You don’t need to live with chronic pain

I love the burst of energy I receive when the time changes in spring, and it’s still light at 6 pm.

Another burst I got was a few years ago when I was struggling with some chronic joint pain. I was very frustrated with my pain, and also struggled watching the pain of my students. I decided to take a nine-month certification called “Restore Your Core. " Even if it didn’t work on me, I knew it would give me more ideas to help others. 

What I learned was that you don’t need to be in chronic pain! Which then took me deeper into learning about the Central Nervous System and how we can navigate and learn to fluidly go in and out of our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. I learned to slow down our movements and let our breath really guide our bodies. (I want to let you know that getting on HRT was a big win for my joints as well.)

I was asked by Restore Your Core to write an article on my 18-year experience with chronic pain. 

What I hope you can take away from this journey is that there is a path you can take to heal, and that you know when it is time to find another route if the one you are on is not working. 

What I also hope you take away is the importance of breathing. Slow, calm breath to help you work on your parasympathetic nervous system. We are currently living in a world that feels chaotic, and taking time to lie on the floor and breathe helps me find calm and release stress.  

Another way to help us lead a pain-free life is working on our Vagus Nerve. I have lots of ideas in this article; I hope you take another look as the seasons change and you find yourself needing some calm, ease, and pain-free days.