If you ever want to do more than what you are doing now, then the key is to pace yourself. It sounds simple but if you are not using a paper and pencil, you are probably not doing it right. When chronic pain patients don’t pace themselves, they will either do too much or too little without making any progress.
For example, if you spend 1 hour going for a walk and then find yourself resting for the next 2 days because of chronic pain, you did too much. If you hurt for 20-30 minutes then that is to be expected. If you are hardly moving, then you are just making yourself weaker. Here is what you have to do:
- Set a baseline. It could be a certain distance, a fixed amount of time or a specific activity. Write it down. The right baseline is an activity that may make you sore or fatigued for a short period of time, but not more than an hour.
- Repeat the task daily.
- Increase the activity by 10% per week. Write it down
- Build up your activity using SMART goals (Sustainable, Meaningful, Achievable, Realistic and Timed).
- Small bits often: Break activities into smaller chunks while altering your position or posture regularly.
- Take regularly planned relaxation periods.
Remember:
Pain flares sensitize your nervous system resulting in more pain for less activity.
When pain gets in the way it is a mistake to overly push through it or to stop doing things completely. Using pacing to find the middle road is best
Helpful tips for pacing:
- On a good day, do not do more than the pacing schedule allows.
- Have a plan and aim to change only one or two things at a time.
- Keep a record of what you're doing and how much you are doing - write it down.
- Alternate heavier tasks with lighter or less stressful ones.
- Do little bits often.
- Use one kind of task as a break from another.
- Change your body position/posture regularly.
- Build up time on a task gradually - start low and increase slowly.
- First at your baseline, then start doing the task at about 20% less when you start paced activities.
- Increase the time by up to 10% each week.
- On a bad day try to do some activities, but remember to be kind to yourself.
- If you have had a flare-up, go back to a level that you can cope with and start pacing it up again.