Practice
Insights
Short lessons and guides to revisit key ideas.
lessonA daily mindfulness habitLast time, we introduced the idea of being mindful in your everyday activities, like brushing your teeth, eating, waiting in line, or driving. This gives your mind and body a rest from the busyness of life. It provides moments to slow down. The mind is often quite busy producing thoughts, and sometimes it gets stuck on them. It can also get stuck on sensations in the body, emotions, and urges to act or to avoid what we don’t like. Let’s look at how the mind can get stuck -- and how you can let go of thoughts.
lessonBeing kind to ourselvesLast time, we looked at how easily the mind can prompt discomfort. Even so, you can choose how to respond. Thoughts are simply words and pictures. That’s it. Let’s look at this with a metaphor.
lessonBeing kind to ourselves 2Living with chronic pain, you may have thoughts like “I’m damaged,” “I’m broken,” or “What’s the point?” These thoughts are common, but are they helpful? Do they help you live a life that’s worthwhile? You don’t have to argue with these thoughts or make them go away. You can respond with kindness instead and disobey them or simply let them go. Thoughts are simply words and pictures. That’s it. Let’s look at this with a metaphor.
lessonBuilding your awareness skillsWe’ll cover how normal it is for the mind to be distracted, even though that can be frustrating. We’ll also teach you a way of responding to that with patience and kindness.
lessonCreating your pacing planLast time, we talked about how it’s natural to avoid things that seem unpleasant or struggle against limitations we wish we didn’t have. Your values are one thing that can help you keep moving in the right direction even when the going gets tough. There’s another thing that can help: a pacing plan. This time, we’ll help you develop a personalized approach to pacing. We’ll take you through the process step by step. The goal is to find the right rhythm for you, so you’re neither underdoing it nor overdoing it. We want you to be able to do the things that matter to you without having extra pain and fatigue.
lessonDiaphragmatic breathingLast time we focused on the ways chronic pain can be challenging and how you’ve already found some helpful strategies to manage it. Today we’ll show you another tool you might find helpful. Each week we'll teach you a new awareness skill and ask you to practice it throughout the week. There's a lot of research that supports the effectiveness of using awareness skills to manage challenging symptoms.
lessonDisobeying unhelpful thoughtsLast time, you did an exercise that highlights how challenging it can be to avoid thinking about something. Unfortunately, being human means you don’t get to control your mind. By noticing your thoughts and then choosing how to respond, you can free yourself to focus on the things that matter to you. Today, we’ll try out a new exercise so you can see what it feels like to disobey unhelpful thoughts.
lessonExercise and your valuesExercise can reduce chronic pain symptoms. Moving your body might seem like the last thing you want to do when you’re feeling uncomfortable. Yet research shows it can actually help. Most of us don’t want to exercise just because someone else tells us to. Nobody likes to be told what to do! Your values can help you remember why it’s important to you to take care of your body. Let’s see how your values can keep you on track.
lessonchronic pain resourcesYour experience with chronic pain is uniquely yours. Knowing common symptoms and evidence-based treatments for it can empower you to learn new strategies for managing it. If you’d like to explore more about chronic pain and common symptoms associated with it, we’ve included some resources you might find helpful. Please note, some of these guides may be easier to read on a larger screen.
lessonHow do you cope?Last time we looked at how acceptance can help you manage your pain. You noticed some things you’ve already been doing to accept the challenges that arise with chronic pain. Today we’ll take that a step further by practicing acceptance and noticing, without judgment, what that’s like.
lessonHow our thoughts bind usIn the last lesson, you learned that you can’t choose all your thoughts and therefore aren’t responsible for all of them. But you can choose how you respond to your thoughts. You can decide which ones to listen to and which ones are unhelpful. Your work is to notice the unhelpful ones, then let them go or disobey them. This lesson will help you look at your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations from a different perspective — to see these as just experiences and nothing more.
lessonLetting your values growThis week, you identified your values and explored how you can get closer to the center of the bullseye. Today, you will reflect on the barriers that prevent you from acting according to your values. Sometimes it is easy to act according to our values, and other times it is not so easy. We can get distracted by thoughts such as “I can't do this” or “I'm a failure.” Today, we will explore how to continue acting in accordance with your values when things get difficult. You always have the option to show up and do what matters, even when useless passengers appear. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
lessonMaking exercise work for youEveryone is different, so let’s dive deeper into figuring out an approach to exercise that will work for you and your body. Exercise isn’t always simple, especially when you’re living with chronic pain. If you already have an exercise routine you enjoy and doesn’t cause pain flares, feel free to skip this lesson. If you don’t like exercising, or you feel worried about trying it, or you’re just not excited to start, we’re here to help. One size does not fit all. We’ll show you how to make exercise work for you and your body.
lessonMaking your exercise planMoving your body in the way that’s right for you can help a lot with pain and fatigue. We want you to get all the benefits of exercise. So we’ll bring together two important ideas: setting realistic goals and pacing yourself. When it comes to exercise, everyone is different. We’ll help you make an exercise plan that suits you. Let’s try this out now. Return to the Today screen to create your plan.
lessonMoving with chronic painLast time, you looked back on what it’s been like to practice pacing. You noted the barriers that came up, and you made a plan to address them. Great work! This time, we’ll talk about exercise. Moving your body in the way that’s right for you can help a lot with pain and fatigue. At the same time, we know exercise isn’t always simple when you have chronic pain. Don’t worry – we’re here to help. Let’s start by talking about why exercise matters.
lessonNurturing your valuesLast time, you visualized yourself carrying out your plan to honor your values. By now, we hope you’ve had a chance to put your plan into action. If so, great job! How did it go? If not, do you want to change your plan so it’s easier to take on? Could you give it a try this week? Sometimes it’s easy to act on our values, and sometimes it’s not so easy. We may get sidetracked by thoughts like “I can’t do this” or worries. Other unhelpful passengers might show up too. But discomfort can show us how important it is to act on our values despite it. We don’t usually worry about things we don’t care about. Today, we’ll explore how to keep going when the going gets tough. You always have the choice to show up and do what matters, even when unhelpful passengers show up.
lessonNurturing your values 2Last time, you visualized yourself carrying out your plan to honor your values. By now, we hope you’ve had a chance to put your plan into action. If so, great job! How did it go? If not, do you want to change your plan so it’s easier to take on? Could you give it a try this week? Sometimes it’s easy to act on our values, and sometimes it’s not so easy. We may get sidetracked by thoughts like “I can’t do this” or worries. Other unhelpful passengers might show up too. But discomfort can show us how important it is to act on our values despite it. We don’t usually worry about things we don’t care about. Today, we’ll explore how to keep going when the going gets tough. You always have the choice to show up and do what matters, even when unhelpful passengers show up.
lessonOur evaluative natureLast time, you learned how to take a zoomed-out perspective with chronic pain. Your experiences and thoughts don’t define who you are. All minds naturally produce evaluations and judgments. Today, you’ll practice noticing how often your mind does this. First, though, let’s check in on how pacing has been going.
lessonOur evaluative nature 2All minds naturally produce evaluations and judgments. We’ll help you practice noticing how often your mind does this.
lessonOverdoing it and underdoing itLast time, we talked about pacing. When you have a chronic pain condition, it can be tricky to know how much to do on any given day. On a good day, it’s tempting to be extra productive and try to catch up, especially if you’ve had some bad days recently. But if you do too much, you may have more pain, fatigue, and brain fog. It can be a vicious cycle. It’s also possible to get caught in a spiral of worrying about symptoms, avoiding activities, having more pain or fatigue, and then worrying more and avoiding things more. Pacing is one of the biggest challenges that comes with living with a chronic pain condition. So this time, we’ll take a closer look at the issue. We want to help you strike a balance between overdoing it and underdoing it.
lessonPersisting over resistingBy anchoring you in the present moment, mindfulness can help you align yourself with your values and do the things that are truly important to you. Let’s look at some creative ways you can practice mindfulness while doing the activities you already do daily. That way, it is a part of your daily routine and a practice you build into tasks you already do.
lessonQuieting your chronic pain dictatorLast time, we shared how trying to avoid pain symptoms may be limiting your life in ways you hadn’t intended. Your mind is both your best friend and your worst enemy. You get to choose how you respond to it. Today we’ll take that a step further by looking at the opposite of avoidance.
lessonThe brain on painLast time we showed you a way to breathe from your belly to help release tightness and tension in the body and take in more oxygen. Today we’re going to cover a new way of looking at how to manage your pain.
lessonThe brain on painWe’ll share another perspective to help you master the skill of deliberately disobeying unhelpful thoughts.
lessonThe thoughts that bind usLast time, we worked on strengthening your awareness muscle so you can notice your thoughts and then let them go, like leaves on a stream. This time, we’ll focus on becoming aware of how much effort you spend resisting your thoughts. We’ll also look at a common “mind trap” that often goes unnoticed.
lessonThe truth about thoughtsLet’s look at how you can create some space between you and your thoughts.
lessonThe truth about thoughts 2Let’s look at how you can create some space between you and your thoughts.
lessonTraining the mindLast time, we focused on riding out the initial intensity of a painful sensation or unhelpful thought. Sometimes, just noticing the feeling rather than fighting it helps it subside. Today’s lesson offers another awareness exercise to help you notice and let go of thoughts.
lessonTraining the mindHonoring your values can help you live the way you want to, even when you’re having pain or fatigue. Your values can also support you in continuing to practice the skills you’ve learned in this program.
lessonTraining the mind 2Honoring your values can help you live the way you want to, even when you’re having pain or fatigue. Your values can also support you in continuing to practice the skills you’ve learned in this program.
lessonValues and goalsWe want to help you get your life back! So this week, we’ll explore ways to quiet your chronic pain dictator and listen to your values more. You’ll begin to establish a roadmap for managing your pain. You’ll also keep practicing the breathing exercise to build your awareness muscle and get more in tune with your mind and your body. Let’s dig into values and explore how they are connected to your goals.
lessonWhat are thoughts, really?Last time, we focused on how the mind can automatically produce unhelpful and self-critical thoughts. Everyone’s mind needs a spam filter. You can decide which thoughts are helpful and let them into your inbox, while the unhelpful ones go to your spam folder. We’ll continue looking at thoughts for what they really are: words and pictures. That’s it.
lessonWhat do your values say?Last time, we talked about pacing. This is the sweet spot between overdoing it and underdoing it. When you figure out how to pace yourself, you’ll have fewer pain flares and feel more confident that you can get things done. This time, we’ll show you how to create a pacing plan that’s unique to you and your body.
lessonWhat is mindfulness?Today’s focus is on mindfulness and how it relates to the work you have done so far in the program.
lessonWhat is mindfulness? 2Today’s focus is on mindfulness and how it relates to the work you have done so far in the program.
lessonWhat we coveredWhen practicing pacing, you may feel proud of yourself for sticking with a new plan to get things done. Or you may get stuck or feel frustrated. In case that happens, let’s look at a metaphor of how to get unstuck and keep your eyes on the long-term goal despite unhelpful passengers.
lessonWhat we coveredOur minds are naturally busy, and our bodies frequently carry extra tension. This added stress can lead to more fatigue and more pain. It can be distracting and overwhelming to live with chronic pain. We may end up living on automatic pilot, going through the motions of daily life but missing out on the small joys along the way. Mindfulness can provide a pause button, giving us a break from the busyness of life. Each moment we take to slow down and breathe deeply is time well spent. This chapter showed you how to bring more present-moment awareness to the tasks and activities you already do every day. By practicing mindfulness regularly, you’ll have more opportunities to see how you’re getting stuck and to respond to challenges by listening to your values.
lessonWhat we coveredOur minds are naturally busy, and our bodies frequently carry extra tension. This added stress can lead to more fatigue and more pain. It can be distracting and overwhelming to live with chronic pain. We may end up living on automatic pilot, going through the motions of daily life but missing out on the small joys along the way. Mindfulness can provide a pause button, giving us a break from the busyness of life. Each moment we take to slow down and breathe deeply is time well spent. This chapter showed you how to bring more present-moment awareness to the tasks and activities you already do every day. By practicing mindfulness regularly, you’ll have more opportunities to see how you’re getting stuck and to respond to challenges by listening to your values.
lessonYour active mindWe mentioned that there are three main processes that regulate your sleep. We have covered the first two; sleep drive (your appetite for sleep) and circadian clock (the conductor of your internal orchestra). Today we will cover the last process, an active mind. You are more likely to sleep well when your mind and body are calm. You actually already have some tools for an active mind, such as having a buffer zone before bed and avoiding the clock in the night. So in this lesson, we’ll offer some new practices to prepare you for a good night’s sleep. However much you have struggled with sleep in the past, it really is possible to sleep better. Let’s get started.
lessonYour circadian clockEarlier we mentioned three processes that regulate your sleep, sleep drive, the circadian clock, and an active mind. We also talked a bit about sleep drive, a.k.a. your appetite for sleep! We will discuss having an active mind later and will shift our focus now to the circadian clock. You’ve probably heard of circadian rhythms or the circadian clock. But what exactly is this?
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