Managing Pain Mindfully: the 3 P's
Pain is something we all deal with at some point. Sometimes it's brief and sharp, like when you stub your toe or cut your hand chopping veggies. Other times, it's the kind that moves in and stays, lingering for months or even years, changing how you live your day-to-day life.
Understanding the difference between acute and chronic pain is key.
Acute vs. Chronic Pain
Acute pain is your body's built-in alarm system. It's sharp, immediate, and protective. It’s your body’s way of saying, “Something’s wrong, pay attention!” Whether it’s twisting your ankle playing footy or recovering from dental surgery, the pain can be intense but usually fades as healing happens. The cause is often obvious, and the focus is on treating that injury or illness. Emotionally, acute pain can bring fear or anxiety, the worry about how serious the injury is or how long recovery might take.
Chronic pain, though, tells a different story. It sticks around long after the body has supposedly healed, lasting more than three months, sometimes without a clear reason at all. Conditions like fibromyalgia, arthritis, or nerve damage often bring this kind of persistent pain. It’s not just the physical hurt that weighs you down; chronic pain reaches into every part of life, affecting sleep, mood, energy, and even relationships. The focus shifts from curing the pain to finding ways to manage it, maintain function, and protect your quality of life. Living with ongoing pain can stir up deep frustration, depression, and helplessness, especially when simple tasks or joyful activities feel out of reach.
The Boom-Bust Cycle
Many people with chronic pain fall into the "boom-bust" trap: they feel OK, overdo it, crash hard, and then have to rest for days. It becomes a vicious cycle that slowly chips away at our quality of life.
The 3 P's: Pacing, Prioritising, and Planning are our strategies for managing this cycle. They’re not about doing less, or reducing our quality of life, but about planning our time, prioritising what’s important and pacing ourselves to get things done.
Pacing
Steady wins the race! Pacing means working with your body, not against it. It's about stopping before the pain flares, not collapsing after it does.
How to Pace:
Use a timer. Work or play for 25 minutes, rest for 5. Adjust depending on your energy, and your limits, try to stop before your body tells you to.
Break up tasks. Instead of cleaning the whole house in one go, clean one room and take a break.
Build up slowly. Increase activities in small steps over weeks.
Prioritising
Spend your energy on things that matter! You don't have unlimited spoons, or energy. Prioritising means choosing what matters most today and letting go of the rest.
How to Prioritise:
List tasks. Label them A (urgent) and B (can wait), do the urgent things first, and only get to those “B” tasks you feel you can fit in.
Balance essentials with joy. Cleaning the kitchen is important but so is laughing with your friends.
Say no without guilt. Protect your energy and yourself, beating yourself up for what you haven’t done can cause just as much stress and damage.
Planning
Pain can be unpredictable; the goal is to set yourself up for success! A little planning can make a big difference.
How to Plan:
Schedule in rest breaks, don’t wait until you’ve gone too far.
Group similar tasks. Do errands in one trip, but don’t be tempted to add in too many just because you’re already out, know when to say stop.
Have a "bad day" backup plan: Activities that are low energy but fulfilling (like reading, gentle stretching, or a phone chat).
Extra Tools
Alongside the 3 P's there are some other strategies that make daily life with pain easier:
Mindfulness and Relaxation: Breathing exercises, body scans, and meditation help quiet the nervous system. Regular check-ins help you know where your body is at, before the pain is telling you to stop.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Challenge thoughts focusing on what you can no longer do to remember what you are able to do, the positives you have left in your life.
Gentle Movement: Walking, stretching, yoga, keeping moving reduces stiffness and tension and can help with healing, provided it’s approved by your treatment team.
Sleep Hygiene: Prioritise sleep. Poor sleep and pain feed each other.
Stay Connected: Chat with friends, join a support group. Isolation magnifies pain.
Pain changes your life and the way you think. Managing pain isn't about pretending it isn't there. It's about respecting your limits, using strategies, and still making room for the people, passions, and goals that matter to you.
