Hey guys, I couldn't find a thread for managing chronic pain- sorry if this already exists! There is the chronic illness support squad which is similar though 🙂
So I guess this is a thread for sharing experiences relating to pain and offering peer support and coping strategies (when asked for). This isn't a place to advocate for 'cures' or certain treatments, but more just for hearing each other and sharing things that have helped cope with the mental, emotional, physical, etc impacts of chronic pain. This is a safe space so if you do want to share, you can share as much or as little as feels comfortable for you (while keeping the guidelines in mind of course). There's no pressure to go into detail. Everyone is welcome, regardless of if it's you or someone else experiencing pain, or if you just want to know more, and there's no 'gatekeeping' here. If you need help about anything, big or small, diagnosis or not, we're here for you 🙂
Try to be mindful of others who might be I guess 'vulnerable' when talking about things- e.g. try not to make promises or pessimistic/optimistic generalising statements about what will happen and what people with certain symptoms can and can't do. Try sticking to talking about your own experiences and how they impact you, while being mindful and respectful of other's experiences too. Also everyone's experience is valid no matter how 'severe' it is. It's normal to compare yourself to others who have it better/worse than you and a whole range of emotions can come up from that, and that's okay. But that doesn't make anyone's experience more or less valid, and we are here to support everyone!
If anyone else can think of anymore guidelines we should stick to so that this is a safe thread that would be cool! Or if there's something you want to change about how we approach this thread- that's okay! Cause I feel there's a lot to keep in mind when talking about this stuff!
Edit: If you need more individualised support than you feel this thread has to offer, you are of course always welcome to make your own thread about what's been going on for you. If stuff is really hard and some topics might be triggering for others please put a trigger warning if you think it's still appropriate for this part of the forum, otherwise it might be more appropriate to make a thread in the 'heavy feels' or 'something's not right' sections of the forum. As always if you're feeling unsafe or needing more intensive support, please check out these resources as we do care about you and want you to be safe
