Health Dont be a slave to your emotions heres how to keep the negative feelings at bay and help boost your inner happy words: Louise Ramsay A rthritis is often described as an invisible condition if youre having a flare-up, its not always obvious to those around you. Its ok to feel frustrated. The emotional effects of arthritis are just as real as the physical symptoms. Its important to create positive emotional wellbeing, as this helps you to find purpose in all that you do and engage with the world around you, which in turn boosts your confidence. This is especially important if you have a longterm condition such as arthritis, as maintaining a positive mental attitude can help you cope with change, uncertainty and potentially stressful situations. it heLps me get things into perspective Find out more Your mood and pain Pain and mood is a circular relationship, says Dr Alan Fayaz, a consultant in anaesthesia and pain medicine at University College London Hospitals, and media representative for the British Pain Society. Being in pain may also affect physical function for instance, it may limit your ability to be physically intimate, or to pick up your children from school. People with low mood also perceive pain differently. So we have to work with therapies that target the brain or mood to control how we feel about pain. Light exercise Exercise really does help with some of the pain associated with arthritis. The benefits of getting moving arent just physical, however it will also improve your mood. Physical exercise releases endorphins, but its effect on pain is more complex than that, says Dr Fayaz. If you can turn from a person who cant walk into one who can, thats going to have ahuge effect on the way you feel. Exercise also reduces degeneration in joints with arthritis and being able tocontrol your condition is beneficial to your mood. Dont feel guilty if you cant do much light exercise, such as yoga or tai chi, has been shown to be just as beneficial as more strenuous exercise. Try to socialise Talking therapies can help people cope with the emotional difficulties that arthritis can cause Meeting up with friends might be the last thing you feel like doing if youre having a flare up, but socialising is a great way to lift your mood and help combat pain. Its important to keep in contact with thepeople in your life, says Charles Baines, an MBACP-accredited cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) counsellor. Staying at home and not mixing with people can lead to loneliness and depression. professor david clark explains how cognitive behavioural therapy (cBT) works n arthritis Care is publishing a new booklet on how to deal with your emotions when you have arthritis. For your free copy, call the Helpline on 0808 800 4050 Talk about it Talking therapies, such as CBT, can help people cope with the emotional difficulties that arthritis can cause. It helps people to explore and challenge their thoughts and feelings about their pain, says Baines. Research also shows that abnormalities in the way the brain processes pain can be addressed through talking therapies so simply talking about your pain can help. Learn to relax Relaxation techniques can be effective in coping with the anxiety and stress caused by chronic pain. Methods include deep-breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation, where you systematically tense and relax different muscle groups in the body, as well as mindfulness and autogenic training. it helps me get things into perspective Kathy Courage, 45, lives in Kingsbridge, Devon. She has OA in her neck and lower spine, and fibromyalgia. She took up yoga in her mid-20s and now works as a yoga teacher. Never be afraid to find support; just call someone if youre feeling down. Its easy to become isolated. Im lucky that I have a supportive partner, but try a friend or the Arthritis Care Helpline. I also focus on whats good about my health. Everyone can find something positive in their life to focus on. Its important for me not to be self-critical if I dont always deal with things well. Yoga helps me not just because its physical exercise, but also because it works with the breath. Getting into a rhythm allows time for positive thoughts. I say things to myself such as, I feel really good today as I inhale and exhale. Swimmings good for that too, and even walking. Going outside is really helpful, as is any contact with nature. I feel the wind and look at the sea. Theres a whole world out there that keeps on turning. It helps me to get things into perspective, and takes the focus off my pain.
