One of the most effective practices I do in order to better cope with physical pain and other sensations of chronic illness is the body scan. The research also supports it being helpful. Interestingly it’s also been used as a meditative practice for hundreds of years (possibly longer) to help cope with physical sensations. While it can be a bit scary for chronic pain/illness warriors to go inside, the benefits can be well worth it. This practice is also great because you can totally do it lying down (as long as you’re not at risk of falling asleep). This versions is half an hour long, so if you’re not quite up to doing it that long yet, check out my meditation channel for the shorter version.
I love body scans. I find them a great way to get into my body, sometimes helping me relax, but more often helping me with pain management. I do remember the first time I did one though. The thought I had, “this sounds terrifying! Why would I want to move towards the pain that I’m already experiencing?!” And yet, there is a ton of research showing that many, many, many other people with pain conditions have had the same experience as I have. As with any mindfulness practice, the goal isn’t actually pain relief. It’s 5, 10, 15, 20 or more minutes of doing nothing but noticing what’s happening within, as you move through different parts of your body.
If you’re not familiar with mindfulness and have no idea what a body scan is, don’t run away yet (actually no one should be running away at all – that’s the opposite of what we want to do here!). A body scan is a mindfulness practice in which you are lying down (or sitting, depending on what type of mindfulness you’re doing). You begin by focusing on your breath, and then slowly move through each part of your body beginning with either the top of your head or your toes, just noticing what is happening in your experience. Once we’ve moved through every part of our bodies, we notice the entire body as a whole, and then usually return to our breath before finishing. You can also breathe into parts of your body that feel tense or have more pain, using your breath as a way to help them release (though that’s not always possible, and I personally don’t normally use my breath this way). Here’s a quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn (Full Catastrophe Living), “another way to work with pain when it comes up during the body scan is to let your attention go to the region of greatest intensity. This strategy is best when you find it difficult to concentrate on different parts of your body because the pain in one region is so great. Instead of scanning, you just breathe in to and out from the pain itself.”
I highly recommend reading this book.
What I think the body scan really teaches us, and why it can be so powerful (with regular practice) for chronic pain is that it is really about acceptance. We learn to accept sensations more easily when we can just notice them, without being over taken by them. When we learn that we can move our attention to other areas of our bodies, and see that the pain isn’t always as great as we think it is. Yes, I said think it is, because we all have thoughts about our pain. Acceptance, and turning towards pain can help us improve a number of things, according to the research: reducing pain-related distress, our perceived ability to participate in daily activities, our perceived likelihood of pain interfering with our social relationships, and even desire for opioid (and other pain medication) use (not to say we will use less though). Most of the research comes from people practicing for 10-20 minutes/day for anywhere from 2-8 weeks. Now, imagine long-term regular practice. One of the explanations for why this works is that it increases our interoceptive (inner) awareness and stimulates the parts of the brain involved in that process.
You can practice the body scan sitting or standing, and anywhere you are.
Sometimes when I practice a body scan, I do notice pain that I didn’t before. Very subtle pain in my hands, or a bit of a headache I didn’t even realize I had. And I get that can be distressing for some people. This is why I approach it with curiosity. How did I not notice that before? What am I noticing instead? Is any of my pain really as bad as I sometimes think it is? And sometimes I fall asleep during the body scan (especially if I’m laying down, so I recommend sitting) because the process can be relaxing, even though that’s not the point. Again, I must emphasize the goal of any mindfulness is to do nothing! Not to achieve a certain result (like less pain). Just do nothing (or in this case scan your body) and see what happens! Try it out and let me know your thoughts. Keep making the most of it everyone!
I was doing a meditation recently (through my favourite meditation app) and the meditation teacher brought up of the concept of Santosha, which is a Sanskrit word that essentially translates to contentment. After doing the meditation I decided to look a little more into the word and it’s meaning because I think contentment is a really hard concept for many people to practice (myself included) and especially for those with chronic illness.
What is contentment exactly? The dictionary defines it as a “state of happiness and satisfaction.” It can be viewed as being positive even when things are difficult. Now I know I can hear some groans. Yes, positivity isn’t a cure for anything, disease or otherwise. And no, I’m not saying one needs to be positive 24/7. In fact there is some psychological research that states that too much positivity is counterproductive. However, what I mean here is not just giving up on life because of its difficulties (and let’s face it, every human faces difficulties… those of us with chronic illness might just face a few more). Instead we look to find how our difficulties and challenges can lead us to personal growth. My own personal growth journey has included riding the waves of the good and the bad and learning to to (mostly) be content with my life as I have made changes. Yes, I get sad, depressed, anxious, anger, angry, frustrated, and the whole variety of human emotions. I also try to find the good in my experiences, come up with plans, and change and grow as necessary.
Can you spot me up there?
How do we practice the concept of santosha? I think it begins with mindfulness, through practices like meditations, body scans, yoga, breathwork, and so on, that keep us in tune with the present. Because anxiety is worrying about the future and depression is ruminating about the past. We can’t change the past and the future hasn’t come to fruition just yet.
practice positivity as much as you can and remember that making assumptions about yourself, others, the world, your illness, etc. can hinder your own personal growth.
be purposeful in your actions and put your best effort into everything you do, even if you’re not well enough to do much.
control what you can, and let go of what you can’t, or as with mindfulness – just keep breathing.
remember that contentment supports compassion, including self-compassion, which you definitely need if you’re a chronic illness warrior.
be grateful for the good things in your life because even at it’s worst, there’s usually at least one thing you can be grateful for.
serenity goes with contentment and giving up the excess, the things you don’t need, may help with that.
Content.
I am 100% not saying that this is easy to practice. Nor am I suggesting that it can be (or should be) done all of the time. I do think that there is some benefit in it though. Being content with ourselves, circumstances, whatever, doesn’t mean we can’t change and grow, but rather may facilitate it instead. As always friends, keep making the most of it.
Welcome back for another, and a little bit longer, body scan. Body scans can be excellent for relaxation, improving mindful awareness, and even pain management. Join me in this 10-minute scan, which can be an amazing way to start your day, take a break half way through, or even end it.
Chronically Living 