Once you have identified your emotional triggers, you can start to think about how to handle or prevent them.
- What has worked for you in the past?
- What has calmed you down, or helped you get through difficult moments?
- Do you have any ideas about what might help you in the future when this happens?
The goal is not to suppress your emotions or deny all the ways that having chronic pelvic pain has impacted your life. Rather, you should acknowledge emotions honestly so that you can process them in a healthy way, reframe the negative thoughts that may be influencing the emotions, and then use some strategies below to promote more positive emotions.
To get started, here’s some tips you might try:
- Don't forget about the basics. Be sure to take care of your body's basic needs, including food, sleep, water, and medications. Having basic needs met can help make strong emotions feel more manageable.
- Include strategies that have been successful for you in the past.
- Start with a strategy that will help you calm down, soothes you, or gets you focused, such as a mini-relaxation exercise or talking with someone supportive. (See Relaxation and Mindfulness)
- Writing down strategies that you want to try can help you remember when you’re starting to feel overwhelmed
In Reframing, we reviewed strategies to recognize negative thought patterns and process these thoughts differently to prevent them from feeling overwhelming. Thoughts and emotions are very closely connected, so the strategies discussed in Reframing are also very helpful for managing emotions.
Another helpful strategy for managing emotions is Pleasant Activity Scheduling. It can be very difficult to do things that you enjoy when you have chronic pelvic pain. Because of your pain symptoms, you may only be doing what is "necessary" like chores or work, but not taking time for yourself. However, doing activities that bring you joy is a very effective strategy to help promote positive emotions. This is so important that you should prioritize or “schedule” it in the same way you would for other essential life tasks, like paying bills or getting groceries.
Also, it is very common to feel frustrated that your family, friends, or healthcare team don’t really understand all the ways that chronic pain affects your life. This can provoke emotions such as of anger, loneliness, or self-doubt. It is important to remember that what you are feeling is real and you have the right to ask for the support you need. Try to use strategies in Communication and Working with your healthcare team to help you clearly communicate with the people in your life.
Some people find Light therapy to be helpful for improving mood. In people with chronic pain conditions, light therapy was associated with improved sleep and pain in addition to improved mood symptoms.
Sometimes we hold back when talking to partners or close friends about overwhelming emotions because we know the distress they may feel at seeing you suffer without being able to fix the problem. Or you may have tried to talk to a close friend about your emotions and felt that they were dismissive or gave advice that wasn’t helpful. Guided therapy can be extremely helpful when you are trying to navigate chronic pain and emotions that feel overwhelming. A therapist can listen objectively and help you process thoughts and emotions in a healthy way. If you are interested in Guided therapy, talk to your primary care provider to ask about a referral to a therapist in your area.
