a positive approach.
How can having a positive attitude help you in your fight
against the pain and difficulties arthritis can cause?
I know some of you already reading this have a positive
approach so please bear with me.
As I was saying Rays positive attitude helped him in his
recovery. I dont know how much pain he was in but I can
imagine it was considerable. After all you dont have your
sternum sawn in half and rejoined without pain.
In fact for some time he had to clutch a folded towel to his
chest whenever he coughed or went to the bathroom but he
never complained once.
He just got on with life within the restraints set by the
Doctors and in fact even started a new business while he was
recovering.
OK you might ask how does this relate to me? I know pain
can be an all consuming, overpowering feeling but you need
to get your mind off it.
If you sit back and wallow in self-pity your days and nights
will drag, you will become depressed (or even more
depressed) and your pain feeds upon itself your mind
magnifies the intensity of your pain and you feel even
worse.
If this describes you and my comments offend you then I am
sorry but hopefully what I am about to say will be a wake
up call for you.
What are the benefits of having a positive attitude? Well to
start with your mind can be trained to focus on things other
that your pain. When it does, your pain is shut out creating
a sense of feeling better. This feeling feeds on itself in
the same way that if you allow yourself to focus on your
pain, it seems to get worse.
Can you learn to have a positive attitude? Of course you
can. If you are still breathing you have the ability to
learn. And really it is not so much learning but altering
the state of your mind.
All you need is the desire to help yourself, to get relief
from your pain and overcome obstacles that your arthritis
creates for you.
May I suggest some things you can do?
How is your lifestyle? Do you look after yourself? Your
wellbeing is very important to how you feel and
influences how you think.
Diet and Exercise are important to your overall health. If
you are not eating correctly and doing some exercise within
your limits, you are not helping yourself in your fight to get
arthritis pain relief.
To read more about diet, foods that can help, foods to
avoid and to get some great tips on getting started with
exercise simply click on the link at the end of this article
and then follow the links on the home page.
I recommend you read a book on Positive Thinking. There
are some excellent publications available and most will give
you the tools you need.
Sit down and relax. Think back to when you didnt have the
inconvenience and pain of arthritis. Pick a point in time
when you were doing something that you enjoyed.
Now focus on that thing. Experience it again. Feel the
emotion associated with it. Live it. Breathe it. Be there
in your mind be that person that you were then.
Do this 2 or 3 times a day for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
Tip: if you sit down and find you go to sleep, try standing
up.
This technique helps to reprogram your subconscious to think
pain free and you should find that your pain decreases or
may actually go away.
You can also use this anytime your pain starts to get the
better of you. Just go back to that time when you were pain
free and allow your mind to again experience that feeling.
This really works. But dont just do it once you must do
it every day, without fail and you will soon see the
benefits.
Cathy Posner
http://www.get-arthritis-pain-relief.com/index1
About The Author
Cathy Posner is an arthritis sufferer and lives in Wauchope, New South Wales, Australia. Her website is as a result of personal research and where arthritis sufferers can find up-to-date advice and information on arthritis pain relief.
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