7 ways to improve your mood with chronic pain

Chronic pain can be consuming, and the idea of ways to improve your mood can seem daunting, exhausting, and like the last thing, you want to do at the time. Living with chronic pain, or a chronic illness can mean that flare and pain can become more common and can impact your mental health. Research shows that those who live with chronic pain are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, mood swings, mood fluctuations, and difficulty thinking and processing. Doing something to help improve your mood can help with reducing the pain felt. As well, can play a vital role in mental health and overall creating a more positive mood.

If you’re looking for creative ways to spend time to improve your mood and overall help navigate through your chronic pain, check out these creative ideas!

Eating a bowl of fresh fruit to improve your mood with chronic pain

Eating fresh fruit (or vegetables) can help with improving your mood in a variety of ways. It helps overall increase happiness as the vitamins and minerals found in fresh foods help with combatting depression and mood disorders. Increasing antioxidants in your diet is a great way to boost your mood and the nutritional value in fresh foods can also work double time with helping your body have the nutrients needed to head and manage chronic pain.

Some of the best fresh fruits to include to help with a mood boost are apples, bananas, berries, kiwi, and citrus fruits.

Watch your favourite show/movie

One of the simplest ways to improve your mood and distract yourself from chronic pain can be as easy as putting on one of your favourite shows or movies. Putting on a favourite show that you know will have you in a good mood quick is a great way to improve mood quickly.

This helps you passively get transformed into a different world. There is some chronic pain that I’ve experienced that can be too powerful to watch shows and relax to. However, I would say most of the time for myself and those I’ve spoken with in the chronic illness community most minor and chronic pain can be eased with distractions such as media.

Playing Video Games

If you’re looking for something that is more active than watching TV, video games are a great way to lift your mood! Although video games are not for everyone, I do encourage you to give them a try if you’re looking for a way to have fun while boosting your mood! Research has shown that playing engaging video games can actually help take attention away from chronic pain conditions while also being mood-lifting at the same time. If you’re new to video games, give some free games a try. Check them out on your PC, a gaming console, or your tablet/phone. See what works well for you, for me, I love simulation video games as they’re not stressful and I get to enjoy engaging actively in creating.

Create a Vision Board to improve your mood

When living with chronic pain it can be easy to get caught up in the here and now and that the pain is consuming. Taking a step back to remember the pain likely won’t be forever and planning can be a great way to improve your mood. One of my favourite mood-boosting activities is getting together supplies to create a new vision board.

You can do this digitally, or you can do this with physical media items. Gather images that are mood-boosting, things that make you happy, things you’re working towards, or overall happy images. Be sure to include some quotes and positive health affirmations too! Then place them together in a collage-like fashion so you can create a vision board of what you want to work towards. You can place this in a space you will see often to help with a mood boost when you need one!

Stretching

I know, at first glance this sounds completely like the opposite of what you likely want to do with chronic pain. I’ve been there and also cringed at the thought of stretching. However, stretching helps get your blood flowing and helps reduce cramping and muscle spasms. When living with chronic pain, it can be easy to curl up and not move for often hours, days, or weeks. This can be a hindrance to your mood and actually can lead to a lower mood. Here are 5 simple stretches you can do at home!

To help with improving your mood moving your body helps with helping send happy signals to your brain and your mind begins to feel a bit better. When living with chronic pain it’s important to do gentle stretching and simple stretches. Do not cause your body more pain, and just simply help your joints, muscles, and limbs move and help get that blood moving around the different areas of your body. You can also get support from a loved one if stretching is exhausting and tiring to help you.

Want to check out more ways to reduce stress in the body? Check out the advantages of self-care with chronic illness here.

Aromatherapy to improve your mood

Essential oils can play a vital role in helping reduce your stress hormone which can contribute to your chronic pain. In turn, stress and pain can lead to your mood being lower. Using aromatherapy such as candles or essential oils can help how to improve your mood.

Essential oils are packed with many benefits, which can be found in my Simply Alex Jean Essential Oils Blog Section. Some of the main benefits include helping improve mood, increasing stress-reducing hormones, and lifting emotions. Using essential oils such as lavender, lemon, vanilla, lemongrass, and sandalwood can be great scents to help improve your mood and reduce feelings of pain. You can diffuse 3-4 drops in your diffuser or use them through topical application rollerballs (see precautions and instructions first for essential oil safety!).  

Go outside and get some Vitamin D

When it comes to how to improve your mood and motivation it can be as simple as sitting outside in the sun for 20 minutes. You can do this independently, or with a loved one. Sitting in the sun is a simple (and free) way to enhance your mood and improve your chronic pain. While there are sometimes of the year when going outside for 20 minutes and getting sunshine may be challenging. It’s important that on the days when the sun is out go outside and soak up its rays.

The sun provides you with an increase in serotonin which helps with increasing your mood and reducing anxiety and depression. You can bring something nice to read outside, a refreshing beverage, go on a walk, or just simply sit near a sunny window. The sun is one of the simplest proven ways to increase your mood and help with reducing pain felt in the body. Be sure to put on some sunscreen if it’s a high UV day or you plan to be out for an extended period.

Summary

Chronic pain really sucks and feeling defeated, and tired by the pain is likely to contribute to a low mood. Using these ideas to help with boosting your mood can help with reducing the pain felt by chronic illnesses and flares and as well help with contributing to positive mental health. Improving your mood can be done with simple steps at home and most of the time with a small budget. Give these ideas a try and let me in the comments below if you have any favourties!