Distraction is something that many of us will have to deal with in our daily lives. We may get distracted by work, or school, or whatever else we may be trying to get done. If we have fibromyalgia, we may find that the pain is a major distraction, and so is the fibro fog that we’re often dealing with.
But, did you know that distraction can actually be a great tool when it comes to dealing with fibromyalgia pain? Here are some of the main reasons that distraction could be one of the most effective treatments out there when it comes to fibromyalgia pain.
Let’s Define Distraction
In this article, distraction isn’t necessarily getting off track when you’re trying to complete a project. In this sense, it’s about using daily tasks and fun activities to take your mind off of what’s going in with your fibromyalgia.
In the resources that we’ve linked for your use, the studies talk about using difficult and easy puzzles to “distract” the people in the study. So, don’t think of it as a moment where a person is distracted – it’s talking about those times where we get involved in an activity and are “in the zone.”
Distraction Helps You To Focus Outside Yourself
Think about the last time that you were distracted with something that you enjoyed. For example, do you remember getting immersed in a book that you really liked? Did you have a lot of fun when you were playing a computer game that you really enjoyed? When you get distracted with something like that, you’re not focusing on much but the activity that you’re involved in, right?
This is important when dealing with fibro pain, because it takes us out of those moments of focusing on the immense pain that we’re in, and instead gives us something to do in order to busy our minds. If we aren’t so caught up in the pain, we’re in a much better place when it comes to making sure that it gets fended off.
Distraction Helps to Keep You More Active
This may sound silly, but it’s absolutely true. Many times, people who have fibromyalgia may not get out as much as they want to, or they may not be able to enjoy the things that they used to enjoy. Because of that, it may be hard for you to be active and enjoy the company of other people.
The good news is, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. There are so many different things that you can do in order to distract yourself that you’re going to be able to feel a lot better than you did previously. Sometimes, the activities that distract us get us outside.
In other cases, you may still be inside, but you aren’t stuck laying in the bed or the recliner chair. You could be doing crossword puzzles, playing video games, or doing some other sort of activity that involves distracting your mind and keeping it healthy and fit.
Activity is important to fending off the pain that you may deal with related to your fibromyalgia, so you get double the benefit when you’re distracting yourself with some of your favorite activities at any point in time.
Distraction May Have Neurological Effects
This is the part that still needs a little bit of study, but I at least wanted to mention it here so that you have an idea of the bigger picture that doctors are looking at. Some of the tests that were done in relation to distraction indicate that there may be neurological implications that are associated with distraction. It seems that the receptors that are so sensitive to pain may, in fact, be “turned off” for a short while when you’re focused on another activity.
Even though this hasn’t been completely proven at this point in time, it’s still something that needs to be thought about and considered, and that means that it’s going to be something that is going to be looked at further when studies are performed in the future. Is it going to matter when it comes to the big picture?
That’s what a lot of people are waiting for and trying to figure out. If that’s the case, there are a lot of implications that could be made. Even if there isn’t, the little bit of proof related to it may be enough to indicate that this whole thing is worth further study in the future.
The Big Question
So, what distracts you? Are you the type of person that gets lost in a book, or are you someone that can go out into your garden and tend to it for hours on end? Obviously, this doesn’t make the pain go away entirely, but it can help you to concentrate on something more productive. Sit down and think about what sorts of things you are involved in and that you enjoy.
What sorts of things could you do in order to better distract yourself when you’re feeling way too much pain to be functional? What do you enjoy doing, and how often do you think that you’re going to be able to get involved in such things so that it can be therapeutic. Talk to your doctor and see what they think will be able to help you, and then see what implications that it may have when it comes to your treatment and your overall health.
This is definitely an area that should get a lot more in terms of exploration. If there is any way that distraction can help to play a role in fighting off fibro pain, then it’s something that should be explored a bit more in the future.
It will be interesting to look at all of the studies that come from these studies that have been done, and if there really is something to be said about the power that distraction may have over your fibro pain.
Further reading:
http://www.howtocopewithpain.org/blog/4453/distraction-can-reduce-pain/
http://psychologyofpain.blogspot.com/2012/05/unhurtful-thoughts-preoccupied-brain.html
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