Meditation and Pain

Mindfulness can reduce both chronic and acute pain

Meditation. Mindfulness. It can sound daunting. But it doesn’t have to be a big ordeal. Start with a 30 second breathing exercise.

Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds. Try to do 5 rounds of this next time you feel anxious, are in pain, or want to slow down. This will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” default setting- rather than your sympathetic nervous system that plays a role in our “flight or fight” setting.

When you are stressed and in “fight or flight” your body thinks that it is in acute danger, i.e. running from a life threatening predator. This drives our body and mind to act quickly and begins a stressful feedback cycle that is difficult to step out of.

We know that pain is a product of your brain, or “central nervous system.” If there is turmoil and stress in your central nervous system, then pain perception is generally much worse.

Begin with the above simple breathing exercise. Try to take a moment of mindfulness to relax your body and mind 3 times per day. Note how this affects your mental state and your pain perception.

If you benefitted from this short breathing exercise, I recommend downloading a guided meditation app, such as Headspace, or 10% Happier, for further guidance to meditation.