Good morning Y’all! I hope you have a great day! Do you already know what your pain triggers are? If you do you are ahead of the game, but if you do not it is okay, we are all always learning every day! I am going to share with you some pain triggers that may actually surprise you, but they are so incredibly common for all of us.

1. Anger:

Holding onto your anger can actually cause back pain. The more tight-lipped we are when something causes us to feel angry; the more tension is felt throughout our spine causing unnecessary pain. Whether you have ongoing back pain or even aches from lifting too much, holding onto anger will without a doubt increase your pain. My goodness does this explain a lot for me because I am one that hates confrontation and will avoid it like it is the plague! Sometimes I will just sit there and brew over something, but never share with anyone that I am angry with them or another situation, which is a very unhealthy trait of mine. Either talking to others about the anger we feel or even just writing out the emotions will help tremendously.

2. Your Trusty Smartphone:

Who would have thought that this easy and convenient device could actually add to the pain we feel? Our smartphones make it so easy to stay connected to family and friends and also to surf the web anywhere we may be. But think about it, how do you hold your phone while you are chatting? We all tend to be on our phones while multi-tasking to take care of other need to-dos. During our amazing multi-tasking abilities, we have a tendency to hold our phone between our neck and shoulder, which can easily cause tightness and pain in the strained areas. Also, think about how you hold your phone while web browsing and or texting! Being in a hunched over position for an extended period of time can cause a great amount of pain.

      Here are some easy ways to use your smart phone that will cause you less pain:

1. If you know you will be chatting for longer than a few minutes, which we all are probably guilty of, try using a headset or Bluetooth. This can make it so you can enjoy your phone call and not be forced to cradle the phone with your shoulder causing yourself unnecessary pain!
2. When browsing the web or texting, hold your phone at eye level so you are not straining your neck by looking down.
3. Thinking the Worst

Catastrophizing is an irrational thought that some of us have, which is believing something is much worse than it really is. Honestly, I am very guilty of this most of the time. Andrew Bertognoli, PhD, is a San Francisco based psychologist with the Spine Care Medical Group says “Emotion and pain are processed in the same area of the brain, so if you’re anxious and stressed, it’s natural to feel physical pain. That’s not to say your pain is emotional, it’s just that there’s an intersection of the mind and body.” What an incredibly true statement! I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, whenever I am stressed or angry my pain drastically increases.

4. Skimping on Sleep:

Most of us have so many things on our to-do lists that we want to get done, from going to the grocery shopping to finishing the laundry to cleaning our house, but we often put sleep at the very bottom of our list. Putting sleep at the bottom of our to-do list is in all reality causing us to suffer even more. There have already been numerous studies about how much sleep an adult should get every night, but each individual is equipped so differently and have different needs and probably none of us actually get an adequate amount of sleep every night.

During sleep our bodies makes human growth hormones, which is needed for tissues repair to ease our pain. Those that suffer from chronic insomnia have nearly three times the risk of chronic pain. If you suffer from lack of sleep, a few possible ways to sleep better are:

• Get more sun in the morning. The morning sun exposure helps recalibrate our internal circadian sleep clocks.
• Daytime exercise. Some mild exercises can work as a stress reliever and eliminate additional thoughts built up in our minds.
• Turn down the thermostat in your bedroom. Sometimes cooler temperatures while sleeping, can allow you to be more comfortable. Whereas if you are too warm, you can’t get comfortable enough to sleep and then toss and turn.
• Try sleeping with a white noise machine. White noise machines have been proven to be a great sleep aid, so it is worth a try!

5. Your Work Area:

Most people do not think sitting at a desk can actually be a major pain risk because it is not strenuous, but it is painful! Your posture at your desk and the way your work area is arranged can and does cause people so much pain! Most workplaces do now offer ergonomic desk configuration services. So if you start to notice you are in more pain while at work, contact your Human Resources Department so they can give you directions on what needs to be done to have your work area more ergonomically suitable. This may work wonders for you and make your work day far less painful!

For the computer you use while at home, there is something you can do to decrease any pain it may cause! You should always make sure the top of your monitor is at or slightly below eye level, so you are not straining your neck by looking upward at the monitor.

6. Loneliness:

Whether we want to be or not, we are social creatures by nature. Loneliness can lead to depression and in turn depression can cause pain. I am of course not saying you should not be choosy about people to confide in because it is important to be comfortable with whom you choose to share your life with. If you are already in a committed relationship, share your feelings with that person.

Thank you for visiting my site today and I really hope this information was helpful to you! It always amazes me what can actually cause the pain we already live with to be even more intense. Reducing the pain we have is a wonderful thing and maybe even possible or at least for some of it! I do try my best to correct the issues that I recognize, but I am only human and just can not work miracles! I encourage your fantastic comments and I promise to respond as quickly as I can. Please remember that I am always sending you LOTS of love and comfort! 

Always, Alyssa