Strategies To Better Tolerate Physical Pain

There are many health conditions in which pain is part of the usual symptoms. Physical pain causes suffering and therefore becomes a very heavy burden. It is important to know that, in addition to painkillers, there are also other strategies that help to better tolerate pain and that, eventually, can largely replace drugs.

The Harvard University School of Medicine has pointed out that physical pain is closely related to the mental plane. They indicate the way in which it is experienced  depends a lot on the personality , the lifestyle, the emotions and the previous experiences.

So much so, that cases have been detected in which a person has experienced physical pain for a while and then improves, but continues to feel pain. This is because the brain gets used to certain sensations and then reproduces them automatically; It is an effect similar to that of the “phantom limbs”. For this reason, when dealing with physical pain it is essential to also work on the mental or psychological plane.

Mental perception of physical pain

It is not uncommon for the mistake to be made of approaching the body as separate from the mind. Human beings are not only a biological substrate, but we also have a brain that interprets  and gives meaning to everything it experiences. For the same reason, all physical pain also involves the mind.

Each of us has a mindset  regarding pain. When it arises, we give it meaning in our lives, we form expectations about what it represents, and we respond in a specific way to it. This conditions the intensity of pain and the tolerance threshold.

The pain threshold  is a concept that refers to the ability of human beings to tolerate physical pain. This varies from person to person: in some, the sensation of pain is very intense under minimal stimuli while other people can tolerate very intense pain stimuli. The individual differences in this variable largely depend on the psychological state of each one.

Strategies to better tolerate pain

There are a number of strategies that have proven effective in managing physical pain. In the first instance, it is about doing relaxation practices to get the body and mind to tune in towards a calmer state. This makes physical pain more tolerable.

The main strategies are:

• Deep breathing practice. It is the fundamental strategy and it simply has to do with inhaling and exhaling deeply. It is advisable that the inspiration is accompanied by a positive message and that the expiration includes some phrase to expel the physical pain.

• Mindfulness practice. It consists of focusing on the pain and paying careful attention to how it occurs, trying not to interpret it, or reject it, but simply to observe it.
• Basic meditation. The attention should be fixed on the rhythm of the breath and followed with the mind. It is recommended that you previously think of a quiet place and the image is fixed in the mind. If the distraction appears, the idea is to return to that previously fixed image.
• Relaxation response. This response should be implemented at times when there is pain and it generates stress. It consists of doing a basic meditation, with the aim of slowing down the heart and relaxing the muscles.

Other important practices

To increase the degree of control over the sensations of physical pain, it is also important to carry out other actions, this time more directed towards the external than the internal. It is always a good idea to develop some kind of “relaxing and distracting hobby. ” Going for walks, taking care of plants, painting or similar activities can be very suitable.

Reading is a highly recommended activity, as it helps to increase concentration capacity, which will be very useful to better tolerate pain. Likewise, it helps to manage stress. Poetry can also be an excellent company in these cases.

It is not good to be alone for a long time. Contact with others is a very positive encouragement. It is not recommended that you use these links to talk only about your physical problems. If you think that it is a topic that you need to talk about continuously, the best alternative is a psychotherapy, since in that space you will not saturate the relationship and you will also get professional help.