Pushing Limits

To push ourselves or not to push ourselves. This is a choice we frequently face as we monitor and cope with pain. Sometimes pushing can be precisely the right thing to do. Many of us with sore and aching muscles push through our fatigue in physical therapy and work our way to better health. Supervised by a health professional we know that in this case we are not causing further damage, so we focus on the benefit to be gained by pushing ourselves beyond a comfortable limit.

The reverse side of the coin is ignoring, suppressing, or riding roughshod over pain to our own detriment. Sometimes frustration leads us here. Tired of the limits our condition imposes, we go ahead and surpass what we know to be safe. The feeling of freedom this may bring can come at great cost. Lifting that heavy object just this once may result in damage and/or increased pain that will be present for a long time, if not forever. Negative self-talk can also bring us here. If our inner voice is shaming us because we cannot function as if there were no pain, we may be tempted to raise our activity level to some "normal" standard that for us is injurious.

And what about new pain? For those who suffer chronic pain, new pain may be overwhelming in a unique way. We have some foresight about what life will be like if the new pain does not go away. That vision alone can tempt us to pretend that the new pain simply doesn't exist. We put off getting a diagnosis, ignore the pain, and potentially worsen the underlying cause.

Though these reactions to old and new pain are understandable, they are not productive. This is why monitoring our internal state is so important. In paying attention to our thoughts, we can ask ourselves questions. "Is this thought productive?" "Does this lead to better health?" "Is this thought appropriate in my situation?" "Am I really being fair to myself or am I expecting way too much of myself?" "Is this feeling about my pain genuine or the result of input from people who don't have or understand chronic pain?" "What is the safer, healthier choice in this case, pushing myself or deciding not to push myself?" These honest questions act as a barometer about how we're thinking and feeling. They can lead us to an inner place that is kinder and wiser. Once in that place we can act more fully in our own best interest. We can direct our energy and enthusiasm in ways that nurture our physical well-being and bolster our spirits. We can learn to push ourselves only when it's productive and to peacefully resist when it is not.