Jack Miletic is a spine physician and pain management specialist located in Delray Beach. In the following article, Jack explores how controlling one’s mindset can affect the way they manage pain, as well as what it means to stay positive when dealing with a chronic condition.

Chronic pain is an unfortunate reality for millions of American adults. It creates unforeseen challenges throughout daily life and can directly impact both physical and mental well-being. The worst part, though, is that it often cannot be cured. Instead, sufferers must carry their pain and work to manage it for the rest of their lives.

Jack Miletic of Delray Beach explains that this grim prognosis has pushed many medical professionals to dedicate their lives to treating and researching potential interventions. While it may sound sentimental, one of the most promising approaches is through treating psychological challenges by maintaining a positive mindset.

How to Achieve a Positive Mindset When Suffering from Pain

In the simplest of terms, keeping a positive mindset requires one to look for the good in every situation. While this is often much easier said than done, especially for those living with chronic pain, Jack Miletic of Delray Beach maintains that it is possible to take an otherwise bad situation and turn it into something hopeful by recognizing the potential for growth and new opportunities.

Maintaining a positive mindset can help reduce feelings of pain by rooting out the negative emotions attached to it. Rather than succumbing to misery, working to stay positive can prevent depression and anxiety, which would only make circumstances worse.

Understanding the Psychological Effects of Prolonged Pain

On the surface, Jack Miletic of Delray Beach says that it’s easy to assume that physical and mental health each exist independently of the other. Depression is caused by challenging life circumstances, and lung cancer is caused by smoking. Yet, in reality, it’s not all black and white. The mind and body work together and influence one another in every aspect of our lives. When it comes to pain, this can either help to alleviate symptoms or cause them to become worse.

Jack Miletic of Delray Beach remarks that, in many cases, those suffering from chronic pain feel a sense of hopelessness and incapacity, which can easily spiral into depression. This is extremely troublesome because research has shown that those suffering from depression often experience more intense feelings of pain. The two then act in tandem to create a never-ending cycle of anguish.

By learning to keep a positive mindset, patients can develop strength and learn to find a silver lining in their situation. While the sensation of pain may linger, they can develop what’s known as traumatic growth—a positive change in personality after experiencing hardship.

A Positive Mindset is Built Through Daily Life

The question, then, is how to develop a positive mindset. If it were so easy, surely doctors would have started prescribing it hundreds of years ago. While it’s true that it won’t happen overnight, Jack Miletic of Delray Beach explains that there are effective techniques and practices to help generate a more content and positive frame of mind:

• Practice Gratitude: When we’re in pain, it’s easy to lose sight of the things that matter most to us. By simply making a list of the things we’re grateful for, we can return to a sense of contentment with our lives and be thankful for opportunities others have not had.
• Practice Positive Self-Talk: It can be so easy to talk badly about oneself, especially in times of hardship and pain. However, this constant negative self-talk can quickly wear away at happiness and leave a person feeling empty, hopeless, and depressed. By remembering to praise oneself from time to time, it’s possible to stay positive.
• Practice Yoga and Meditation: Physical and meditative practices that slow the breathing and encourage mindfulness can calm the otherwise roaring thoughts that often overwhelm a mind in pain. Start slow, and look inward to derive a new sense of contentment with the world.

Jack Miletic of Delray Beach says that, just like practicing anything else, it’s crucial for patients to maintain their efforts over an extended period. Failing to maintain their practices can lead to regression and undoing whatever positive mindset they’ve worked to achieve.

The Bottom Line

Jack Miletic of Delray Beach says that curing chronic pain is unfortunately not possible for the majority of patients. Yet, by learning techniques to overcome the emotional burdens of their circumstances, it is possible to live with and manage chronic pain. Working to avoid depression and remain grateful for the world around them allows those in pain to find peace and make their lives more livable. It may take time, but the effort is worth it.