What keeps chronic pain and symptoms going? Focus and fear, primarily!
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It's totally normal and understandable to hone in on sensations in the body that aren't pleasant. Our brains just want to find the fastest way to get rid of them, and keep them from coming back. And when they stick around, we can react to them with more fear and more anxiety over time.
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I'm not gonna lie to you, it takes time and diligent effort to break the pattern of fear around symptoms. But that's the key! Reducing fear, anxiety, and resistance, to whatever you're feeling, is your best investment. I often use somatic tracking and felt sense awareness, and similar mindful practices, to help with this.
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When it comes to focus, again, it's normal for the brain to tune into sensation. And in my opinion, brain retraining is not about constantly redirecting away from that focus. However, it's good to use those redirection tools too, especially if you feel you're getting frustrated, or fearful.
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Finding something else to engage your brain, or do something physical, is really helpful. Even if that means watching silly animal videos online, calling a friend (but not to just talk about your symptoms!), dancing to a favorite song, or creating art. There are a lot of great resources online about how to find a flow state!
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I'm curious if you have any tips on how to reduce the fear and focus around chronic symptoms! Leave a comment below! 👇🏼
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#RewireYourBrain #BrainRetraining #LimbicSystem #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #SomaticTracking #Meditation #Flowstate #DNRS #GuptaProgram #Curable #MindbodyHealing #HealthRecoveryCoach