Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Pained Ink Slayer Series: Mindfulness and Chronic Pain



Delicate Strength©  Celeste's Photography


Coping strategies can vary among each of us. I write and advocate as a way of coping. I am open to learning anything that will help me avoid the pitfalls of negative thinking and one of those is to live in the moment, to be mindful.

FOCUS

When things seem out of perspective, I realize the importance of focusing, living in the moment, being aware of my surroundings, and giving my body the loving care it needs. Mindfulness is a learned ability to live in the moment without judgment or fret over intruding thoughts. It’s about visualizing details without becoming emotionally involved. For instance, to breathe mindfully is to use all my senses, the sound and feel of air traveling over passageways, the smell of my surroundings, and I can see the crisp air of fall because of my breath. I realize the beauty of a flower is the sum of its minute detail, aspects that can only be captured by getting close. If I am lucky, I will catch a honeybee sipping on its sweet nectar. I would never get that snapshot if I let fear of being stung overcome my desire to capture the moment.

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Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives.
It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment.
~Jon Kabat-Zinn, Molecular Biologist, University Teacher, Writer, and Physician

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It takes practice, but we can learn to be mindful of our pain without judging it. After all, it is our body crying out for attention, love, and caring, not ridicule and disturbing dialogue or worry. Denying the reality of it or catastrophizing it will only make it worse. So, why not use pain as a teaching tool for focused redirection creating an environment that helps us live fully.​

WATCH OUT, CHANGE AHEAD

Mindfulness reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, and promotes relaxation. This is extremely important to those of us living with chronic pain because we unconsciously assume postures and hold muscles in an effort to guard against pain. Only when we become aware can we train ourselves not to react to it emotionally. Over time, we recognize the powerful energy mindfulness has in our lives and change happens. Will mindfulness make the disease that causes our pain go away? No, but it certainly changes our perception in the moment.

BEING MINDFUL

From our book, Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain, Summer Devotions edition©:

·        Take a couple of deep breaths.
·        Focus on the colors, shapes, smells.
·        Identify and release thought projects. 
·        Appreciate that your mind is clear.
·        Fill it up with the present moment.
·        Enjoy being present

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Living mindfully promotes awareness, acceptance,
lenience with self and others, and tolerance of change.

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Get as comfortable as possible in a place where you can keep distractions at bay for about 20 minutes.

1.     Begin by doing a body check for discomfort, numbness, weakness, or pain. Without judgment, color each area with a hue that reflects the disease you feel. I (Jeff ) use orange for aches, blue for numbness, grey for weakness, and red for acute pain. If you are aware that a disease will occur if you move, or don’t move, add it in as if it were already present. Whatever system of ouchies and colors you pick will work just fine.
2.     Begin breathing as deeply as practical and keep the body map in your mind’s eye. Accept this map as “where we start”.
3.     With every breath note the intensity of the colors fading a bit. Note how some colors fade quickly, some more slowly, some completely, others less so. Which might change and in what way? Focus on the colors and how they shift. As your mind wanders off task, bring it back gently to breathing and observing.
4.     When you sense the fading has reached its peak, begin visualizing warm, gentle rain that blurs the colors beautifully like a soft watercolor painting. Enjoy what you have created; residual pain is always interesting.
5.     Close by affirming your intention to observe and learn from these sensations

There are many good books and many stress reduction programs available on mindfulness and meditation; I have a repertoire of them. One of my favorites is Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn. In my meditation playlist, I have guided meditation and mindfulness exercises by Deepak Chopra and music like Meditation Movement from Charles Lam, which encourages me to get up and rock out some T’ai Chi, another favorite coping mechanism of mine.

Additional reading:
Making the Best of AFFIRMATIONS by The Pained Ink Slayer
Pained Ink Slayer Series: Avoiding Lockdown


In healing,
Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate

Think adversity?-See opportunity!




“Listen closely; I hear the sweet sound of existence.”


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Learn more about Celeste’s books here. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.

All blogs and comments are based on the author's opinions and are not meant to replace medical advice.  



Saturday, March 10, 2018

Never Again Will I Travel Without My Oska® PEMF Device





Most of you know I am a firm believer that Oska®, a portable convenient pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) devise, works to minimize my pain—so—why on earth would I NOT follow my own advice? I learned a valuable lesson that I need to share with you so you don’t make the same mistake.




As I have stated in previous posts, I happen to be one of the folks that must stay on a maintenance program that requires everyday use. I knew this, but I was doing so well I thought I could surely do without it for one week while on a relaxing vacation. WRONG! I forgot (not once, but twice, now) how much pain my body could be forced to endure until it WOKE up like a sleeping giant full of rest and waiting for me to mess up. I have been put in my place.

Oska, I am home.

If Oska isn’t helping, please learn from my experience.

·        Some of us require constant diligent care.
·        Something I knew, but forgot, is that Oska Pulse goes through four different protocols within each 30-minute session. Each protocol has a unique purpose to target various cellular components. The final protocol is also the most important (and proprietary), which is why we should complete a session in its entirety.

If you are considering Oska, please remember these things.

SEE HOW OSKA WORKS


No two of us are the same. My dad had a noticeable difference right away, but as I said, I was more resistant. My progress was gradual, but the relapse sure wasn’t, and the giant was anything but gentle. Lesson learned, Oska, I won’t leave you hanging over the back of my recliner again!




Oska offers a 30-day free trial period. Learn more about at the Oska Pulse at www.OskaWellness.com


Be sure to use my #sponsor code CCRN60 at check out to get a $55 discount if you pay in full. This discount is only available at the OskaWellness website.


Additional Information:


·        Oska Pulse is clinically proven.  Study published by Practical Pain Management.
Shurman, J., Wiederhold, BK., Kasendorf, R., Qian, J., Miller, I., Wiederhold, MD. Treating Chronic Pain Using the Oska Pulse Device: A Double Blind Clinical Trial Using Placebo. Practical Pain Management. 2018 Feb.

·        Other PEMF Peer-Reviewed Studies



In healing,
Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

I may be a warped mass, 

but when you place me at the top of a sleep grade 

and give me a swift kick, I gain momentum.


~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Learn more about Celeste’s books here. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.

All blogs and comments are based on the author's opinions and are not meant to replace medical advice.  

Celeste's Website

Celeste's Website
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