How to Get Over It: Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief
The surgery was yesterday. The bread is not so bad. It’s tolerable, not as bad as I expected; however, the pain still dictates my movement, in reality, it lacks it. What can I do besides medication?
I found mindfulness meditation almost perfect. I use the word almost because any meditation requires practice. What I liked about this particular process was that it was quick and easy.
The most it takes me is a minute or two. I can even complete this at a traffic light or grocery store line.
The purpose of this meditation, actually all meditation, is to focus on your breath while keeping your mind open and clear. Different from the type of meditation I previously learned and found difficult to complete: where I needed a comfortable position, it took more time and required me to learn to let my mind go blank. In this process you allow your mind to feel the pain or open to whatever is playing in your thoughts. Just let it flow.
The steps are easy.
Relax any tension you feel in your body, especially in the area of pain. Start with one section of the body area at a time. It doesn’t matter which section you start with. You can start with your shoulders, your back, or even a toe. Acknowledge the area or area of pain or start where your mind takes you. Feel the tension there and say in your mind, “Leave now” and watch the tension release immediately.
After my foot surgery while at a traffic light, I would close my eyes briefly, imagine that foot dangling off the side of the bed and wiggling its toes before hitting the ground.
If the light changed and he needed more relief, he would continue any chance he got. I was trained by Tony Robbins. He taught me how to create his well-known “whoosh” action. You focus on that particular area of your body, say buzz, and feel it move out of your body. He was gone in an instant. He has worked for me for the last few years. You can use this to release any stressful situation. I also use it for negative reactions to people or situations.
Accept the thought, feeling or emotions that appear in your mind. Don’t try to push him away yet. Just allow and accept what is. Sometimes when I’m driving, I write them on a cloud and then say wham.
By now you may be thinking that this can work just as well for anything painful that happens in your life, not just physical pain, and you’d be right. it does. This works even when writing to a cloud or to the back of the car in front of you. Let a breeze carry it away.
With meditation, breathing is important. For this exercise, pay attention to your breathing, either in the chest or in the belly area. Pay attention to the rise and fall of your chest or belly, not necessarily both. This only takes a second or two. Then focus on the bread.
Practicing mindfulness meditation and using it during a painful event can make a difference in your recovery. Even when I’m getting a pedicure and she’s digging in a dangling nail, I use this practice; however, I recommend using the baby teething numbing medicine to help in this situation.
