Good morning.
It might not feel like a good morning right now,
But it's going to become a good morning because of the way you're going to move through it.
When we're living with chronic pain,
How to move through it becomes the most all-encompassing question.
Getting through the day might seem like an impossible task from the perspective of this moment.
So,
We break it down.
We go moment to moment.
Let's start by taking this moment here,
As you're still lying in bed,
Just to breathe.
The most basic thing.
Just breathe.
Don't worry about putting any rhythm or depth or goal on it.
Just breathe.
Just exist.
And now start to shift your awareness back into your body,
Slowly and gently.
Where's your pain right now?
That's the first place your attention is going to go,
So don't try to fight it.
Where does that attention go?
What hurts?
Maybe it's multiple hurts.
Let's start with the loudest one.
Is it a pain that might be relieved by moving the position of your body a bit?
If so,
Go ahead and move.
Try to get a little comfier.
If moving doesn't help,
Just breathe.
Just keep breathing.
Match my breaths if it helps.
I'm going to breathe in on a count of five and out on a count of ten.
We're gradually shifting our focus beyond the pain.
It's still there,
But it doesn't need to be center stage.
Breathe.
We're going to transition into some movement now.
If that's not available to you in this moment,
Just keep breathing and visualize the movements in your mind.
If it feels good right now,
Slowly,
Gently point your toes and flex your feet.
One more time,
Point and flex,
Starting to wake up the legs.
Now slowly,
Gently bring your knees up.
If that's where your pain is and movement doesn't feel good for them right now,
Just visualize your knees moving.
If the knees feel okay to move and they come up to your chest,
That's fine.
If they come up to your hips,
That's fine.
If you start to move your knees up and immediately just want to plant the soles of your feet on the surface of the bed,
That's fine.
We're just searching for some position that gives your lower back a little bit of space,
Letting it wake up and settle in for the day.
Check in with your pain level here.
Acknowledge it.
Accept it.
Breathe into it.
Now start to think about what happens next.
Do you have a pain management plan for the morning?
Take a few moments to identify your next step,
Then come back.
Breathe.
Let your legs settle however they want to settle and travel your attention up to your arms and then down to your hands.
Slowly,
Gently ball your hands into a fist.
If that's where your pain is,
Don't go too tight.
Just grab the feeling and release the fist.
Ball it up and let it go.
Just inviting the hands into a new day.
Now slowly,
Gently bring your arms up above your head if that's available.
Be really mindful of your shoulders,
That they're staying down and back,
Not shrugging up.
Just stay in a comfortable range of motion here,
Grabbing a little stretch with the arms as much as your bed allows.
Breathe.
And bring your arms back down to settle wherever feels good.
Slowly,
Gently turn your head side to side.
Let's go to the right,
To the left.
Not tweaking or pushing,
Just kind of swimming through that comfortable range of motion.
To the right,
To the left,
And back to neutral,
Whatever that is right now.
Breathe.
Remember that next step you identified earlier for how you're going to manage your pain as you move through the first part of your day.
Hold that plan in your mind.
Don't worry about anything after that.
We're just moving through one moment at a time.
That's your next moment.
One more time together.
Breathe in,
And let it out.
And slowly,
Gently move yourself into your next moment.
And as you take care of yourself moment to moment,
Remember this practice will be here for you whenever you want to return.
