Challenging thoughts

I've been taking a break from most endo related (and subsequently this-blog-related) stuff in the past few weeks. I've hid all the endo group feeds from my news feed, and I've stopped reading the scientific literature. It was all getting a bit much for me and stressing me out. I was feeling very healthy endo-wise, and maybe even taking a little too much on, and I found that reading about other people who were unwell was psyching me out and making me wonder when the bad times were going to hit for me again. (Never a good thing to wonder.)

I'm currently undertaking the e-course The Pain Course: Online Treatment for Chronic Pain. They recommend that you take 4 hours a week to read the course materials go through the DIY exercises. I'm learning some great techniques for learning how to manage the negative thoughts that come with chronic pain. (Did you know that 1 in 2 people with chronic pain experience anxiety and/or depression?)

One of the techniques that we have learnt so far is Thought Challenging. As there is no way to stop the negative thoughts, this technique looks at ways to manage them. This is where, instead of dismissing the thought (eg "Cheer up!" "Ignore it." "Get over it."), you acknowledge the thought, question it and then do something helpful. As a result you end up being much kinder and more supportive to yourself.

This is actually a concept that I had been introduced to by my psychologist late last year, although she did not explain it to me in quite the same way. It's been helpful going through this technique in the course again, and I have already noticed that I've been using it more consistently.

Did I mention that the course is free? You should sign up for it if you have any kind of chronic pain and have trouble dealing with the impact that that pain has on your life. The course is aimed at chronic pain originating from injury, so it's particularly good for those who suffer from that kind of pain.