By Cynthia Cady Stanton | Featured Contributor
You would think
that by the time we reach maturity,
we would know how
to make the way clear
for ourselves…
And yet,
the patterns continue –
the ones that
face-plant us amidst
the tangle around us.
Those frustrating weeds
of all we hang onto
have pinned us down
and left us feeling powerless.
Dealing with and managing chronic pain can be one of life’s most devastating and life-altering experiences. In three or more months—the official duration that defines chronic pain—your new life can seem so far removed from what you would have considered normal, even just half a year ago. Now living with chronic pain, it would seem like your entire life only revolves around hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and medicines. Dreams, hobbies, joys, and for some, even their work, can seem like such a distant memory, one from a healthy lifetime ago. Whether it’s from a severe spinal cord injury, genetic arthritis, or unknown cause, chronic pain can throw even the most resilient people for a loop.
How then, do you deal with the pain and get your life back? Here are nine tips that can help you manage chronic pain.
By Carmen McKnight | Featured Contributor
The time of day to live not stray
is now.
The time of night to love not to fight
is now.
The time to open up your heart
is now.
The time to cry those tears of joy
is now.
By Kathy Ha | Featured Contributor
Does it ever end?
I’m tired of the inner turmoil
I’m tired of being anxious
the rollercoaster ride of emotions
swirling and churning within
old scars reopen
past nightmares haunt
doubt invades, fear paralyses
silent screams that no one hears
I keep building my wall
uninviting, tall and proud
but the façade is brittle
weathered by the years
I’m lost in despair
unsure of who I am
uncertain of how to change
afraid of the road ahead
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