Pain. Motivation or Demotivation?

Demotivation
I wasn’t sure I could see it but the doctor assured me the x-ray indicated a break. They xrayed it from three different angles. To make sure. Prognosis: there’s nothing we can do. The doctor prescribed painkillers. The nurses bound the toe and its next door neighbour together. Then I was off to work. I could have quite easily felt demotivated by this event. I could have taken the time off and sat at home nursing my foot. A broken little toe is one of those things that can’t really be fixed with an intervention. Feeling sorry for myself was a possible response. It is a sobering experience when we arrive at a brick wall in our lives. It is easy to become discouraged especially when we’ve chosen to take a bend in the road, only to find it is a cul-de-sac. A narrow cul-de-sac that we have to back out of. Despondency can come visiting. What will I do now? Luckily some of the experiences we’ve left in our wake are familiar. We can begin to rebuild. We can take what we’re accustomed to and embrace it again.Motivation
I went to work. Because I’d broken a toe before I knew how it would all unfold. I didn’t need to put life on hold while I healed. Getting on with it was the only way through. I limped around for a few days. Followed their suggestions about binding my little toe to to its next door neighbour. It soon became apparent after a week that this was more trouble than it was worth. The limp had diminished by then anyway. It was business as usual. In the face of an injury work is not the only concern. Often based on the severity, any exercise program can be put on the back-burner. I’m not hugely into exercise but I do monitor my daily steps and endeavour to keep them above 9000. I also have a press-up regime that I stick religiously to. I didn’t want go backwards with this so I began hooking the injured foot over the healthy ankle. Still slowly increasing the reps. No loss of motivation there.Acute vs Chronic Pain
Though it wasn’t very cute when it happened, the pain associated with my broken toe would be termed acute. It has
Management
Not being a health professional I’m unable to comment on the efficacy of any treatments involving medication. From studies in psychotherapy and life coaching I can encourage readers to look into the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Acceptance and Committment Therapy. Using these therapies will provide motivation to deal with any pain that has become chronic. There are also alternative therapies and practices that have shown to be useful in the treatment of chronic conditions. The eastern practices of acupuncture and tai chi have shown value in some instances as has the use of hypnosis in other cases. Any options mentioned are not “a quick fix”. Pain doesn’t become chronic overnight. And so relief from symptoms is a process to be worked through. Be committed to the the therapies. It could take as long as a year for you to come out the other side.
“The Hidden Door to Healing”
My friend Amy Clarke had her journey through the underworld of chronic pain. It first presented as back pain and