You don’t have to navigate chronic pain alone

Living with long-term chronic pain can be hard on both your body and your mind. These challenges can last for months or years and affect how you feel, think, and live each day. But how you think about pain can also help you address it, says Centerstone’s Yvonda Schwartz, a Clinical Provider Supervisor and co-leader of Age Well: Chronic Pain and Older Adult Psychology Services, a Missouri-based program that provides individual and group therapy to patients ages 55 and up, many of whom are experiencing chronic pain. Adults 18 and up experiencing chronic pain also qualify for Age Well services.

Therapy is one of the most effective first-line treatments for chronic pain, helping people reduce suffering, increase functioning, and get back to living their lives, Schwartz said.

“Addressing mental health can make a meaningful difference for people facing ongoing medical challenges,” Schwartz said. “Not because symptoms are ‘all in their head,’ but because the mind and body are constantly interacting, especially under long-term stress.”

What is chronic pain, and what are its impacts?

Chronic pain is pain that persists for three months or more and it can take many forms. Achiness, stiffness, burning sensations, and shooting pain are among the sensations many who experience it must manage. Arthritis, lower back pain, migraines, and fibromyalgia are among common causes of an all-too-common condition. According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one in five U.S. adults – about 51.6 million in total – has experienced chronic pain. Roughly 7% of the U.S. adult population has experienced high-impact chronic pain, an acute form of chronic pain that substantially limits daily life. Chronic pain has been linked to numerous mental health challenges, including higher rates of depression, substance use, and suicide risk.

Schwartz said that chronic pain requires medical, physical, and psychological support. “Some pain will still be there however,” she says. “With support, you can feel more in control and your life will improve.

“If you’re living with chronic pain, I want you to know this first: I believe you. Chronic pain is real, complex, and exhausting, and you don’t have to prove it here. My approach is not about ‘pushing through’ pain or ignoring your body. Instead, we focus on helping you live alongside pain in ways that protect your dignity, energy, and quality of life.”

Here are some ways Schwartz and the Age Well team help their patients address their challenges.

You are more than your pain diagnosis

There is no cure for chronic pain, but management techniques have helped many of Schwartz’s patients live fuller lives.

“You are more than a diagnosis,” she said. “We address the whole picture, not just symptoms. Chronic pain affects mood, sleep, relationships, identity, and hope. I don’t separate physical and emotional pain; we take both seriously.”

When working with patients, Schwartz said she emphasizes that they are the experts of their own bodies, and that treatment is a collaborative process that proceeds at their pace, based on their experiences.

While many of her older clients grew up at a time when a “tough it out” mentality was prevalent, Schwartz has found that eliminating the pressure to stay positive throughout the process and holding space for patients to grieve, feel frustrated, or express exhaustion offers psychological benefits that help them take small shifts that can add up to making life feel more livable.

Small steps can lead to big changes

Developing mentality shifts, incorporating movement, and following a routine – even taking what might seem like small steps in each direction – can help patients with chronic pain improve. Addressing negative thinking and setting achievable goals to build a more positive mindset are key elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of therapy that has shown positive results in terms of both physical and emotional conditions among patients with chronic pain.

“Helpful thinking reduces stress and improves coping,” Schwartz said. “Pain can affect how we think and thoughts can affect pain.”

Mindfulness exercises, such as deep breathing and meditation, can help bring calm to both your mind and body, she said.

Regular movement – walking, swimming, biking, yoga – can help you reduce pain, Schwartz said, but it’s important to start slowly and to stop your activity before the pain becomes severe. Schwartz said that she works with patients to develop a pace that their nervous systems can tolerate.

Building healthy activities into daily routines is important as well, she said. “Protect your sleep; go to bed and get up at the same time,” Schwartz advised. “Manage stress by deep breathing, listening to music, and doing something enjoyable each day.”

Know that help is available and you don’t have to suffer in pain alone. Call 1-877-HOPE123 to get connected to care.