HOPE+WELLNESS BLOG
little snippets and advice for
everyday challenges many people share
How to Improve Sleep When You Deal With Chronic Pain
If you deal with chronic pain, you know how important sleep can be to helping you feel better. Discover tips to improve your sleep even when in pain.
If you deal with chronic pain, you know how important sleep can be to helping you feel better.
When you get a poor night’s sleep, your symptoms might feel worse. You might have a harder time regulating your emotions, and find it harder to complete everyday tasks. Improving sleep quality is often a process of trial and error, but it can be an especially important part of the chronic pain toolkit.
Why is sleep so important?
Sleep is one of our basic biological functions, and we can’t survive without it. Sleep is essential to our physical and mental functioning. Sleep allows our bodies time to repair and to reset for the next day, and can even support our immune functioning.
Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In addition, when you don’t get enough sleep, it can be harder to think clearly and to do the everyday things that are required of you.
Chronic pain impacts many areas of life, and sleep is no exception. Chronic pain can make it harder to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, and pain can wake you up during the night, reducing the amount of sleep you get.
If you’re dealing with chronic pain, a good night’s sleep might feel impossible. Here are some things to try to improve your sleep when you deal with chronic pain:
Talk to your doctor about sleep
Sleep is a critical bodily function, and when you have sleep issues it’s best to make your doctor aware. That might seem overwhelming, especially as someone who deals with chronic pain and has to deal with many medical providers already. There are some medical interventions that can make sleep easier, though, so it’s important to bring it up with your primary care physician to see if there are any options that can help you.
For example, sleep apnea can make it harder to sleep deeply, and wearing a CPAP machine while you sleep can help you sleep more deeply. Get a sleep study done if possible. You can do sleep studies from home a lot of the time now. They may also be able to help you find a medication that works for you to help you sleep better.
Use light filter settings on your devices
There’s a lot of advice out there about not using screens in the evening because of the exposure to blue light that interrupts sleep. However, it’s much easier said than done to put down your devices after a certain time. Has anyone ever actually stopped using their phone before bed? Sometimes that’s not reasonable.
If you are looking at your phone or at a device before bed, try using the built in color filters that most devices have to help block out the blue light. You can also try wearing blue light blocking glasses if you don’t have a filter on your device.
Develop a wind down routine
Developing a routine that signals to your brain that it’s time to wind down can be helpful in improving your sleep. See how it feels to stretch, meditate, journal, or read as you wind down before bed.
If you’re able to, taking a hot bath with epsom salts can help you become more sleepy and help with winding down. If you don’t have a tub, try soaking your feet in some warm water with epsom salts to help you begin to wind down. You can also try drinking a warm beverage, like tea (make sure to choose a kind of tea that doesn’t have caffeine) to help signal to your brain that it’s time for sleep.
Try to stick to a general bedtime
Another way to help signal to yourself that it’s time to sleep is to stick to a specific bedtime. It can be hard to go to sleep at the same time every night when your symptoms are causing you pain, but over time it gets easier. It’s going to be hard to sleep when your brain is wired, so it might take some time to get to a bedtime that works for you. Try shifting things by 5 minutes at a time and work toward the time you’d ideally like to go to sleep.
It’s also important to be kind to yourself when you can’t stick to that bedtime. Being hard on yourself isn’t going to make it any easier to sleep.
Use pillows to help support your body
Waking up feeling worse than when you went to sleep isn’t a fun experience. Sometimes movement during sleep can help contribute to pain during the day. Try using pillows to help support you as you sleep.
Consider using a neck pillow for neck pain or a body pillow to help keep yourself propped up in a way that won’t increase your pain. Some people also sleep with a heating pad or an electric blanket on the parts of their body that tend to cause pain. Some of them have timers so you can make sure it keeps you warm all night.
Set up your sleeping place for success
Studies show that sleeping in a cooler room can help with getting deeper sleep, so try sleeping with your thermostat turned down a bit lower or with a fan on you. You can also try using white noise, either from a fan or a noise machine, to help create an environment where you can sleep.
Something else that might help is to be able to turn your electronics or lights on and off from your phone or using a remote. That way, when you’re comfy in bed, you don’t have to get back up to turn off the lights.
Use your pain relief toolkit
When you’re dealing with chronic pain, sometimes you need to try multiple ways to manage it so you can make it through the day and night.
As someone with chronic pain, you probably have your go-to ways to manage your pain, like using a TENs unit or using a pain relief gel. See what you have on hand that can help make you more comfortable through the night.
Are you looking for more support as you deal with chronic pain? Our therapists can help. We have therapists who can support you with chronic illness, chronic pain, & medical stressors. Contact us today to make an appointment!
Strengthen Your Relationship with Your Body With These Six Blogs
Having a strong relationship to your body helps your health holistically. It helps you tune into your physical and your emotional needs, and tend to them consciously and intentionally. But getting there isn’t an easy journey and it can be hard to know where to start. These six blogs are our starting point for you if you’re looking to strengthen your relationship to your body.
What does it mean to have a strong relationship to your body?
Does it mean you need to be body positive? What about body neutrality? Or body trust? What do all these different terms mean? Do you have to embody all of them to have a strong relationship between yourself and your body? Where can you even start?
Having a strong relationship to your body helps your health holistically. It helps you tune into your physical and your emotional needs, and tend to them consciously and intentionally. But getting there isn’t an easy journey and it can be hard to know where to start.
These six blogs are our starting point for you if you’re looking to strengthen your relationship to your body.
They’re all about reflecting on your relationship to your body, learning to adjust your perspective and expectations, and practices you can take with you as you learn to engage with your body's needs and cues moving forward. Check them out below:
What Does it Mean to Engage in Self Care When You’re Chronically Ill
Your practice doesn’t have to be perfect all of the time. No one is keeping score at how well you’re taking care of yourself or what you’re falling behind on.
Determine for yourself what you can maintain, and try your best to maintain it–and trust yourself to know when you need to just relax.
3 Ways to Build Trust with Your Body
You might not even realize the messages that you’ve taken in about bodies throughout your life. There may be cultural messages that you disagree with on an intellectual level but have a hard time disconnecting from for yourself. You’re not alone. It’s hard to disengage from the constant messaging that your body is not good enough and that you can’t trust what it’s telling you.
When you don’t trust your body, you might have a harder time picking up on body cues like hunger or thirst. You might ignore your body’s needs, like needing to take a break, because you feel you should push through.
Separating Healing from Healthism
Your health is not insignificant–when you are sick or injured or unwell in any way you deserve care and medicine and support. The rejection of healthism isn’t a rejection of taking care of yourself, but shifting the motivations behind it.
Instead of caring for yourself because you want to be healthy so you can deserve love and care and support, can you care for yourself because you are alive and deserve it? Can you shift your habits of caring for yourself so they come from a place of love and joy, rather than guilt and shame?
Learning How to Connect Emotions & Body Sensations
Do you know how emotions feel in your body?
Emotions aren’t only felt in the mind. Our bodies react to our environments just like our brains do, and it can be helpful to connect emotions with body sensations so we can better understand what’s going on within us.
Can I have a Healthy Relationship with my Body Without Loving it?
While it would be wonderful to get to a point where your relationship with your body is a loving one, it’s possible to have an emotionally healthy relationship, even a caring relationship, without love. Think of human social relationships–you might not love your coworker or your neighbor or your barista, but you’re likely able to at least provide them the respect and dignity they deserve, and possibly even have a positive, friendly relationship with them. You care about not being rude to them, you don’t think they are unreasonable for having boundaries, and you probably don’t think they’re shameful for asking for what they need!
Gentle Movement tips for a Healthier Relationship with Exercise
Gentle movement or moving our bodies in some way that feels good is important for our health–not for the reasons we often hear about in intense fitness environments, where fitness is more of a sport focused on pushing your body to extremes–but because our body and our brain feel better when we find ways to incorporate movement into our routines. Keep the purpose of feeling good at the center of your search for a gentle movement routine: if it starts to feel like drudergy or punishment, it’s time to find something new.
If you’re looking for support as you heal your relationship to your body, therapy can be a great place to start. Contact us today and our expert clinicians can help.
What Does it Mean to Engage in Self Care When You’re Chronically Ill?
While self soothing often focuses on things that make you feel good in the moment, self care is more about the long term maintenance of your wellbeing. It can mean using up a lot of energy, both physical and mental, which is something chronically ill people don’t usually have in excess. So how can you realistically engage in self care when you’re also managing a chronic illness?
What does it mean to engage in self care when you’re chronically ill?
In general, self-care is the habits or practices you engage in in order to meet your emotional, physical and social needs. Unlike self soothing, which is concerned with providing comfort in the moment, self care is typically some sort of proactive care that has a noticeable effect on your life. It’s basically making sure you meet what you’ve determined to be the essentials for living a fulfilling, happy and healthy life. Some simple examples of self care are:
Establishing healthy sleeping habits
Finding meals that are both enjoyable to eat and provide you with nutrients you need
Carrying a water bottle around to make sure you stay hydrated
Putting your prescriptions on auto-refill, or having them delivered to your house if that’s an option
Taking a walk around your neighborhood
While self soothing often focuses on things that make you feel good in the moment–taking a long shower, a mindfulness exercise, watching a favorite movie, etc–self care is more about the long term maintenance of your wellbeing. Which means it's not always (or ever) a breezy, effortless thing. It can mean using up a lot of energy, both physical and mental, which is something chronically ill people don’t usually have in excess.
So how can you realistically engage in self care when you’re also managing a chronic illness?
First, as we’ve said before, stop all or nothing thinking:
Life is rarely all or nothing. 50% is pretty much always better than 0%.
Getting started is often the hardest part, especially when the task itself is so massive it feels like even if you start you’ll never finish. When you tell yourself “I don’t have to finish the dishes, I just have to start them” you’re easing that pressure. Chances are? You’ll realize doing the dishes isn’t actually that bad and you’ll just finish them. And if not? Then some of your dishes are clean now when they weren’t before!
Your practice doesn’t have to be perfect all of the time. No one is keeping score at how well you’re taking care of yourself or what you’re falling behind on.
Determine for yourself what you can maintain, and try your best to maintain it–and trust yourself to know when you need to just relax.
Self care practice: keeping yourself nourished.
When you look up self care, so much advice is centered around food. And food is important! It keeps us alive! But the advice you often stumble upon when looking to take better care of yourself is to cook for yourself more. Cooking is a great way to practice taking care of yourself but it’s not always a realistic solution. Maybe you only have the energy to cook once a week. Or your live with too much pain to stand in a kitchen for a long time, so cooking is extremely rare. Maybe you’re so busy with different doctors appointments that you don’t have much time for grocery shopping or meal planning.
Chronically ill approach: find your cheats.
What are easy, filling foods you can throw together when you don’t have more than 10 minutes of kitchen energy in you? Make a list of things like this and use the components as the starting point for your regular shopping list. For example: a bag of frozen fruit & veggies, some yogurt, and juice can be quickly thrown together for a protein rich smoothie that takes little time and effort including prep and clean up. Consider your regular schedule and think of when you tend to have the most energy/feel the best. Is there a predictable time in your week where you could make time to cook? When you do, try to cook enough to yield leftovers so you can have another filling, low energy meal later in the week.
Self care practice: move your body every day.
Physical wellness impacts our mental wellness and our overall holistic health, so it’s good to find ways to tend to it! While exercise is often a primary example of self-care, that can be tricky to navigate for chronically ill people. What if you’re in too much pain? What if your illness inhibits exercise?
Chronically ill approach: but listen to it first.
At the root of the advice to move your body each day is the idea that your body’s needs deserve to be recognized and prioritized with regularity. This is actually very important for chronically ill people, even if it doesn’t show up in practice as exercise. Instead, it can be waking up and doing a body scan, assessing how you’re feeling, what your symptoms are–if any sort of gentle movement or stretching would be helpful or if other needs (taking medication, getting hydrated and fed, etc.) need to be taken care of first. And if you have the physical wellness to engage in exercise, remember it doesn’t have to be the aggressive, strenuous type of exercise we often associate with gyms and workout culture. It can be taking a long walk around your neighborhood, volunteering at a community garden, tending to your own house or yard, playing with a nibling, playing with a pet, etc.
Self care practice: develop routines.
Having dependable routines can be great! You can learn to prioritize your time and make room for everything you need to do and practice regular rest. But routines themselves depend on you having the same energy and interests all of the time–which is not really true for anyone, but fluctuating and unpredictable health or energy is a major obstacle in life with chronic illness.
Chronically ill approach: but prioritize your needs over your expectations.
If you have it in your routine to cook over the weekends because you usually have more time and energy to take care of yourself, but you suddenly get a flare up over the weekend, remember it’s more important to take care of yourself and what you need right now than to live up to the routine expectations you’ve set for yourself. If you push yourself to maintain routines through poor health, you only run the risk of feeling worse for longer. Instead, know when you need to show yourself some grace and let go of your to do list in favor of taking care of the needs pressing for your attention.
Learning that you have a chronic illness diagnosis is often a life-changing experience. Chronic illness tends to impact every aspect of life, from work to leisure time to money to relationships. Remember, chronic illness is not your fault. If you would like more support in coping with chronic illness, our therapists at Hope+Wellness can help.
7 Blogs to Read if You’re Dealing with Chronic Illness
To help make a difficult experience a little easier, we’ve gathered 7 of our blog posts related to living your best life with a chronic illness.
Living with chronic illness impacts your whole life.
From your relationships, to your work life, to your self-image, chronic illness finds a way to influence everything. Many of us prefer to think that chronic illness is something we’ll never have to deal with, so it can seem jarring or even frightening to consider what our lives would be like if we dealt with chronic illness.
Part of the fear that comes from imagining life with chronic illness is that we live in a world that was not designed for disabled or chronically ill people to move through. We understand, on some level, how difficult it is to navigate a world that is at best indifferent to you and at worst hostile to your participation.
When we understand more about the experience of folks living with chronic illness, it's easier to be empathetic and to extend compassion to others and to yourself. Studies show that six out of every ten adults in the United States are living with a chronic illness, so chronic illness is definitely not as rare as we might like to think.
Especially in the wake of a mass disabling event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s important to consider what the world is like as a chronically ill person and what we can all do to make things a little easier on folks who do live with a chronic illness.
To help make a difficult experience a little easier, we’ve gathered 7 of our blog posts related to living your best life with a chronic illness:
The majority of people in the United States will experience chronic illness at some point in their lives.
There’s no doubt about it - living with a chronic illness has an impact on your mental health because our mental and physical health is interconnected. Just because you don’t have to worry about chronic illness right now doesn’t mean that will always be the case.
It’s critical to understand the ways that chronic illness can impact mental health because the odds are that you will experience chronic illness at some point in your life, whether for yourself or through someone you love.
Read 5 Ways Chronic Illness can Affect Your Mental Health
Do you have a loved one who deals with chronic pain?
It’s not always easy to know how to show up for someone when they’re going through something serious or life-changing, like dealing with chronic illness or pain. It’s also difficult for folks who don’t live with chronic illness or chronic pain to really understand all the different ways that it impacts everyday life.
Learning ways to be more conscientious about making plans and prioritizing accommodations for your chronically ill friends can make them feel safe and cared for, which is ideally how we want our friends to feel in our presence, right?
Read How to Be There for A Friend with Chronic Pain
When you can have reasonable expectations for yourself & your limits, you can start to develop compassion for those limits.
It can be frustrating as a chronically ill person to feel like your limits change from day to day. Your energy levels change, your symptoms shift, and it can be hard to find a routine that you can sustain for more than a few days. At times it can even feel like you’re working against your own body, which can feel heartbreaking and confusing.
It’s important to learn how to be compassionate with yourself when you’re chronically ill. There are already enough things to deal with when you’re in pain or symptomatic without being hard on yourself on top of it.
Read Developing Self Compassion While Living with Chronic Illness
Are you parenting a child with chronic pain?
Watching your child suffer is devastating as a parent. You might feel helpless when your child is in pain or stuck, like you don’t know where to turn for help. It’s also logistically difficult to parent a child with complicated medical needs, and parents of chronically ill children often feel isolated or burnt out.
Finding ways to support both children with chronic pain and their parents as they navigate this complicated experience can help improve quality of life, even in the face of pain.
Read 3 Tips for Parenting a Child with Chronic Pain
Since chronic illness is longer term than acute illness, it tends to ripple out and affect even more of people’s everyday lives, including their relationships.
Unfortunately, the reality for many chronically ill people is that their relationships change after their diagnosis. There are lots of reasons why this happens, but it often feels extremely personal and painful.
Many people don’t realize how isolating and exhausting chronic illness is, and since it’s a long-term condition, the impacts on relationships can be long-lasting. Practicing speaking up for your needs, setting boundaries, and practicing coping with grief can all help you navigate changing relationships in the aftermath of your chronic illness diagnosis.
Read How to Cope With Losing Relationships as a Result of Your Chronic Illness
One thing that might surprise folks about living with a chronic illness is the amount of grief there is to navigate.
Chronic illness has a way of changing everything about your life, from the way you relax to your job to your relationships. Major changes and upheaval in your life often lead to grief, and learning how to cope with that grief can make it easier to navigate.
The grief that comes up in response to chronic illness can come from your changing relationships, the dream of what could have been if you hadn’t gotten sick, and even from the way the world treats folks with chronic illness. Learning how to move through the world in this new way takes time and lots of self compassion, and you’re not alone for feeling this way.
Read Understanding Grief and Chronic Illness
If you suffer from chronic pain, the idea of body positivity might feel like asking a lot.
It can be hard to feel positively about a body that is letting you down or causing you pain. Learning how to love your body and feel positively about it isn’t the only way you can have a healthy relationship with it, though.
You might need to practice readjusting your expectations and understanding your new limits. Remember that you and your body are worthy of respect and care, no matter what else is going on.
Read Can I Have a Healthy Relationship with My Body Without Loving It?
If you would like more support in coping with chronic illness or dealing with body changes, our therapists at Hope+Wellness can help. Reach out today to make an appointment!
Can I Have a Healthy Relationship with My Body Without Loving It?
Living with chronic pain doesn’t mean you don’t deserve an emotionally healthy relationship with your body, even if that can’t be one filled with love.
If you suffer from chronic pain, the idea of body positivity might feel like asking a lot.
It can be hard to love something that causes you severe amounts of physical pain, not to mention the emotional pain that can come with that sort of prolonged discomfort and distress. So if you’re someone who manages chronic pain, and you find yourself rolling your eyes a bit at the idea of body positivity–I get it! It’s okay and you’re definitely not alone.
But living with chronic pain doesn’t mean you don’t deserve an emotionally healthy relationship with your body, even if that can’t be one filled with love. While it would be wonderful to get to a point where your relationship with your body is a loving one, it’s possible to have an emotionally healthy relationship, even a caring relationship, without love. Think of human social relationships–you might not love your coworker or your neighbor or your barista, but you’re likely able to at least provide them the respect and dignity they deserve, and possibly even have a positive, friendly relationship with them. You care about not being rude to them, you don’t think they are unreasonable for having boundaries, and you probably don’t think they’re shameful for asking for what they need!
The same can be true of your body.
The first step to getting to that emotionally healthy relationship with your body is to let go of unrealistic expectations.
Just like with your other relationships, unfair expectations just set everyone involved up for hurt and disappointment. When you expect your friends to read your mind, you’re putting the burden of a role they’re not equipped to manage on their shoulders, and it can never end in positive feelings. The same is true of your body. When you expect your body to be able to do things like:
Operate at 100% every day
Persist through prolonged exertion or labor without breaks
Function without proper nourishment
…You’re putting unrealistic expectations onto your body. No one’s body can really manage those things! And if you experience chronic pain or chronic illness of some kind, your limits are going to feel even more rigid. But it’s important for you to figure out what it is your body can reasonably handle on a given day so you can make sure you’re not asking too much of it.
Take stock of your limits, of what different things cost you in terms of energy, pain, emotional regulation, etc.
When you take time to notice the effect different activities or situations have on you, your body, the severity of your symptoms, etc., you’re able to better respond to those effects, preemptively plan for how you will manage an increase of symptoms, or set limits on those things. When making plans, remember to keep those limits and boundaries in mind and to be respectful of your relationship with your body. If you push it past those limits, the lack of care you show to your body’s needs will show up in that relationship through worsening pain, increased symptoms, etc.
Remember healthy relationships are reciprocal
It’s okay if there’s a lack of love between you and your body sometimes. Not every relationship needs constant love and affection to be healthy. They do however need respect and reciprocity–which means however you treat your body is how you can expect your body to treat you.Instead of punishing your body for its needs and limits, try to respect them. Because when you punish your body, it will only turn that punishment back on you for neglecting its needs, whether that’s through increased pain or flare up of symptoms, or getting sick in some other fashion. When you notice your body’s cues and tend to them, you’re showing your body respect and care. This in turn gives you a cared for place to live and exist.
If you’re looking for support as you heal your relationship to your body, therapy can be a great place to start. Contact us today and our expert clinicians can help.
How to Be There for A Friend with Chronic Pain
If you don’t experience chronic pain, it can be hard to understand just how much it can impact someone’s life. While for most people, pain is unusual, a sign that something needs to be tended to immediately, for folks who manage chronic pain, it is a constant state. If you’re looking for ways to support a loved one with chronic pain, here are 6 ways to be there for them.
Do you have a loved one who deals with chronic pain?
If you don’t experience chronic pain, it can be hard to understand just how much it can impact someone’s life. While for most people, pain is unusual, a sign that something needs to be tended to immediately, for folks who manage chronic pain, it is a constant state.
The baseline, rather than comfortable or content, is typically still some underlying degree of pain, even when on a pain management routine of some sort. Chronic pain impacts the sufferer from the moment they wake up until the time they go to sleep (and often in between as well, as chronic pain commonly impacts sleep!) so it can be hard to know how to help!
If you’re looking for ways to support a loved one with chronic pain, here are 6 ways to be there for them:
Consider obstacles before proposing plans
Even something as simple as going for a walk can be difficult for someone with chronic pain. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible for them, but when you’re planning outings that you want your friend with chronic pain to take part in, try to consider what problems it may bring up for them, and what accommodations can be made so that friend can still come and have a good time. Again, if you’re planning something like a hike or a walk, it could be as simple as making sure to pick a path with benches along it so there are places to rest along the trail without having to sit on the ground (which can be uncomfortable, embarrassing, or even impossible depending on the pain your friend experiences).
Don’t leave them out of the planning
Even if you’ve considered the obstacles, you’re not the one with the chronic pain, so you’re not the expert on whether things have been taken care of! Make sure you let your friend know what you’ve thought of, but also ask them to please let you know if there’s something else they are concerned about so that you can make accommodations for them. For the above example it could be as simple as saying, “Hey, I’d love for you to come hiking with me. I found a trail with lots of benches so we can stop as often as we need to. Is there anything else I didn’t consider?”
Don’t make them ask to use the accommodations:
If you know something is an issue for your friend, try to offer the accommodations without waiting for them to ask for it. It can be vulnerable and even feel embarrassing to ask for accommodations others don’t need–especially if you’re in a large group–so they push through pain or discomfort rather than call attention to the fact that they need help. Using the hiking example, you can offer to take a break before your friend asks for one. It’s as simple as saying, “Hey let’s stop at the bench up there for a water break!” You don’t have to call attention to their discomfort, and you can show them you’re actively thinking about them & their needs.
Understand there aren’t always accommodations that work:
Your friend with chronic pain might not always be able to find a way to make your plans work. Whether it’s because they’re having a bad flare up, making the usual accommodations useless, or because there just isn’t a way for them to mitigate the pain they’d be experiencing if they participated, there just isn’t always a way to make it work. It’s not a personal judgment if they say they can’t come, and while you might feel tempted to over apologize, that might actually make them feel worse–then they have to comfort you because their pain prevents them from participating. Instead, let them know you’ll miss them and that you do something with them soon.
Offer help if you can:
Not everyone has the energy or the time to take on some extra responsibility for their loved ones, but if you’re able to, offering to pick up the slack for your friend every now and then can be a wonderful way to support them. Living with chronic pain can make it difficult to stay on top of things like dishes or laundry or grocery shopping–basic maintenance things. Because often the pain is so severe it is difficult to function or focus on anything else. Severe pain also makes sleep difficult, exacerbating the cycle. If you have some spare time in your week every now and then, check in with your friend, ask if there’s anything you can help them out with. If they’ve been complaining of their pain more and more frequently, let them know you’ve noticed and ask if there’s anything you can do to lighten the load!
Believe what they tell you, not what you see:
Folks who have been living with chronic pain for years may not look like they are in pain from the outside. When there’s no break from the pain, it becomes a new normal that they have had to adjust to–however that doesn’t mean they aren’t in pain. If your friend has chronic headaches, but looks “normal” when they’re in pain, that doesn’t mean they are faking. The way they look “normally” is what they look like when they’re in pain, because pain is normal for them.
Do you know someone living with chronic pain who needs support? Reach out today to get in touch with one of our clinicians!
3 Tips for Parenting a Child with Chronic Pain
It can be challenging to parent a child with chronic pain. Not only is it difficult to see your child in pain, but parents often feel helpless, stuck, and unsure of what to do to help ease the pain and mitigate its impacts on their child’s life and daily functioning.
It can be challenging to parent a child with chronic pain. Not only is it difficult to see your child in pain, but parents often feel helpless, stuck, and unsure of what to do to help ease the pain and mitigate its impacts on their child’s life and daily functioning. For instance, children with chronic pain often begin to miss school, become socially isolated, and feel increasingly depressed and anxious over time. So how can parents help support their children get back to life and functioning even in the face of pain?
Interdisciplinary Assessment and Treatment of Pediatric Chronic Pain
One of the things that makes parenting a child with chronic pain so challenging is that what seems most intuitive and most natural when treating acute, short-term pain, such as rest, time off from school, can often worsen chronic pain. So it’s important to get a proper comprehensive evaluation done prior to treatment. You can find an interdisciplinary clinic which specializes in pediatric pain. These clinics specialize in appropriately assessing and diagnosing pain and will help you determine appropriate treatment. Specialists there can help your child learn to manage and maintain normal age-appropriate functioning despite the chronic pain.
Because chronic pain is so complex, treatment must also be multifaceted and interdisciplinary to appropriately tailor treatment and target critical domains involved. Interdisciplinary programs often involve evaluation by a physician, psychologist, physical or occupational therapists. There are a few of these programs across the country, including here in Washington DC, at the Pain Medicine Care Complex at Children’s National Health Systems. Below is a list of a few programs with interdisciplinary pediatric pain programs:
Work with your child’s physician, psychologist, and physical therapist to understand what activities can be tolerated by your child.
Parents play an incredibly important role in treatment and in their child’s outcomes. The treatment of chronic pain is highly complex, so it is important to work hand in hand with your child’s specialist providers.
It might seem counterintuitive, but oftentimes, parents are recommended by specialists to encourage normal, age appropriate activity by their children. It’s important that children maintain functioning despite the pain. It makes sense when you consider that children who begin to lose functioning such as frequent school absences, fall behind, become stressed, increasingly depressed, anxious, and socially isolated, which are factors that can all contribute to worsening pain. Therefore, parents are often asked to provide positive reinforcement and praise for engaging in normal daily activities. Avoid questioning about the presence of pain. Consider whether the pain may have secondary functions such as avoidance or escape from undesirable activities. Work closely with your child’s treatment team to understand how you can best support your child emotionally and behaviorally. Because pain is so complex, all lifestyle factors must be considered and targeted.
Help your child get good sleep
Sleep is often significantly affected in children with chronic pain. Pain and discomfort can make it very difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. This can result in increased and worsening pain during the day. Therefore, it is important for parents to help promote healthy sleep behaviors and a regular sleep-wake schedule in their children. Healthy sleep hygiene includes:
Limiting use of the bed for sleep (and not homework, watching TV or other activities)
A consistent bedtime routine
Limiting use of electronics
Consistent bedtime and waketimes
Limiting intake of caffeine, tea, coffee
It can help to work with a psychologist who specializes in working with children with chronic pain. Sleep is an important area to address as it impacts pain, mood, as well as energy and ability to function and attend school, all of which in turn are also related to pain.
In sum, chronic pain in children can be difficult and stressful to navigate, but with time, appropriate specialized care, and parental support, children with chronic pain can manage it and reclaim their lives again for greater health and happiness.
Please read blog disclaimer below; this blog does not replace medical advice.
pediatric psychologist in mclean, falls church, arlington and vienna
Victoria Chialy Smith, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist providing individual therapy to children, teens, and adults with chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. Our practice provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness based therapies, and other premier evidence-based treatments, and serves the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!
Hope+Wellness is a mental health practice specializing in the treatment of depression, mood, stress, and anxiety in kids, teens, and adults. This is a blog about living well and finding meaning and purpose in the face of difficult challenges. This is a blog about finding hope.
-
October 2024
- Oct 31, 2024 I Want to Start Therapy: What Do I Need to Know? Oct 31, 2024
- Oct 23, 2024 How Therapy Can Help Entrepreneurs Thrive Instead of Survive Oct 23, 2024
- Oct 15, 2024 What Parents Should Know About Teen Depression: A Compassionate Guide for Supporting Your Teen Oct 15, 2024
-
September 2024
- Sep 30, 2024 Understanding Your Attachment Style to Improve Your Relationships Sep 30, 2024
- Sep 23, 2024 The Mental Health Benefits of Having Pets Sep 23, 2024
- Sep 17, 2024 IMPROVE the Moment: Coping with Distress with DBT Sep 17, 2024
- Sep 3, 2024 Supporting Your Mental Health During Your Freshman Year of College Sep 3, 2024
-
August 2024
- Aug 22, 2024 What is Spiritually Integrated Therapy? Aug 22, 2024
- Aug 12, 2024 Getting To Know Your Inner Child Aug 12, 2024
- Aug 1, 2024 5 Tips to Connect with Your Child Using Love Languages Aug 1, 2024
-
July 2024
- Jul 22, 2024 5 Ways Nature Can Help Your Mental Health Jul 22, 2024
- Jul 15, 2024 What You Should Know About Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy Jul 15, 2024
-
June 2024
- Jun 27, 2024 How to Practice Reaching Out After Self Isolating Jun 27, 2024
- Jun 19, 2024 How to Ask for Help When You Need It Jun 19, 2024
- Jun 10, 2024 6 Ways to Build Self-Respect Jun 10, 2024
-
May 2024
- May 31, 2024 6 Ways to Support Mental Health After Pregnancy Loss May 31, 2024
- May 28, 2024 Self Kindness: Why it Matters & How to Cultivate It May 28, 2024
- May 20, 2024 Finding a Psychologist: What to Consider May 20, 2024
- May 10, 2024 Coping Strategies for Managing Grief and Loss May 10, 2024
-
April 2024
- Apr 23, 2024 9 Blogs to Help You Navigate Difficult Parenting Moments Apr 23, 2024
- Apr 16, 2024 Parenting with Chronic Pain Apr 16, 2024
- Apr 9, 2024 6 Signs It's Time for Couples Counseling Apr 9, 2024
- Apr 1, 2024 What You Should Know About Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Apr 1, 2024
-
March 2024
- Mar 25, 2024 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: 5 Things You Should Know About It Mar 25, 2024
- Mar 18, 2024 What You Should Know About EMDR Mar 18, 2024
- Mar 11, 2024 Don't Know What You're Feeling? Try This. Mar 11, 2024
- Mar 1, 2024 7 Tips for Coping with Parenting Stress Mar 1, 2024
-
February 2024
- Feb 26, 2024 How Mindful Communication Can Improve Your Relationships Feb 26, 2024
- Feb 16, 2024 How Can My Therapist Help with My Chronic Pain? Feb 16, 2024
- Feb 8, 2024 Why Is It So Hard to Build New Habits? Feb 8, 2024
-
January 2024
- Jan 31, 2024 Five Tools For Managing Loneliness and Building Connection Jan 31, 2024
- Jan 25, 2024 How Can Therapy Help Me Navigate Big Life Changes? Jan 25, 2024
- Jan 19, 2024 How to Improve Sleep When You Deal With Chronic Pain Jan 19, 2024
- Jan 10, 2024 9 Commonly Asked Questions About The Therapeutic Process Jan 10, 2024
-
December 2023
- Dec 29, 2023 The Psychology of Fresh Starts: Embracing Change in the New Year Dec 29, 2023
- Dec 22, 2023 Managing Racing Thoughts That Keep You Awake Dec 22, 2023
- Dec 15, 2023 I'm Dreading My Next Therapy Session, What Now Dec 15, 2023
- Dec 4, 2023 End of the Year Toolkit: 9 Blogs to Help You Make It to January Dec 4, 2023
-
November 2023
- Nov 30, 2023 5 Myths to Unpack About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Nov 30, 2023
- Nov 27, 2023 How Routines Can Support You in Tough Times Nov 27, 2023
- Nov 20, 2023 5 Strategies for Overcoming Social Anxiety at Holiday Gatherings Nov 20, 2023
- Nov 12, 2023 Masking: What It Is and How It Shows Up Nov 12, 2023
- Nov 1, 2023 Dealing With Negative Emotions: 7 Blogs to read When You’re Feeling Something Uncomfortable Nov 1, 2023
-
October 2023
- Oct 26, 2023 4 Best Practices for Fact Checking #InstaTherapy Content Oct 26, 2023
- Oct 24, 2023 How to Be Okay With Saying No Oct 24, 2023
- Oct 11, 2023 I Hurt My Friend's Feelings, What Do I Do Now? Oct 11, 2023
- Oct 3, 2023 Why is Making Friends as an Adult so Hard? + What to Do About It Oct 3, 2023
-
September 2023
- Sep 29, 2023 Strengthen Your Relationship with Your Body With These Six Blogs Sep 29, 2023
- Sep 18, 2023 What to Do When Life Feels Meaningless Sep 18, 2023
- Sep 11, 2023 What is High Functioning Anxiety? Sep 11, 2023
-
August 2023
- Aug 31, 2023 6 Ways to Deal With Intrusive Thoughts Aug 31, 2023
- Aug 31, 2023 What Does it Mean to Engage in Self Care When You’re Chronically Ill? Aug 31, 2023
- Aug 21, 2023 6 Ways Hobbies Benefit Your Mental Health Aug 21, 2023
- Aug 10, 2023 What Do I Need to Know Before my First Therapy Session? Aug 10, 2023
-
July 2023
- Jul 28, 2023 4 Tips to Become a Better Listener Jul 28, 2023
- Jul 19, 2023 Healing through Relationships: Why the Therapeutic Relationship Matters Jul 19, 2023
- Jul 12, 2023 What to Do When You’re Burned Out Jul 12, 2023
- Jul 5, 2023 How to Make a Coping Skills Toolbox Jul 5, 2023
-
June 2023
- Jun 27, 2023 3 Tips for Telling Your Therapist They Upset You Jun 27, 2023
- Jun 19, 2023 7 Blogs to Read if You’re Dealing with Chronic Illness Jun 19, 2023
- Jun 12, 2023 Tending to Plants for Better Mental Health Jun 12, 2023
-
May 2023
- May 31, 2023 3 Ways to Build Trust With Your Body May 31, 2023
- May 25, 2023 Developing Self Compassion While Living with Chronic Illness May 25, 2023
- May 15, 2023 Why “Should” Statements Make You Feel Worse May 15, 2023
- May 11, 2023 What Does it Mean to Take Care of Yourself? 7 Blogs to Help You Practice May 11, 2023
-
April 2023
- Apr 28, 2023 7 Things to Do When You’re Lonely Apr 28, 2023
- Apr 24, 2023 Managing Conflict in Friendships Apr 24, 2023
- Apr 17, 2023 Are Your Boundaries Too Firm? Apr 17, 2023
- Apr 10, 2023 Understanding Grief and Chronic Illness Apr 10, 2023
- Apr 3, 2023 How to Overcome People Pleasing Apr 3, 2023
-
March 2023
- Mar 27, 2023 Mindfulness Tips for When You’re Having a Bad Day Mar 27, 2023
- Mar 20, 2023 10 Blogs to Read for More Intimate Friendships Mar 20, 2023
- Mar 13, 2023 Why Being Bored Is Good for Your Mental Health Mar 13, 2023
-
February 2023
- Feb 28, 2023 3 Tips for Working Through Shame Feb 28, 2023
- Feb 27, 2023 Balancing Self and Community Care Feb 27, 2023
- Feb 20, 2023 4 Ways Mindful Breathing Can Help You Feel Better Feb 20, 2023
- Feb 7, 2023 Breaking up With a Friend Feb 7, 2023
-
January 2023
- Jan 31, 2023 5 Ways to Deal with Rumination Jan 31, 2023
- Jan 23, 2023 What Are Repair Attempts in Conflict (and How to Use Them) Jan 23, 2023
- Jan 16, 2023 5 Reasons Why Crying is Good For You Jan 16, 2023
- Jan 11, 2023 5 Practices for When You Feel Off and Don't Know Why Jan 11, 2023
-
December 2022
- Dec 28, 2022 4 Ways to Deal with New Year Overwhelm Dec 28, 2022
- Dec 23, 2022 4 Ways to Accept a Slower Pace in the Winter Season Dec 23, 2022
- Dec 19, 2022 Cultivating Strong Community Ties for Better Mental Health Dec 19, 2022
- Dec 12, 2022 Separating Healing from Healthism Dec 12, 2022
-
November 2022
- Nov 30, 2022 6 Safe Ways to Express Anger Nov 30, 2022
- Nov 28, 2022 Exploring & Expressing Anger Safely Nov 28, 2022
- Nov 18, 2022 3 Tips for Cultivating A More Positive Relationship With Yourself Nov 18, 2022
- Nov 10, 2022 Learning How to Connect Emotions and Body Sensations Nov 10, 2022
-
October 2022
- Oct 31, 2022 What is a Glimmer? Finding the Opposite of a Trigger Oct 31, 2022
- Oct 24, 2022 4 Ways to Cope with Being Disliked Oct 24, 2022
- Oct 11, 2022 8 Blogs to Help You Manage Your Emotions Oct 11, 2022
- Oct 3, 2022 4 Practical Ways to Build New Habits Oct 3, 2022
-
September 2022
- Sep 27, 2022 Spending Time with Your Inner Child this Autumn Sep 27, 2022
- Sep 20, 2022 3 Ways to Build Interoceptive Awareness Sep 20, 2022
- Sep 14, 2022 Getting Started with Hiking for Mental Health Sep 14, 2022
-
August 2022
- Aug 31, 2022 How to Tell the Difference Between Avoidance and Self-Care Aug 31, 2022
- Aug 22, 2022 5 Mental Health Benefits of Spending Time in Nature Aug 22, 2022
- Aug 16, 2022 How Well Can You Predict What Will Make You Happy? Aug 16, 2022
- Aug 8, 2022 What is a Trauma Response? Aug 8, 2022
- Aug 1, 2022 4 Ways to Practice Accountability in Your Relationships Aug 1, 2022
-
July 2022
- Jul 25, 2022 What is Emotional Regulation? Jul 25, 2022
- Jul 18, 2022 5 Ideas for Soothing Your Nervous System in Tough Times Jul 18, 2022
- Jul 13, 2022 3 Tips to Manage Regret More Mindfully Jul 13, 2022
-
June 2022
- Jun 30, 2022 5 Ways to Improve Your Self-Worth Jun 30, 2022
- Jun 29, 2022 Codependence vs Interdependence in Relationships Jun 29, 2022
- Jun 21, 2022 What Internalized Messages Do Your Still Believe About Yourself? Jun 21, 2022
- Jun 16, 2022 Can I Have a Healthy Relationship with My Body Without Loving It? Jun 16, 2022
- Jun 6, 2022 4 Ways To Widen Your Window Of Tolerance Jun 6, 2022
-
May 2022
- May 25, 2022 Quieting Your Inner Critic by Living your Values May 25, 2022
- May 17, 2022 Understanding Your Window of Tolerance May 17, 2022
- May 12, 2022 How to Make the Most of Your Time Between Sessions May 12, 2022
- May 2, 2022 5 Ideas for Starting a Self-Development Practice May 2, 2022
-
April 2022
- Apr 25, 2022 7 Ways to Spend Your Time for Better Mental Health Apr 25, 2022
- Apr 18, 2022 6 Things to Do When You Make a Mistake Apr 18, 2022
- Apr 12, 2022 Emotional Exhaustion: What Is It & What Can You Do About It? Apr 12, 2022
-
March 2022
- Mar 28, 2022 5 Ways to Deal With Being Ghosted Mar 28, 2022
- Mar 23, 2022 Gentle Movement Tips for A Healthier Relationship with Exercise Mar 23, 2022
- Mar 15, 2022 5 Things to Do When You Feel Triggered Mar 15, 2022
- Mar 7, 2022 How to Be There for A Friend with Chronic Pain Mar 7, 2022
-
February 2022
- Feb 28, 2022 8 Tips for Hard Conversations in Your Relationship Feb 28, 2022
- Feb 21, 2022 How (& Why) You Should Get Clear on Your Values Feb 21, 2022
- Feb 15, 2022 6 Tips To Help You Feel Your Feelings Feb 15, 2022
- Feb 8, 2022 6 Ways Cooking Together Builds Intimacy Feb 8, 2022
-
January 2022
- Jan 31, 2022 3 Ways to Celebrate Platonic Relationships This February Jan 31, 2022
- Jan 25, 2022 6 Tips for Having Difficult Conversations with Your Partner Jan 25, 2022
- Jan 19, 2022 5 Tips to Start Journaling for the First Time Jan 19, 2022
- Jan 11, 2022 Reaffirming Your Covid Boundaries Jan 11, 2022
-
December 2021
- Dec 23, 2021 8 Ways to Upgrade Your Self-Care Routine in 2022 Dec 23, 2021
- Dec 20, 2021 Making Big Life Decisions In Scary Times Dec 20, 2021
- Dec 13, 2021 6 Little Ways to Improve Your Romantic Relationship Dec 13, 2021
- Dec 6, 2021 Keeping Peace with Your Body During the Holiday Season Dec 6, 2021
-
November 2021
- Nov 29, 2021 How to Gently Set Boundaries With Your Family Nov 29, 2021
- Nov 22, 2021 How to Motivate Yourself to Do Boring Life Tasks Nov 22, 2021
- Nov 15, 2021 How to Tell if You’re in a Codependent Relationship Nov 15, 2021
- Nov 1, 2021 Listening to Your Intuition After Trauma Nov 1, 2021
-
October 2021
- Oct 25, 2021 What Forgiveness Is and Isn’t Oct 25, 2021
- Oct 19, 2021 Who Can Benefit from Inner Child Work? Oct 19, 2021
- Oct 15, 2021 What are Coping Skills and Why Do I Have Them? Oct 15, 2021
- Oct 11, 2021 How to Move Through Grief with Kindness and Self-Compassion Oct 11, 2021
-
September 2021
- Sep 27, 2021 Finding Meaning When Life Is Scary or Confusing Sep 27, 2021
- Sep 17, 2021 Self Care for Days You Can't Get Out of Bed Sep 17, 2021
- Sep 10, 2021 How Affirmations Can Help You Be Kinder To Yourself Sep 10, 2021
- Sep 3, 2021 Helpful Tools for Managing Adult ADHD Sep 3, 2021
-
August 2021
- Aug 30, 2021 7 Ways to Get To Know Yourself Better Aug 30, 2021
- Aug 23, 2021 3 Tips for More Effective Communication with Your Teen Aug 23, 2021
- Aug 16, 2021 5 Ways to Cultivate Creativity Aug 16, 2021
- Aug 9, 2021 3 Coping Skills for Managing Depression Aug 9, 2021
- Aug 3, 2021 5 Tips for Overcoming Perfectionism Aug 3, 2021
-
July 2021
- Jul 27, 2021 How to Tell Someone They've Hurt Your Feelings Jul 27, 2021
- Jul 19, 2021 How ADHD Presents In Adult Women Jul 19, 2021
- Jul 13, 2021 5 Coping Strategies to Try When You’re Feeling Anxious Jul 13, 2021
- Jul 6, 2021 4 Tips for Dealing With a Friend Breakup Jul 6, 2021
-
June 2021
- Jun 28, 2021 Naming Your Emotions Jun 28, 2021
- Jun 14, 2021 How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others Jun 14, 2021
- Jun 7, 2021 How to Unlink Your Self-Worth From Your Job Status Jun 7, 2021
- Jun 1, 2021 4 Myths About Grief Jun 1, 2021
-
May 2021
- May 24, 2021 5 Reasons You Might Consider Ending a Friendship May 24, 2021
- May 18, 2021 Setting Boundaries: Why You Should & What to Say May 18, 2021
- May 10, 2021 6 Ways to Cultivate Self-Compassion May 10, 2021
-
April 2021
- Apr 30, 2021 Exploring Perfectionism and Being Ok With ‘Good Enough’ Apr 30, 2021
- Apr 26, 2021 3 Things Your Inner Child Needs to Hear from You Apr 26, 2021
- Apr 12, 2021 What to Teach Your Child About Worry Apr 12, 2021
- Apr 6, 2021 6 Tips to Help Improve Your Sleep Apr 6, 2021
-
March 2021
- Mar 26, 2021 7 Lesser Known Signs of ADHD Mar 26, 2021
- Mar 18, 2021 Managing Cognitive Distortions Mar 18, 2021
- Mar 15, 2021 10 More Cognitive Distortions to Be Aware Of Mar 15, 2021
- Mar 4, 2021 What is All or Nothing Thinking? Mar 4, 2021
- Mar 1, 2021 8 Common Cognitive Distortions to Watch Out For Mar 1, 2021
-
February 2021
- Feb 15, 2021 4 Signs That Your Funk Could Be the Result of Depression Feb 15, 2021
-
January 2021
- Jan 28, 2021 6 Things Not to Say to Someone Struggling with Infertility Jan 28, 2021
- Jan 7, 2021 Managing Covid Anxiety in the New Year Jan 7, 2021
-
August 2020
- Aug 21, 2020 7 Ways to Remember Your Lost Loved One Aug 21, 2020
- Aug 17, 2020 6 Ways People Have Described What Depression Feels Like Aug 17, 2020
- Aug 10, 2020 4 Ways to Support Someone Struggling With Infertility Aug 10, 2020
-
July 2020
- Jul 31, 2020 Mindfulness To Help Anxiety Jul 31, 2020
- Jul 30, 2020 Learning to Reparent Your Inner Child Jul 30, 2020
- Jul 17, 2020 Daily Habits to Help Manage Anxiety in a Healthy Way Jul 17, 2020
- Jul 1, 2020 Racial Justice Resources Jul 1, 2020
-
June 2020
- Jun 19, 2020 Processing Non-Death Related Grief Jun 19, 2020
- Jun 5, 2020 How Creativity Helps Mental Health Jun 5, 2020
-
May 2020
- May 29, 2020 20 Journal Prompts for Grief + Loss May 29, 2020
- May 22, 2020 4 Ways to Add Mindfulness to Your Daily Routine May 22, 2020
- May 15, 2020 How Grounding Techniques Can Help With Anxiety May 15, 2020
- May 3, 2020 6 Journaling Prompts to Help You Examine Your Relationships May 3, 2020
-
April 2020
- Apr 18, 2020 5 Ways to Show Some Self-Compassion Apr 18, 2020
- Apr 5, 2020 Why Conflict In Your Relationship Can Be A Good Thing Apr 5, 2020
- Apr 5, 2020 4 Tips to Help You Cultivate Optimism Apr 5, 2020
- Apr 1, 2020 How to Craft a Joyful Daily Routine Apr 1, 2020
-
March 2020
- Mar 6, 2020 Feeling Stuck? Try These 6 Things Mar 6, 2020
- Mar 5, 2020 How to Figure Out What You Want in a Partner Mar 5, 2020
-
February 2020
- Feb 23, 2020 How to Cope With Losing Relationships as a Result of Your Chronic Illness Feb 23, 2020
- Feb 7, 2020 Well Rounded Wellness: Exploring the Health Benefits of Spirituality Feb 7, 2020
-
January 2020
- Jan 28, 2020 Ways to Cope with Depression After Pregnancy Loss Jan 28, 2020
- Jan 16, 2020 Is Perfectionism Holding You Back? Jan 16, 2020
-
December 2019
- Dec 28, 2019 5 Ways Chronic Illness can Affect Your Mental Health Dec 28, 2019
- Dec 20, 2019 How to stop social media from making you feel bad about yourself Dec 20, 2019
- Dec 6, 2019 How to Tap Into and Listen to Your Intuition Dec 6, 2019
-
November 2019
- Nov 26, 2019 7 Ways to Communicate More Effectively in Your Relationship Nov 26, 2019
- Nov 15, 2019 What parents of anxious children should know about anxiety Nov 15, 2019
- Nov 9, 2019 5 Signs CBT is Right for You Nov 9, 2019
-
October 2019
- Oct 30, 2019 Mindfulness for Stress Relief Oct 30, 2019
- Oct 22, 2019 10 Mindfulness Apps to Improve Your Life Right Now Oct 22, 2019
-
September 2019
- Sep 2, 2019 Live with Happiness by Identifying Your Values Sep 2, 2019
-
July 2019
- Jul 21, 2019 11 Mindful Quotes for Serenity and Clarity Jul 21, 2019
-
June 2019
- Jun 18, 2019 A Blessing for Career and Work Struggles Jun 18, 2019
- Jun 2, 2019 Accepting Yourself Unconditionally, As You Are Jun 2, 2019
-
May 2019
- May 26, 2019 5 Things to Know if Your Teen is Dealing with Depression May 26, 2019
-
February 2019
- Feb 24, 2019 17 Quotes on Love and Letting Go That'll Help You Move Forward and Heal Again Feb 24, 2019
- Feb 17, 2019 25 Inspiring Quotes That'll Help You Cultivate More Peace, Presence, and Joy in Your Life Feb 17, 2019
- Feb 10, 2019 35 Positive Affirmations for Anxiety and Depression That Will Transform Your Life Feb 10, 2019
- Feb 3, 2019 18 Beautiful Quotes About Intimacy and Love Feb 3, 2019
-
January 2019
- Jan 28, 2019 18 Quotes to Inspire Self-Kindness and Self-Compassion Jan 28, 2019
- Jan 20, 2019 4 Tips for Coping with Depression Jan 20, 2019
- Jan 14, 2019 19 Powerful Brene Brown Quotes on Embracing Vulnerability, Love, and Belonging Jan 14, 2019
- Jan 6, 2019 16 Calming Quotes to Relieve Stress and Anxiety Jan 6, 2019
- Jan 3, 2019 7 Ways to Cope When Life is Hard: DBT IMPROVE the moment Jan 3, 2019
-
December 2018
- Dec 27, 2018 4 Ways to Train Your Brain for Greater Happiness and Success Dec 27, 2018
- Dec 18, 2018 19 Inspiring Acceptance Quotes on Moving Forward and Letting Go Dec 18, 2018
- Dec 3, 2018 3 Simple Ways to Cultivate Kindness and Self-Compassion Dec 3, 2018
- Dec 2, 2018 29 Life Changing Quotes from Eckhart Tolle to Help You Cultivate Peace and Awaken to Your Life's Purpose Dec 2, 2018
-
November 2018
- Nov 22, 2018 12 Quotes to Inspire You to Focus on Yourself Instead of Others Nov 22, 2018
- Nov 20, 2018 15 Beautiful Quotes to Inspire Gratitude Nov 20, 2018
- Nov 18, 2018 3 Ways to Find Meaning and Purpose in Your Life Nov 18, 2018
- Nov 14, 2018 7 Amazing Ways to Practice Gratitude Nov 14, 2018
-
October 2018
- Oct 30, 2018 3 Life Changing Poems That You Need to Read Oct 30, 2018
- Oct 28, 2018 5 Things You Need to Know About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Oct 28, 2018
- Oct 16, 2018 15 Inspirational Mental Health Quotes That Will Help You Feel Less Alone Oct 16, 2018
- Oct 10, 2018 24 Resources for Children and Teens with Anxiety and Their Families Oct 10, 2018
- Oct 5, 2018 3 Tips for Parenting a Child with Chronic Pain Oct 5, 2018
- Oct 4, 2018 12 Quotes That Describe What It's Like to Live with Bipolar Disorder Oct 4, 2018
-
September 2018
- Sep 29, 2018 27 Inspirational Quotes That Will Give You Hope and Strength During Hard Times Sep 29, 2018
- Sep 26, 2018 List of Emotions Sep 26, 2018
- Sep 24, 2018 21 Mindfulness Quotes Sep 24, 2018
- Sep 19, 2018 26 Depression Resources for Kids, Teens, and Parents Sep 19, 2018
- Sep 18, 2018 28 Anxiety Resources for Adults Sep 18, 2018
- Sep 16, 2018 15 Quotes That Describe What Depression Feels Like Sep 16, 2018
- Sep 13, 2018 How to Find the Right Psychologist for You Sep 13, 2018
-
August 2018
- Aug 8, 2018 3 Ways to Grow from Pain Aug 8, 2018
Parenting can already feel like driving somewhere new without a map–when you add in managing chronic pain on top of that, it can be hard to find resources that speak to your experience. There are a lot of limitations that come with experiencing chronic pain that just aren’t factored in with typical parenting advice. This can make parenting–where your whole world is about your child, and you already feel a little removed from your “adult” social circles–feel even more isolating.