|
Pain
Pain is generally labelled as either acute or chronic. Acute pain typically results from an injury or an illness, and it improves over time. Chronic pain persists for weeks, months and even years, often severely crippling the well-being of the afflicted person and adversely affecting family members.
Our bodies were made to handle acute pain. If you break an arm, the excruciating pain tells your brain that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. Your body then sets out to heal itself. Acute pain can typically be controlled by medications, ranging from mild, over-the-counter drugs to powerful, intravenously administered pharmaceuticals.
Our bodies were not made to handle chronic pain. Unchecked, chronic pain changes your body at a cellular level, causing the pain to continue even after the tissues have healed. When pain persists over time your life is affected – physically, emotionally and mentally. It becomes difficult to concentrate, to perform routine tasks, to remember things, and to remain focused. Sleeping difficulties, combined with the tremendous energy it takes to live in pain, can result in extreme fatigue. Often this has serious emotional and mental impacts.
Those who suffer with ongoing pain must decide daily how they will spend their limited energy. If you choose to do one thing, it is at the expense of another. A simple everyday task for a healthy person, such as going to the grocery store or running an errand, could sap your energy for several days. This can be difficult for family members and friends to understand. Often it is mistaken for laziness or lack of initiative. Because of this, it is vitally important that if you are living in pain that you learn to communicate affectively with the people closest to you.
Research has shown that people who use multiple strategies for treatment of their chronic pain cope better over time. Chronic pain can dominate your life, but when you feel that you have multiple strategies for coping you will have a greater sense of control and self-confidence.
Christians and other people of faith should find this research exciting. Not only are the conventional strategies available, but there are also many faith-based strategies that can increase the quality of life for those living with chronic pain. A few of these strategies are prayer, attending church, support groups, bible studies, sacramental life, and the reassurance that our God is compassionate, caring for our every need. Coping with chronic pain takes perseverance and strength. Who better to turn to than the One who created us in His image?
|
