Pain Coping Techniques

Pain relief is not easy. It’s not something many people can do with no outside help. Many resort to medications, including Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the likes of Motrin and Aleve. There are also heavier drugs, not just the OTC ones. We are not going to discuss this further, because pain medications are deserving of a separate article. With no further ado, let’s discuss some of the best pain coping techniques.

Warm and cold

That’s what you call true and tried. You can always use hot or cold packs to alleviate the pain. Obviously, in some (more serious) cases that method doesn’t work at all.

Work out

Believe it or not, a good workout can break this never-ending cycle of pain, especially if the pain is related to low mobility in some way, shape or form.

Therapy

There are two different kinds of therapy – physical and occupational. The latter focuses on making sure you prefer your daily tasks in a way that doesn’t make it painful for you. The former is all about improving your strength and flexibility.

Yoga

This method incorporates meditation and movements that help you stretch and strengthen the muscles. This is one of the best pain relief methods, because it includes meditation, breathing exercises, mindfulness AND physical activity.

Biofeedback therapy

It’s used for chronic/severe pain, blood pressure issues, and several other conditions. Thanks to this kind of therapy, you slowly but surely learn how to control your body’s functions, including your heart rate.

Music

There are many studies that prove that music can help relieve pain and/or stress. Everyone usually talks about classical music, but it can be any kind – you should try your favorite genre first, no matter how fast-paced or aggressive it might be.

Massage

This one is pretty obvious. A skillful masseur can ease the pain significantly.

Altering the focus

That’s a technique you’d put firmly in the “mind” category. You just need to focus your attention on a different part of your body, i.e. the one that doesn’t hurt. By switching the focus, you ease your pain.

Separation

Some people call this technique dissociation. It’s closely related to number 8. You do the opposite – instead of focusing on a different part of your body, you focus on the painful body part and separate it from the rest of your body.

Counting

You can count the number of items on our list, for example! Silent counting is a great way to relieve pain. You need to pick something and count it, doesn’t have to be something that you can see, you can easily conjure up an image in your brain.