Day 10 How am I doing? Finding it extremely hard to break the cycle.

I am finding it extremely challenging to break they cycle of 'The back pain is caused by stress, but the only thing I am stressed about (at least consciously) is my back pain'. Does anyone have any advice for breaking this habit? I am a 7 year back pain sufferer and seem to be conditioned to have back pain in nearly every position or activity.

 

In other words, you're finding it a challenge to take your focus off the pain? I can completely relate and a couple of days this week my symptoms got me so down that I just had a good cry. Then I stopped and said, "No, pain! ..you will NOT have control over me. I am OK. This is just my brain giving me symptoms. This is just an annoying sensation that comes and goes."

We talk ourselves into being in pain. I do it all the time. When we are getting ready to go someplace in the car, I start thinking, "here we go, you know you'll be in pain when you sit in the car"....and guess what? We get in the car and within minutes I am in pain. Then I get upset and more pain. It is definitely a cycle to break and that is accomplished by changing the way you think.

Start by telling the pain, "Thank you very much, but I don't need you and I don't care about you at all." And then go about your day, accepting that the pain exists, but trying not to give it a lot of regard. By thinking this way on a consistent basis, the pain will eventually subside....but it may take a bit of time. The bottom line is we all must start thinking differently if we want different results.

 

Continue doing the SEP and loosen any self-imposed pressures. Try to be curious about your self, your body, your pain. Be encouraged by the many of us who beat even the most tenacious pain. Be a player in the long game. Many of us experience a soggy, hopeless start but blaze through with stunning success later in the day. I had pain for 16 years and those levels are now down by a whopping 80%. I have my beautiful life back and that final 20% feels like a cakewalk.

 

I personally broke the cycle/habit by cleaning up the backyard. I was in full pain I walked into the yard and very slowly started picking up leaves one by one. I felt like I was 90 years old, gradually my mind wondered off and start picking up more leaves, started cutting the grass, raking more leaves, talking to the neighboor. At the end when I was done I noticed my back pain had subsided. I slept pretty good that night and the next day I woke up with much less pain. I knew I was onto something. That next day I forced my self again into the backyard to build a patio deck! Again I started slowly with some pain but focused on the patio more and more, measuring, cutting wood, drilling holes. etc. I build a nice little patio and this time had almost not pain left more like muscle aches in the back, neck and spine area. Thats when I knew it was TMS 100%. I picked up the SEP program again and within a week I was 90% healed.

Goodluck.

 

I love hearing the success stories - thank you Georgethee and Plum!

Firefighter474 - I have noticed a very similar pattern in myself. And yes, you ARE stressed about the back pain. And... if it were something else, in addition to the back pain, what might it be?

For me I started looking at work stress, parenting stress, and other likely culprits. Although the SEP got me looking into childhood, which opened up a big ol' can of worms. And now that I'm examining my childhood, it is shockingly obvious that it has had a big effect on me, my personality, and my pain.

Keep digging my friend! : )