How To Deal With Pain
Placebos even work if you know they’re placebos. 1
When it comes to anything serious, never accept without question anything you read from “some guy on the internet” and as much research as I look at, I’m not a doctor. I’m still “some guy on the internet.”
How Pain Works
The pain in your arm isn’t in your arm. All pain is in the brain.
Pain has biological, neurological, cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral elements all intertwined. And psychology is a big factor. Bigger than we give it credit for.
Emotions, beliefs, expectations, and thoughts all influence what you feel. Especially the negative ones.
Simply put: “indications of danger make pain worse, while credible evidence of safety reduces pain.”
Distraction
Pain screams “pay attention to me!” and so we do. But focusing on pain makes it worse.
Thoughts
Beliefs, expectations and emotions affect perceived pain.
A simple set of questions to ask yourself to dispute irrational thoughts:
- Ask yourself: Is it a fact?
- Ask yourself: Are you predicting bad things?
- Ask yourself: Are you using the words: all/nothing, always/never/forever, best/worst?
- Ask yourself: What has happened in the past?
- Ask yourself: What else — neutral or positive — might happen in this situation other than what you’re predicting?