Living with chronic pain not only makes life difficult, but what also makes it harder is if others don’t understand what you are going through.

So, it is important to know these things to help someone with their struggles. Learn about 10 things only someone with chronic pain would understand in this article. Visit the best Pain Management Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org.

10 Things Only Someone with Chronic Pain Would Understand

There are several things only someone with chronic pain would understand and experience, including:

1. Struggle to get up in the morning: People with chronic pain experience physical difficulty that hurts them every morning when they wake up. It may involve arms, shoulders, neck, and back with an overwhelming feeling of pain and even the steps they take for a walk feel like a challenge. This pain can change when you wake, throughout the day, or as you go to bed.
2. Everyday tasks are difficult to perform: Most people with chronic pain don’t want sympathy, what they want is to be treated the same way as someone who’s got a cold or sprained ankle. They just need your empathy and support and to be understood by you. While most people are sensitive to people with chronic pain, in reality, many people without chronic pain don’t understand exactly how it feels. However, the good thing is you don’t need to think of a way to explain your pain, all you need to do is tell the truth and be respectful by giving those in chronic pain their space when they need it.
3. Pain not only affects physical health but mental health and personal relationships as well: Chronic pain not only affects your body but also affects every aspect of your life when you’re living in pain. Living with chronic pain impacts your mental well-being similarly as it affects your physical well-being because both need equal attention. Similarly, pain also impacts personal relationships too. Sometimes individuals have to skip important events due to pain. This impacts close relationships like partners, parents, etc.

• It can be exhausting: Depending on the severity of the condition, they may even need help with basic tasks like dressing themselves or going to the bathroom. This means they need to rely on friends and family members, which can be embarrassing sometimes. In most cases, you don’t have to worry about saying anything offensive to someone with chronic pain, you just need to be aware of the things that trigger different types of pain and what triggers people may have their issues with. Understanding this will make things easier for everyone, and you can focus more on the person than the problem they’re experiencing.
• Sleep is hard to get: Sleep can have a significant impact on chronic pain symptoms and vice versa. The symptoms can make it hard to fall asleep and have a good night’s sleep. This leads to low energy during the day and an inability to perform activities during the day. Practicing good sleep hygiene will be difficult but it is necessary. To improve your night schedule use meditation and breathing exercises, lavender essential oils to relax, take sleep aids, wear earplugs, keep the bedroom at the right temperature, have extra-soft sheets, and avoid electronic screens for 30 minutes before bed. If these techniques don’t help, seek medical help.
• Depression becomes common: People with chronic pain suffer from depression more commonly than others which nearly doubles the risk of suicide and self-harm. Studies show that patients with chronic pain are at elevated risk of thinking, attempting, and committing suicide. Constant pain can make you feel demoralized and lose the ability to work, socialize, exercise, to do things that make life worth living. Chronic pain also enhances the existing depression diagnosis. That’s why you need to work with a therapist who understands the needs of chronic pain patients and helps you maintain your mental health. This way when pain increases day by day, you will be confident in your belief that everything will be OK.
• People around you don’t always understand: Pain is difficult to handle, and it becomes worse when people suffer from it and often have a tough time explaining to their doctor about how they feel. However, don’t lose hope, there’s a way. To overcome this communication gap, you need to spend some time to process your experience; and find support in your friends, family members, and loved ones to help them understand your struggle with chronic pain. The best way for them in this situation is to listen actively to everything whether you ask for help or not, so that you can feel comfortable sharing your pain.
• Even if everything looks fine, it is not: Chronic pain is like an invisible devil that can keep hurting you and no one can see anything from the outside. People with chronic illness may look fine from the outside but they are in pain. The constant pain pushes them away from everything and people don’t understand that. People don’t understand how much effort it takes to look, stay, and appear normal. So, try to understand their pain with empathy and support them.
• Pain changes everything: People with chronic pain experience a significant change in their lives but they try to hold on to the habits that they used to have to keep their lives going and to feel normal. But it affects how they eat, work out, and every single relationship they have.
• Support is everything: When people are dealing with chronic pain, getting support from family and friends is everything. Sometimes, people don’t realize the pain due to the support they get. That’s why support is everything; it helps you channel your feelings around the pain and make you feel better.

These are 10 things only someone with chronic pain would understand and experience but if you live with someone struggling with chronic pain, you need to understand these factors to help them live with grace.

For more help with chronic pain management, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!! Our location at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 is well-served by public transportation, including many bus routes, and the subway line. Visit our website at https://doralhw.org/department/pain-management/ or contact us on +1-718-367-2555 for additional details.