Today's post from families-and-chronic-pain.com (see link below) is a helpful look at what to do if your chronic pain leaves you feeling lonely and trapped in your situation. As with all these self-help posts, it may depend on the mood you're in as to how you take them. Sometimes there's nothing worse than someone telling you to pull yourself together and do something (you would if you could right!) but if you read this through, you may find one or two ideas that appeal to you and be able to act on them. Sympathetically written.
Emotional Isolation
How to deal with loneliness is so important for those living with chronic pain? When you are out of the loop from your job, your activities have been curtailed and your having to deal with loneliness and emotional isolation, that is tough to handle alone.
The feeling of being abandoned, emptiness and alone allows us to deal with loneliness by ourselves. It makes you have a longing for companionship. It stimulates that fear of being alone.
Friends have gone by the wayside. You are absent in their lives and they have a tendency to just forget you the longer you are apart.
This is not your fault because you have no control over your pain.
They do not understand, period.
So much of the time, our thoughts and being alone, can take us to unpleasant places that we just do not want to be in.
Often, the chronic pain takes over your thought process and you begin to shut the world out. This is not good for anyone to have to tackle alone.
So, Jerk Up Those Boot Straps and Lets Get Going!
You need to talk with someone that understands the stress and isolation you are feeling. Try talking to other pain patients the next time you go to the doctor.
Ask, how they might be handling their feelings of loneliness. You never know, you may have just found someone you can share your thoughts and feelings with.
How to Overcome Loneliness
A friend.
It does not matter, if you share the same injury or illness, but the fact that someone is having the same thoughts as you are.
Most pain patients are eager to discuss their feelings of how they deal with loneliness and perhaps you with them.
Even, if it is nothing more than, how long it takes to see your pain doctor. All the times that I have been to the doctor, their office is full of people, just like yourself.
Just talking with and sharing your feelings is so uplifting.
Get a pet.
A dog or cat, from a rescue shelter, will make you feel like you have saved or rescued something from disaster. Even a bird (if that is what you like)can be a true friend in time of need and help you to learn how to deal with loneliness.
They surely can not judge you for the way you are feeling. Their love is unconditional.
Go online.
Find a support group that you can interact with. I would caution you to be careful with online groups though. Some are not very friend oriented.
One that I found that is very supportive is Daily Strength.
Hobbies
Hobbies really help with coping with loneliness. You mind is sort of sidelined and your thought process is interrupted. When your mind is idle you tend to prey on the lonely feelings even more.
This in turn brings the pain into play again. If you can keep your hands busy, and your mind moving, your dealing with loneliness can be made easier.
Take A Walk
It does not matter how far you go, just go. Visit with neighbors who may be out as well. Just one caution-- do not talk about your pain.
As you know, they know you have pain and do not want to make you uncomfortable because they do not understand your pain. The last thing you need is pity.
How to deal with loneliness is one of the challenges most everyone has at one time or another, and you are no different. Being secluded and isolated can only drag you down and that is not how our lives are supposed to be.
Learning how to deal with loneliness is so important for you to move on. You never know, the next person you meet could be experiencing the same thing-- how to cope with loneliness.
http://www.families-and-chronic-pain.com/howtodealwithloneliness.html
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