Mindfulness: How mindfulness can relieve chronic pain

Illnesses such as joint problems, migraines or fibromyalgia, which are associated with chronic pain, not only represent a challenge in everyday life for those affected, but also lead to considerable restrictions in quality of life and physical and mental well-being.

Mindfulness exercises, which are practiced under the keyword Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), can help you to deal with your chronic illness and the associated pain in a more conscious and self-determined manner. Studies also show this.

Mindfulness practices for chronic pain: Efficacy studies

Scientists do not agree on whether mindfulness exercises have been shown to reduce physical pain. However, several studies have shown that mindfulness in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy has positive effects on quality of life.

Among other things, mindfulness contributes to increasing the feeling of self-efficacy, changing the individual perception of pain, improving the quality of sleep and alleviating accompanying symptoms of depression.

Mindfulness exercises therefore seem to be an effective way to learn to deal more consciously with the symptoms of chronic diseases in addition to medical and therapeutic interventions. The mindfulness exercises should be guided by experienced therapists and should not be misunderstood as a panacea that magics away chronic pain.

Mindfulness against chronic pain: consciously looking outwards

Mindfulness means being aware of your surroundings, your body and your inner self, and in this way being present in the present. Instead of directing your gaze inwards, consciously direct your gaze outwards.

Go for a walk and find a place where you won’t be disturbed, such as a clearing in the woods, a hill, or a quiet country lane. Close your eyes and focus on what you hear – the birds, the wind, the cars on the nearby country road. Feel how the wind caresses your skin or how the sun warms it up. Also, pay attention to the smells that surround you.

Open your eyes and look around. What immediately catches your eye? Where is your gaze drawn to? You can also pick up a flower, a leaf or a stone, look at it from all sides and feel how it lies in your hand.

You can also do this exercise on a daily basis when you are at home or out and about in the city. It is important that you consciously do not look inwards, but engage with the outside.

Consciously dealing with pain through acceptance

An important aspect of
Mindfulness is acceptance. Acceptance helps you not to be consumed by your pain and physical sensations, but without ignoring them and trying to block them out.

There are various images that can help you to not see pain as an enemy that you have to constantly fight, but to allow it and thus accept it as part of yourself. Imagine your pain as a landscape – a barren, rugged mountain range, a glaring summer meadow with poppies or canola, a hot desert landscape with undulating dunes stretching to the horizon. Try to see the sublime and beautiful in this landscape.

Breathing exercises for chronic pain

Breathing exercises help you to arrive in the here and now. Lie comfortably and breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your slightly open mouth. Feel the air drawn in through your nose, rising and falling in your chest and stomach, and out through your mouth.

Focus on these sensations. You can insert this exercise again and again in everyday life in order to get involved with the rhythm of your breathing for five or even ten minutes.

Mindfulness through meditation

To meditate, you don’t have to sit cross-legged, like the cliche, with your thumb and ring finger together in a circle, and your hands on your knees. Just sit and lie down comfortably and close your eyes and breathe deeply and evenly in and out.

Meditation is about taking an unintentional look inward. Meditation is the counterpart to the first mindfulness exercise, in which you consciously focus on the outside. Just as you noticed what you feel on your skin, what you hear and see in the first exercise, now try to look within. Let all your sensations and thoughts pass by, noticing them without wanting to hold them.

Try to make meditation a daily habit by setting aside three, five, or ten minutes each morning or evening.

Improve body awareness: body scan

Although it may sound counterintuitive at first that you should consciously concentrate on your body when suffering from chronic pain, a so-called body scan can help you to establish a more conscious and benevolent connection to your body and to relax. It’s also about learning to focus on pleasurable bodily sensations and realizing that your body isn’t just filled with pain.

It is best to do the exercise lying down. Close your eyes and start breathing in and out evenly and calmly. Begin by gently twirling your pinky toe to bring your attention and sensitivity to that area of ​​the body. Work your way from body part to body part in this way.

Come to the body region or regions where you have pain, feel into your body here as well. Try to “feel out” what the pain feels like, as far as is comfortable for you. Is it a pulling, a dull throbbing, a burning sensation, or a vague feeling of pressure? At the same time, try to sense what emotional reaction (e.g. fear) or thoughts arise, but without focusing on them. Your attention should stay with your body.