HOW PAIN AND MOOD WORK TOGETHER
Pain and mood are closely linked. Pain can make you feel stressed, down and worried. You may feel isolated or alone. These things can make pain worse. With some guidance and practice you can make small changes that will gradually lift your mood and improve your pain over time.
HOW TO HELP WITH STRESS
Stress has a direct impact on our bodies. When we quiet our response to stress, we release the body’s natural chemicals that calm the brain and body and decrease pain. When you slow your breathing and relax your muscles, you slow your heart rate and quiet the stress response, which quiets your pain.
VIDEO
The Mood video has four sections:
- Identifying Mood problems
- Why Mood is important for pain management
- Ideas to improve Mood
- Goal setting
HANDOUT
This handout highlights key points of the video. After you have watched the video, we recommend that you set some personal goals from improving your mood on page two of this handout. Share these goals with your healthcare team.
Download handout
RESOURCES