Coming to the pain meetings has been helpful in so many ways, it has helped to explain how to deal with a lot of the problems and stress we experience and therefore how to deal with the response of those who have no idea of what we go through despite their best intentions and understanding.

Are you in an area where Pain Association Scotland currently does not hold courses?

Do you want to learn more about how to self-manage your chronic pain?

Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director has recorded a personal message to those living with persistent pain, covering current changes to NHS services affecting ongoing treatment

At the moment we’re noticing that corona virus lock-down is really starting to affect people. There is more stress and anxiety about which is undoubtedly affecting mood in the day and sleep at night. This may of course be experienced on top of worry from living with a limiting condition, or the usual problems of day to day life.

The good news is that we can do things to improve sleep. Some of this is about following some simple rules and the other part is finding ways to put the brakes on a racing mind.

We often use mnemonics to help us remember things as part of self-managing pain and many of you already know about APPS. (Activity, Pacing, Positive Thinking and Stress Management) Here is a new one.

W R A P

Taming the beast- a video by Professor Lorimer Moseley

A large part of pain management involves changing how we respond to pain, often by understanding what is really going on with pain and thereby changing our relationship with it.  In the video they point out that it is important to know what it means when someone experiences pain- for example does it mean that something bad has happened in the body (which is what it feels like) or is it just more pain.

Corp Today Magazine, is delighted to announce that PAIN ASSOCIATION SCOTLAND have been selected in the 2020 Global Business Awards. PAIN ASSOCIATION SCOTLAND has won Best in Chronic Pain Management Services -United Kingdom

This is a boot camp. The Covid-19 virus has disrupted lifestyle considerably and poses a significant threat to the nation’s health and well-being.As a response to the ‘keep sane’ mantra, I have created a mind map that looks at ’surviving the day’. Or put another way it’s a diagram of the key areas to focus on so that you can improve mood and promote well-being in the face of new limitations.

These courses provide a special opportunity for carers to further their understanding of chronic pain, build skills and gain insights in the self-management approach to health.The aim is to help carers to deliver pain management to the person they care for. Importantly it is also an opportunity to feel more supported and apply self-management to the carer thereby helping carers to care for themselves.

Christmas can be perfect, but it usually isn’t. We often look forward to Christmas thinking:  ‘this year it’ll be lovely and we’ll get it right’ and then we get caught up in obligations and expectations that we can’t say no to, and find ourselves in a heap at the end of it all wondering ‘how did we let it happen that way again’?  

Download our spider map to help evaluate your pain and chart your progress.

I am no longer burdened by chronic pain as I once was for my mindset has changed a lot in how I wish to address it. Phil has really helped me to recognise the inner strength I have to maintain my quality of life whilst living with chronic pain.