top of page
Meditation
Yoga

Yoga is a great exercise for both the body and the mind. It physically challenges you by putting your body into new postures, it creates better flexibility and balance as well as increasing blood flow to your joints thereby helping to detoxify your system. On a mental level you are challenging your mind by keeping it present and focusing on your breathing. As the saying goes: "Your body won't go where your mind won't push it;"

 

There are many types of yoga and if you have never tried it before, just go for a beginner's class!   

 

Find out more about yoga here:

Meditation is becoming more and more popular! It is great to calm down the mind, the nervous system and the whole body. It doesn't take long because as little as 5 minutes can help tremendously!

 

Here are some reasons you should try meditation:

 

Stress is a normal part of life and is experience by everyone from time to time. However if this stress is sustained over a longer period of time or if this stress is severe, then it can really impact the person's quality of life. Stress can come from various situations, both positive and negative. It is how one deals with it that determines its effects 

 

Stress and pain have a connection which may be more obvious for some people than others. The truth is that each person is unique so what may be causing pain to one person, may not matter for the next.

 

To read more about stress-induced pain look here.

 

 

Mindfulness is a method or relaxation and aims to train the ability to pay attention to the present moment including feelings, sensations thoughts. Mindfulness training increases awareness of the present moment.

 

Training in mindfulness can have these effects:

  • Reduced anxiety

  • Reduced stress

  • Reduced depression

  • Enhanced feelings of well-being

  • Improved concentration

  • Increased energy levels

Stress and pain
Mindfulness

Mind-body Treatments

 

 

Mental hygiene
Lifestyle balance

We all live in different environments surrounded by various people and each one of us has an individual personality. This means that every person will experience the same situation (e.g. having pain) in different and unique ways which will have different outcomes. Therefore it is important to realise all of the factors that can have an impact on how we see, understand and treat back pain. There are many things that we as individuals can think about or change.

 

These include:

  • Work

  • Activities & Exercise

  • Emotional disturbance

  • Relaxation & Mindfulness

  • Diet

  • Mental hygiene

Our minds become cluttered with all sorts of thoughts about the past, present and future. We are constantly thinking and processing information, perceiving and behaving on that basis. If we think negatively, these thoughts can contribute towards our feelings of pressure and stress. Therefore, performing mental hygiene aims to get rid of negative unhelpful thoughts and beliefs. Why think them if they don’t do you any good? Try to shift your focus, practice selected attention. What do you think most of the time? Good thoughts or bad thoughts? What do you feel when you experience these opposing thoughts? There is an established link between thoughts and emotions and behaviour. Thus we could argue that this is all important for thinking about painful experiences. Do you think about all the things you cannot do and aren’t able to do because of your back pain? This thinking is unlikely to lead you to beneficial actions that could reduce your pain. So just think about what you think. Assimilate all the information, filter it and try to use only the most positive and beneficial thoughts you can find. 

 

De-clutter your mind and your thoughts. Take control over what you think and feel. Of course it’s not always possible but just by realising the impact it can have you will become more aware and make small changes day by day. This can add up and lead to a cleaner focus, brighter attention and happier thinking. So practice your mental hygiene, whenever and wherever you can. No one will know. 

Recommended reading

Here are some recommended books, links and resources you might enjoy reading! 

 

 

  • For various useful resources about overcoming depression, anxiety, stress, mastering your worries and more, click here.

  •  

 

When it comes to treating pain or illness, treating just the body may not be enough for long-term health and well-being. Therefore focusing on whole health in a holistic way will be more successful. Here we talk about some of the common complimentary therapies and mind-body treatments.  

 

As the saying goes: "Your body won't go where your mind won't push it;"

 

 

bottom of page