Pain Dualism

There are two separate strategies for approaching pain and the solution for coping with pain lies in using each strategy in its proper place.

Acceptance
Wishing things were different doesn’t make it so. The fact is that you are in pain, it’s persistent, and there is a lot of work ahead to get control of the pain and have a different relationship with pain. 

There will be doctor visits, challenging conversations with your friends and family, days when you don’t have the energy to get everything done. You will feel like your old life is gone because, in a way, it is. 

Don’t fight this. The facts are facts. Grieve what’s lost, allow for frustration to sometimes win, and call some days a loss. The game has changed and you have to make slow adjustments, which just takes time. 

Resistance

Ignore everything about acceptance above. Don’t let the pain win. 

There are plenty of parts of your body that are not in pain. Plenty of moments where you have a lot of emotional and physical energy to get the job done even when you are in pain. You don’t have to listen to the constant yelling of pain, and you can table it and get on with living your life. You can handle more pain, can move in ways that are painful and survive, and can even learn to face your pain and play with it in ways that you couldn’t before.