For anyone living with osteoarthritis, there are many challenges they face daily. From tying their shoes to making trips to the store, every task can be made harder by the joint pain of this wear-and-tear condition. One potential solution? Finding one of the best places to live with arthritis in the United States, which can make your life easier and may just ease your pain. Here are the 14 best cities to live in with arthritis (and a few things to consider when making your move).

What types of climates are best for arthritis sufferers?

Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder that is characterized by joint pain that can go into remission, osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that is ever present. Joints are swollen, stiff, and painful, easing perhaps with activity but chronic and progressive without (and sometimes with) treatment.

For most arthritis sufferers, the best places to live with arthritis have climates that are warm and dry. While it may sound like an old wives’ tale that a person can predict the rain with an ache in their knee, it could actually be accurate. Cold, damp climates (or those with pronounced seasons that feature a drop in barometric pressure) cause the tissues in the body to expand. This expansion can place more pressure on the nerves in the joints, causing an increase in pain as a storm heads in.

People may be less likely to exercise when the weather outside is frightful, as well, and this can also lead to an increase in painful symptoms.

On the other hand, warm, dry climates with a relatively stable high barometric pressure may ease the stress on joints. This means that people with arthritis may have fewer painful episodes than those who live with dramatic, cold, and wet weather.

What other factors should I consider?

The barometer cannot be the only factor when you consider the best states to live with arthritis. It’s important to think about other factors, especially if you will be making a long-distance move.

Other than shifting towards a warmer climate, these are other elements to consider.

Cost of healthcare and access

If you are moving to take better care of your health, it makes sense that you need to look for a state that has affordable, accessible healthcare. Talk to your current healthcare provider about what changes you can expect, and be ready to move to another plan if the cost increases.

Pro tip: One of the best places to live with arthritis, New Mexico, also has one of the most affordable healthcare systems in the country.

Quality of healthcare

Evaluating the quality of healthcare in the state you’re moving to matters. Considering the number of available physicians, nursing home capacity, longevity, and health insurance coverage is important.

Pro-tip: The state with the highest cost of living – Hawaii – also has some of the best healthcare in the nation. But other arthritis-friendly states like Arizona and Colorado have robust healthcare systems at a more accessible price tag.

Number of rheumatologists

Rheumatologists specialize in disorders of the joints, and it’s critical that your new home has access to a doctor you need. Unfortunately, rheumatologists are in critically short supply in the U.S. There is good news, though: many states are adding a rheumatology component to their primary care physician education to help address the shortage.

Pro-tip: Only one state, Maryland, with its high humidity and sometimes-bitter cold winters, received an “A” grade in terms of the number of rheumatologists. Two others, Arizona and Alabama, received special recognition for their efforts to address the shortage of rheumatologists.

Opportunities for activity year-round

Bright, warm weather offers plenty of opportunity for year-round outdoor activity, a crucial part of managing osteoarthritis. While aches and pains can tempt a person to take it easy, over and again research shows that movement helps decrease pain, lubricate joints, and increase range of motion in painful joints.

Pro-tip: In colder but still arthritis-friendly cities like Denver, bundling up is key to staying active outside year round.

Cost of living overall

Cost of living is a consideration, especially if you are living on a fixed income. Some of the best places to live with arthritis in the United States also happen to be some of the most affordable.

Pro-tip: While some of the cheapest places to live may not be great for those with osteoarthritis, two of the best states – Arizona and New Mexico – are affordable options with other perks (see below).

Overall energy/fun of the city

Finally, why move to a place that you won’t enjoy? Look for a new home in a city or town that matches your energy level and interests.

Pro-tip: If you belong to clubs or organizations, check to see if they have a local chapter in your new city before you move.

Where are the best places to live with arthritis?

Keeping all of the above in mind, here are 14 of the best places to live with arthritis.

1. Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, with its beautiful city parks, affordable cost of living, and access to great healthcare (e.g., our team at Arizona Pain!), is a top pick for many people who suffer from all kinds of chronic pain, including arthritis.

Low humidity, warm temperatures year-round, and a relatively stable barometer make it an ideal place to move – regardless of your health. Hiking options abound, in the city or a short drive outside of it.

2. Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona has a climate tailor-made for osteoarthritis sufferers. With low humidity and two seasons (summer and winter), this desert city is easy to adapt to.

In terms of healthcare, it’s also ideal, as the University of Arizona Medical Center (UAMC), home of the Arizona Arthritis Center, is located here.

3. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque sits in a rain shadow that keeps humidity low and rain scarce.

The culture of this city is also a big draw for visitors and new residents alike. The mountains that surround the city offer ample opportunity for year-round outdoor recreation, and the heat of the summer is lower than some other southwestern cities.

4. Taos, New Mexico

Taos offers a unique cultural vibe with dry weather and low humidity.

It is close to other major metropolitan areas and features Native American arts in its bustling downtown square. Hiking and other low-impact recreation is available all year long.

5. Las Vegas, Nevada

Sure, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – and so can you.

With a bustling regional airport that connects you to everyone you love and hot, dry weather for most of the year, you may get lucky managing your arthritis here. Beyond the Las Vegas Strip, there are many opportunities for hiking and exploring southern Nevada.

6. Denver, Colorado

Cold and snowy Denver, Colorado may seem like an anomaly on this list of hot, dry cities, but even with the cold weather the humidity remains low, making it a good place to consider. And when the weather does shift, the change is gradual, allowing time to adjust.

Additionally, the culture of Colorado skews towards outdoor activity, with many clubs and organizations to keep you moving year-round.

7. Grand Junction, Colorado

Similar to Denver, Grand Junction, Colorado features low humidity and a commitment to year-round outdoor activity.

Grand Junction features slightly higher summer temperature averages, less rainfall, and less snow than Denver. If you like to experience the seasons without experiencing a lingering May snowfall or two, Grand Junction may be for you.

8. Salt Lake City, Utah

Voted one of the most relaxing places to live, with the lowest rate of smoking in the U.S. (smoking can aggravate many health conditions, including osteoarthritis), Salt Lake City is one of the best cities to live with arthritis. The winter can be cold, but the humidity is low all year, and recreational activities abound.

Salt Lake City also has low crime rates and a more affordable cost of living, plus access to healthcare and the doctors you need.

9. El Paso, Texas

El Paso in west Texas has low humidity, hot summers, and mild winters, making it one of the best places to live with arthritis.

With affordable healthcare and a low cost of living, your dollar goes farther here. Looking for outdoor recreation? The Franklin Mountains State Park is the largest urban park in the U.S. (over 24,000 acres) and it’s right in El Paso.

10. San Diego, California

San Diego is famous for its mild climate, with days that hover around 74 degrees with low humidity. This city also has many different medical facilities that specialize in rheumatic conditions. Recreational opportunities are available, including miles of level bike trails.

The main drawback to this lovely city is its cost of living, of course. The average home price here is $664,000. Adjacent cities that are further inland may provide more affordable options.

11. Palm Springs, California

Enjoy the dry desert air in this quirky and cute town nestled underneath the San Jacinto mountains. There are over 350 days of sunshine per year, and rain is rare. Summer highs are also lower than some of the other desert cities featured here.

Explore the area with the many hiking and bike trails. Palm Springs is also a vibrant cultural city, with Coachella nearby and many art galleries in its downtown. It’s also more affordable than San Diego, for those who want to live in California.

12. Destin, Florida

Located in the Florida panhandle on the Gulf of Mexico, Destin is a laid-back beach community that features plenty of year-round recreation and access to rheumatologists.

The humidity may be challenging for some, but the warm weather and ample walking and biking trails can help counteract daily aches and pains.

13. Baltimore, Maryland

Although the climate of Baltimore is not the best for those living with arthritis, their healthcare access just might be.

Baltimore is home to Johns Hopkins Hospital, ranked number one in rheumatology. This extensive hospital network is located in a city with an affordable cost of living and access to a variety of recreational opportunities that including hiking and biking paths, gyms, and yoga studios all over the city. Bonus: Maryland was the only state in the U.S. to get an “A” on the rheumatic disease report card.

14. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Even if the weather in Minneapolis is not the most osteoarthritis-friendly, the healthcare sure is. The Mayo Clinic is located here, with doctors who also specialize in rheumatology. Even with the annual snowfall, the humidity overall is relatively low, as is the cost of living.

More about living with arthritis

Some of the worst states to live in for arthritis are those with poor access to healthcare, high humidity, and dramatic seasonal changes.

If your daily struggles with arthritis do find you moving to beautiful sunny Phoenix, get in touch with Arizona Pain. Our team is committed to helping people learn more about living with arthritis. Keep up with the latest tips for living with arthritis and other chronic pain conditions on our pain management blog.

The Grand Canyon state is one of the best places to live with arthritis, and we’d love to help you manage your pain! Get in touch with our team to learn more about our approach.

We all have our regular tendencies and practices, but the difference between a routine and a habit is that routines are relatively easy to adjust and change, while habits can be especially difficult to give up. That is the bad news. The good news is that you can change your habits. Doing so can help you reduce pain levels, get better sleep, and live a generally more healthy life. Here’s some of the leading research and theories on how to break bad habits, for good. Use the ones that resonate with you to help guide your habit change.

Stages of Change model

Contrary to popular belief or what you might think, habits are not stagnant creatures we are doomed to carry around for the rest of our lives. But they are also not generally changed overnight. The act of changing habits has many stages, and there are concrete ways to improve your chances of actually sticking with the changes you make.

One of the most difficult habits to change is addiction – to alcohol, drugs, food, or any other substance. Over 20 years ago, Carlo C. DiClemente and J. O. Prochaska studied the actions of alcoholics attempting to change their habit. They observed six distinct stages that were common in this process:

• Precontemplation: When the habit or addiction is identified.
• Contemplation: Understanding that there is a problem, and that a change needs to occur.
• Determination: The decision to change is made, and a plan to change is created.
• Action: The plan is put into place. Lifestyle changes are made in support of the plan, and support in various forms is gathered.
• Maintenance, relapse, recycle: This stage acknowledges that there may be times of relapse or faltering. This does not mean change has failed but that the stages must be re-entered with renewed commitment.
• Termination: At this final stage, the habit is completely changed. There is no chance of relapse.

This model is simply referred to as The Stages of Change. While it may seem simplistic, for addicts or others struggling with changing habits, this can be a powerful model for those who feel like they are making no real progress towards change, especially when they fall back into the old habit. Because it takes an average 66 days to actually change a habit (not the previously touted 28 days), this model can provide support, structure, and encouragement to the effort.

The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

In the morning, you wake up, brush your teeth, and head downstairs. You feed the dog, maybe make coffee or hot tea, then make lunches and breakfast. You head upstairs, get dressed, and then head out to drop everyone off at school. Once at work, you check your social media accounts in the same order every day (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest) before checking your personal email and finally settling down to work.

You go to lunch at 11:45. Eat the same sandwich. Back to work until 5, when you pick up the kids, do homework, make dinner, spend some family time in front of the TV or playing a game, then it’s off to sleep. Wake up the next day, and the cycle repeats. It is so routine that you don’t even really think about it anymore. Some days, you fall into bed and can’t remember one single moment clearly.

And this, says Pulitzer-prize winning author Charles Duhigg, is where our brains trap us into bad habits. In his book The Power of Habit, Duhigg explains how we can use the three-part habit loop to change our lives for the better instead of living out a daily routine. In his book, there are a number of actionable tips for how to break bad habits.

The habit loop

Part of understanding how this works is to focus on the habit loop. The habit loop consists of a cue, the actual routine, and then a reward. Duhigg found that most studies in habit formation focus on the routine. In fact, Duhigg found that it wasn’t changing the behavior that changed the habit as much as it was changing the cue and the reward.

Duhigg believes that the meaningful reward and appropriate cue change the behavior (the routine) more than changing the routine itself changes:

“This gets to how habits work. The reason why these cues and rewards are so important is because over time, people begin craving the reward whenever they see the cue, and that craving makes a habit occur automatically.”

In short, we can change our routine by cueing behavior instead and rewarding it in a meaningful way.

Our brain on habits

In his book, Duhigg presents an example of experiments in laboratory mice that illustrate this point. Researcher Wendy Wood pointed out that 40-45% of what we think of as daily decisions are actually just habits (like the daily routine above). Another researcher decided to examine what is happening in our brains as we go through these daily habits.

Ann Graybiel from MIT examined what happened to the brains of rats as they completed the world’s simplest maze: a T-shaped maze with the rat at the base and a piece of chocolate at the end of one of the arms. At first, when the rat was dropped in the maze, there was a flurry of brain activity. Time after time as the rat was dropped in the maze, the brain activity increased. But as the rat got used to the maze and finding the chocolate in the correct arm, brain activity decreased to a nearly sleeping level. The rat was completing the routine of finding the chocolate in a half-awake state.

This is what happens to our brains on habits. In some cases (like a healthy exercise or healthy eating habit) performing these actions on autopilot is a good thing. But what if you are trying to change a habit that is not healthy or form a new habit?

Create meaningful cues and rewards 

The Power of Habit offers a very simple suggestion when it comes to these habit loops: wake up.

If you want to change a habit in a long-lasting way, it is important to understand your own habit loop and wake up in the middle where the routine is. The key to doing that is using an obvious cue and offering a meaningful reward. What kind of cues and rewards work? That is entirely up to the person who is making the change. Maybe you want to exercise more and watch less TV. Hanging your dog’s leash by the door where you hang your coat reminds you that it’s time for a walk. That’s the cue.

The reward should be something tangible; maybe it’s a movie, a special treat, or a new pair of shoes. Whatever it is, the reward needs to be something you would actually want to work towards. For another example, consider that you want to save money, but it seems like every time you try to save, something comes up and you are unable to put away any part of your check. Create a meaningful cue to change the behavior, and then focus on a reward.

An example might be:

• Meaningful cue: You receive a five-dollar bill
• Routine: The five-dollar bill goes in a savings jar
• Reward: After a certain dollar amount, treat yourself to something that is valuable to you, whether that is a new book, a sporting event, or a day trip somewhere.

You have made changing your behavior automatic but not in a way that puts you to sleep by choosing a specific cue and then designing an appropriate, meaningful reward.

We can wake ourselves up instead of sleep-walking through the daily routines of life by doing things like choosing a reaction ahead of time (i.e., when you get a five-dollar bill and don’t want to save it) and focusing on our specific rewards. Reminding ourselves to make mindful choices instead of falling into the sleepy rut of a routine we don’t remember is a powerful way to create big changes in our lives.

The power of small changes

Making changes to cues and rewards can help change habits, but sometimes a short-term small or grand gesture is the ticket.

Matt Cutts’s TED Talk urges his audience to try something new for 30 days. In these short periods of 30 days at a time, he climbed Mt. Kilamanjaro, wrote a novel, biked to work every day, and took one photograph a day. His experience made him feel more adventurous and alive, but the one thing he learned from this was counterintuitive to the 30-day experiment model:

“I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more likely to stick. There’s nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges. In fact, they’re a ton of fun. But they’re less likely to stick.”

In the end, it was the small changes within the larger ones that made the changes stick, not the grandiose gestures.

The Evans Health Lab, made most famous for its popular whiteboard video 23 1/2 Hours, has written extensively about what it takes to change a habit. While there are strong arguments for the fact that changing a habit can be a small, daily re-examination of smaller habits.

How to break bad habits: Getting started

So what does this mean for you? First, now is the time to make a change. No matter what time of year it is, you can start learning how to break bad habits now.

Next, understand that small, incremental changes in habits will probably be the most successful. This may mean instead of quitting smoking cold turkey, you get some help with a nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and a support group. Talk with your doctor about the habits that will have the best, most lasting effects for you and your pain.

Finally, change your environment, cues, and rewards so that you can be successful in changing your habits. Just as alcoholics who wish to quit drinking no longer go to bars to see friends, so, too, must other environmental changes be made for other types of behaviors. If you want to watch less TV, put the TV in the basement or in an inconvenient or uncomfortable room.

Instead of waiting for the urge to exercise to strike, schedule a weekly workout with a friend. Join a team with weekly practices and games. If you want to lose weight or eat more healthy foods, chop a week’s worth of vegetables. Then, keep them within easy reach in the refrigerator.

The best time to start changing a habit is right now. What steps will you take today to make positive, lasting change?

The average person in the United States moves a little over 11 times in their lifetime. That is a lot of packing, cleaning, and hauling around large furniture. Most people don’t find moving to be pleasant experience either and it usually ends with relief and the hope that you never have to do it again. Moving is an even more serious problem though for those who suffer from chronic pain. The stress from trying to organize everything and moving combined with all of the physical labor can be taxing to say the least. So how can you pack smarter and more efficiently to minimize that stress? Here are a few tips, tricks, and alternatives that will make you wonder why you haven’t been packing this way all along.

Step 1: Choose how to best move with your chronic pain condition

The best place to start your moving journey is to ask, how do I want to move all of my stuff? The answer can depend on all kinds of things like how far you are going, how much you are willing to spend, how much you are moving, and other personal factors that are specific to your chronic pain condition.

DIY

The do-it-yourself option is always popular, especially if you have some strong and generous friends. You can save quite a bit of money by renting a truck as long as you are confident you can manage it on the open road. Just keep in mind that you have to pay for other costs like rental truck insurance, gas, and equipment that you will need for the move. If you have a chronic back pain issue, driving may exacerbate the issue, depending on the distance you’re traveling. For any chronic pain condition, the DIY option may be unrealistic, unless those friends and family are really generous.

You pack and they drive

This service is almost exactly what it sounds like. A company will supply a trailer that you fill yourself with your boxes and furniture. Their professional drivers will then take it to your new home where you then unload it. A great way to save money if you don’t want to drive a truck as it is less expensive than a full-service mover.

Full-service movers

There are two different kinds of full-service movers. The first will take your prepacked boxes and furniture, load it on a truck, drive it to your new home, and unload it for you. The second will also provide the packing service for you from start to finish. This is a huge time saver and it can be well worth the price tag especially if you suffer from chronic pain. You can also save a little money by searching for coupons and deals online.

Step 2: Prep for packing

For most of us, we will end up packing up the majority of our house ourselves before a big move. So the question becomes, what is the best possible way to do this?

Create a moving box

Have you ever been in the middle of a move and wondered if you packed your desperately-needed scissors or box cutter already? Having a cognitive condition like fibro fog could make this even worse. Having a single “moving box” will help you with this. Place everything critical to moving into the box (or whatever place works best for you). This can include everything from packing material to important documents such as:

• Bubble wrap
• Scissors
• Box cutters
• Newspaper
• Pens and markers
• Labeling stickers
• Contact information (i.e. movers, realtor, etc.)
• Moving paper work or other documents
• Soap, medications, and snacks
• Extra clothes
• Extra cash

Double-check your supplies

Are you sure you have everything you need? Before you start packing, you want to make sure you have the correct materials such as various sizes of boxes, tape, padding, and the proper tools to disassemble furniture.

Take pictures

Taking pictures can save you time when you are trying to reassemble furniture or rooms in your new home. It will also help a lot with complicated electronics and you will have some great keepsakes from your old home.

Make peace with the purge

It is amazing how much stuff we all accumulate over the years. There is nothing quite like packing to teach us that it’s time to throw some of it out. Keep this in mind when you are packing up your home and remember that the more you throw away, the less you have to move!

Step 3: Master the art of packing

Now for the fun part. First, a huge stressor when it comes to packing with a chronic pain condition can be time. Make sure to start at least a week before the truck arrives (or up to one month if you’d like to do a little bit each day) so you don’t feel rushed and push yourself too hard in a small time frame. Create a packing station (preferably near the front door) where you keep all of your supplies. Make sure this area has lots of space. Here you can bring out all of the items you want to pack and easily box them up and store them for moving day.

Next, make sure when you are packing that you don’t leave your boxes full of air. It is always a good idea to use old clothes or towels, bubble wrap, or packing paper to fill in some of the large gaps in boxes, as this space is the number one reason items are damaged in transit. Always be careful to pack heavy items in small boxes and to wrap fragile items with more padding or stronger material such as bubble wrap. You can also use curtains, towels, rugs, or clothing to help pack up!

Be sure to pack a room at a time. It will be easier for everyone if each individual room is grouped together while loading and unpacking later. It is also always a good idea to label each box with a short description of what’s in it and what room it is going to. This can help a lot if you experience fibro fog or other memory-impairing symptoms common for some chronic pain suffers. A great way to make sure you don’t forget any boxes is to number each box as you pack them, plus you will know exactly how many boxes you have packed.

Finally, you should take apart large furniture and electronics. Make sure you carefully save nuts, screws, and wires in zip lock baggies so they are easy to find later. Label the bag with what they’re for, or tape them directly to the furniture or electronics iteam. It is a good idea to store them with the tools you will need to make the reassembling process even more streamlined.

How did your last packing experience go? Would this advice made a difference for you or anyone you know?

Anxiety is big, ominous, and difficult to pin down. Dealing with anxiety can feel like trying to hold up a crushing weight, physically and mentally. This is doubly true for those who suffer from a chronic pain condition as a study found that almost half of those with persistent pain issues also had one or more of the five common anxiety disorders.

Dealing with anxiety, every day tips

Many anxiety disorders share the same symptoms, such as excessive worrying, sleeplessness, panic attacks, and muscle tension, so it is possible to have multiple at one time. Currently, anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems in the U.S. and this problem is only growing. Dealing with anxiety isn’t something to take lightly and it is always a good idea to consult a medical professional if you feel like it is negatively affecting your life.

There are many treatment options that are being developed in the scientific community today. Some of these include excellent options such as medications and therapy, but there are also simple, holistic approaches you can take to help obtain a quiet mind. Here are some tips and tricks for dealing with anxiety that you can easily incorporate into your everyday routine to help create a better you.

1. Take time to relax

Making sure you spend part of each day doing something that fights off stress and anxiety is a vital tool for anyone. This can come in any form that you find relaxing, such as listening to music, doing yoga, playing with a pet, or a favorite hobby.

2. Eat right

Diet can have a large effect on your mood and general emotional state. It is always advised to never skip a meal and make sure you are eating healthy, energy-boosting foods. Always keep healthy snacks on hand just in case you need a pick-me-up.

3. Avoid alcohol and caffeine

While we are on the topic of diet, try to avoid these two as much as possible when dealing with anxiety. There are numerous studies that show that caffeine can antagonize anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder and social phobia.

Alcohol can also have deleterious effects and worsen anxiety over time. While alcohol is a depressant it can mess with serotonin levels and other neurotransmitters in the brain to heighten the feelings of anxiety after the alcohol has worn off.

4. Take a breath and count to ten

Don’t underestimate the power of breath control, muscle relaxation, or other meditative techniques. Learning how to quiet the worrying feeling that comes with anxiety can be an invaluable tool, with benefits for both mind and body. Harvard Health published an amazing article on the benefits of deep breathing and how to introduce it into your daily routine.

5. Laugh, and then laugh some more

Laughter truly does have some amazing medical applications. While it isn’t a cure-all, there are tons of positive things it can do for you physically and mentally. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter can soothe tension, improve the immune system, relieve pain, and lessen the effects of depression and anxiety. The next time you are caught in the trap of over worrying, remember to get in a good chuckle.

6. Use positive reinforcement and self-talk

Everyone talks to himself or herself occasionally and even more so when you are trying to overcome a difficult challenge or ordeal. So why not use it when dealing with anxiety? The next time you get caught up in a worrying loop, try to talk yourself down a little by saying, “I am feeling anxious, but it won’t last” or “I am safe and will be fine shortly.” This will be a difficult habit to pick up at first, but it can be quite soothing and help you take control.

7. Schedule time for worrying

An odd thought at first, but one that can help you focus on the day, knowing that you will have time for worrying later. Throughout the day, create a list of any worry that pops into your head. Then, set a time to review your worries such as twice a week. By the time you review the list, you will find some have resolved themselves, and those that are left can be prioritized and tackled one at a time rather than constantly scratching at the back of your mind.

8. Exercise

Doing a moderate workout can drastically reduce your feelings of anxiety. Working out requires concentration on the here and now instead of being caught up in all of the noise in your head. Plus, it has the added benefit of making you feel better physically.

9. Use a mental health app

Technology is a beautiful thing and it really is changing the face of medicine and self-care. If you want an easy way to track your anxiety and have calming exercises at your fingertips, check out the Self-help Anxiety Management app. If you are more interested in learning and practicing long term meditative techniques, then Headspace might be right for you.

10. Control your environment

A big trigger from some with anxiety is feeling like they have no control over future events, which perpetuates worry. One of the best ways to counteract this is to focus on controlling your immediate needs and space. Try cleaning the dishes or doing your laundry. Maybe shower and shave. These small accomplishments can go a long way in getting you out of your head to make you feel good.

Dealing with anxiety can be quite taxing. What tips and tricks do you use in your daily routine?

The pain is constant. You kind of remember what it was like before all this happened, but more often than not, those blissful, pain-free days are a distant memory. You’re trying to figure out how to live this way, how to make it work. Some days, you’re successful. But other days, you just want to crawl into bed and never get out.

Life with chronic pain requires many adjustments. Some of them are physical, maybe you can’t do the activities you once loved, but many more are emotional. Surviving with pain requires developing coping mechanisms, adjusting your expectations of what life looks like, and practicing self-acceptance and love in an entirely new way.

The good news is that pain can be a great teacher. Sometimes life’s biggest struggles turn out to bring good things into our lives.

Here are a few ways to live with pain.

1. Practice gratitude

Gratitude is the foundation for a peaceful, happy life. Even if you have pain and health difficulties, there are still things to be grateful for. You have food on your plate, a house to sleep in, clothes on your back, and you’re breathing.

You have a heart that continually beats. It’s powered by electricity and works to flood your body with freshly oxygenated blood. Isn’t that amazing to think about? It turns out that gratitude also promotes heart health, according to research from the American Psychological Association.

Researchers found that patients who experienced asymptomatic heart failure benefited from an improved mood, enhanced sleep, more energy, and less inflammation when practicing gratitude. During the study, researchers followed patients as they wrote in gratitude journals, which is a wonderful way to catalogue all the things going right in life. Study author Paul Mills says:

“It seems that a more grateful heart is indeed a more healthy heart, and that gratitude journaling is an easy way to support cardiac health.”

While journaling is helpful, other options include silently listing three things you’re grateful for upon waking and before going to bed. During the day, try to stay conscious of your thoughts, and if you find yourself entertaining negative ones, try to turn them around.

2. Honor negative emotions

This step may seem to contradict gratitude, but emotional health includes allowing painful emotions room to breathe. Suppressing unhappy emotions is unhealthy, and could even lead to pain.

For example, a prominent doctor named John Sarno gained much publicity with his theory that lower back pain begins from repressed rage.

While it’s important to acknowledge painful emotions, dwelling on these emotions can cause stress, which has been shown to worsen pain. It may be helpful to establish a specific time, perhaps 30 minutes after lunch, as a designated worry period. During this time, allow yourself to journal all the worries and fears you feel. Allow yourself to really feel them.

Many people are scared of confronting these painful emotions, but you can learn a lot about yourself in this process. Feeling angry or sad doesn’t mean you’re not grateful. It just means that you’re going through some tough life circumstances. Painful feelings are natural and completely normal. Encourage good emotional health by feeling them, and then encourage yourself to move on, not clinging to these emotions or the corresponding thought patterns.

3. Accept pain

Chronic pain brings with it many life challenges and changes. It’s a natural reaction to resist the changes and to resist the pain. But the pain is here. It’s real and it’s happening.

Accept it. Resistance to pain will only prevent you from making life changes that could help you.

Learn to inquire into the nature of pain. Maybe it’s sending you a message to slow down, eat better, or put your health first. Maybe you have something to learn from it. Many people find that health problems or pain ends up being their greatest teacher.

In this way, you begin to accept your life as it is. No, this won’t make the pain go away, but it will open the door to the next chapter in your life. Accepting the pain is the first step towards figuring out how to live your best life, even if that’s a life with chronic pain.

4. Meditate

Meditation has been shown in many studies to increase people’s pain tolerance, which in turn reduces the experience of pain. It’s also helpful for lowering levels of stress, which in itself can exacerbate pain.

This ancient practice of sitting and breathing is now even considered a treatment for some types of pain. Research done by the American Pain Society found that meditation decreased discomfort for patients with chronic neck pain, reducing so-called “bothersomeness” even more than exercise.

In addition to helping people feel less pain, meditating helps people better cope with its emotional consequences, according to a study completed at the University of Manchester. Researchers found that meditation helps people live more in the moment, which reduces the tendency of the brain to anticipate pain.

5. Educate yourself

Having a chronic illness becomes a full-time job. Unfortunately chronic pain is very common, but that also means there’s a wide array of resources available.

This site has lots of wonderful information about ways to reduce pain. Other sources of information include a website run by the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Self-Help Program, which offers free content in addition to low-cost courses. One course, for example, teaches patients how to create a plan for self-managing pain.

Connecting with others who live with chronic pain may be another source of relief for you. Arizona Pain runs both in-office support groups and an online Facebook group.

6. Be kind to yourself

You likely can’t operate at the level that you once did, and that’s okay. Do the best you can, and let the rest go.

Being kind to yourself, prioritizing activities so you have the energy and ability to do the things most important to you, these are the key philosophies that will help you better live with pain. You’re not flawed; you’re just a person who’s experiencing some health problems.

This is your life. Live it the best way you know how.

What are your top tips for living with pain?

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Indulging in the occasional unhealthy meal or enjoying a delicious dessert like chocolate is part of a healthy lifestyle. Yes, you read that right.

As with any sort of indulging, moderation is key, but allowing yourself to eat treats is essential to sticking to a healthy diet long term. Avoiding sweet and salty foods entirely is not a sustainable option and often leads to binging on unhealthy foods. Instead, eat a little bit every so often to stay satisfied and on track to meet your nutrition goals.

Chocolate in particular can be irresistible, but did you know that it can be good for you? Dark chocolate has an abundance of antioxidants, making the treat a healthy one when eaten a little bit at a time.

Benefits of chocolate include brain and heart health, appetite control, and even a slimmer waistline, according to LiveScience. Research has shown that chocolate eaters tend to weigh less than those who don’t indulge in the treat. Scientists believe that a compound in chocolate may influence how the body processes it, turning it into something other than body fat. Dr. Beatrice Golomb, with the University of California, San Diego, cautions:

“This does not provide free license to eat 30 pounds of chocolate every time you eat chocolate.”

Life everything else in life, moderation is key.

The fiber in chocolate is believed to help people feel fuller and potentially consume fewer calories, which is one way the confection may help with weight management. Chocolate has also been found to help lower blood pressure and enhance how the body reacts to insulin, the hormone that manages blood sugar.

What makes chocolate healthy?

Chocolate contains micronutrients known as polyphenols, which are a type of antioxidant that works to prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease, according to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Cacao, the unsweetened bean from which chocolate is created from, is the source of its antioxidant properties. The effects are so powerful that the University of Michigan includes dark chocolate in its healing foods pyramid.

Even the fat in dark chocolate, although saturated, is a type called stearic acid that doesn’t significantly impact cholesterol levels, according to Weight Watchers. And while chocolate is still a treat to be eaten sparingly, it’s one of the healthiest treats to have and offers far more health benefits than a piece of cake or scoop of ice cream.

Researchers are still working to learn how chocolate works such magic on the body, but the American Chemical Society recently uncovered one way the dessert works its magic in the body.

The stomach contains two types of bacteria—one good and the other harmful, leading to bloating and indigestion. Turns out the good stomach bacteria enjoy dark chocolate as much as humans do; they feast on it, which leads to a fermentation process that produces anti-inflammatory compounds as a byproduct. The healthy compounds in turn help keep cardiovascular tissue healthy and reduce the risk of stroke.

How much chocolate is healthy to eat?

Up to one ounce of chocolate per day is a good amount to reap the health benefits without crossing the line, according to the University of Michigan.

Even though chocolate is healthy for a dessert, it still contains sugar and other additives, so the food is one to enjoy in limited quantities. Despite the many health benefits, it’s still better to ingest antioxidants and fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead of chocolate. And some types of chocolate offer more benefit than others.

Dark chocolate containing at least 60% cacao is the healthiest because it contains the least milk. Dairy molecules adhere to the antioxidants, making them less available to help the body reap all the wonderful health benefits. The higher the cacao content a piece of chocolate has, the healthier the chocolate. Higher counts also equate to less sugar, making for a more bitter, complex taste.

High-cacao content chocolate usually includes the percentage on its label while other types simply say “dark chocolate.” If eating chocolate specifically for the health benefits, be wary of packaging that doesn’t provide the exact percentage. Some mass produced dark chocolate from big, household-name brands may not include the minimum 60% cacao content to be considered healthy.

Other things to watch out for on the label are added ingredients. Higher quality chocolate tends to cost more, but has fewer additives that could detract from health benefits. Steer clear of chocolate containing palm or coconut oils, looking instead for those containing cocoa butter. Also try to avoid items with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils that can elevate cholesterol levels.

For the absolute best chocolate, go for organic or bars with fair-trade ingredients, which means the farmers and workers were paid good wages for their work.

Of course, if you like milk chocolate, go ahead and enjoy it. Just keep in mind that you’re not getting the maximum health benefits available. Either way, the desserts are meant to be eaten in moderation, and are a perfectly acceptable component of a healthy diet.

Other ways of indulging healthy

Some people opt to designate “cheat” meals or days where they allow themselves to eat whatever they want. So you might eat a diet based on fish and vegetables, but every Saturday enjoy fried chicken and ice cream.

The trick is having the discipline to keep cheating restricted only to that day or meal. It’s easy to let relaxed rules infiltrate during non-cheat times, but if you eat too much of an unhealthy food, it’s okay. Just start again and move forward without becoming too frustrated. Everyone makes mistakes.

To help restrict sweets to certain times or day of the week, consider finding healthy recipes that recreate the taste but with less sugar, fat, and calories. If you have a sweet tooth, experiment with making delicious, healthy smoothies. Those who enjoy salty foods like potato chips may want to try peanut butter coated on a piece of celery. It’s not quite the same, but will help tide you over until your designated indulging time.

And remember, an ounce of dark chocolate a day is a perfectly healthy way to satiate that ever-demanding sweet tooth while staying healthy at the same time.

Do you like dark chocolate?

Image by Ginny via Flickr

Adopting healthy eating choices is probably one of the single most important things you can do to manage pain, no matter the condition you suffer from.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats like those found in nuts and olive oils contain powerful micronutrients that work to reduce pain-causing inflammation and help you feel better.

It all sounds good in theory, but finding the time and energy to cook these meals is one of the biggest challenges to healthy eating. Eating only whole foods can be costly, too, especially if buying organic produce and specialty ingredients. And if you’ve come home from a long day at work, or are suffering from a bad pain day, finding the energy to cook nutritious meals can seem like an impossible task.

But here are a few ways to help your healthy eating efforts, from reducing costs to just making it easier.

1. Buy in bulk

Consider that a canister of name-brand oats can cost anywhere from $3 to $5 for just over a pound while an entire pound of oats purchased in bulk can cost less than one dollar. Buying in bulk saves money.

Other items available for purchase in bulk include nuts, dried fruit, even flour and other grains like quinoa. Save big money on healthy snack items like trail mix by buying the nuts in bulk and making your own.

You might even make your own granola, taking oats, a comforting winter breakfast, into the summer with the addition of yogurt and fruit.

To make granola, try this recipe from Elizabeth Rider:

Combine two cups of oatmeal with a ½ cup of chopped, raw nuts with about two or three tablespoons of honey or maple syrup. Add two tablespoons of coconut oil and one ½ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract. Also include ¼ cup of raw seeds like sunflower seeds and ½ cup of dried, chopped fruit if you’d like. For extra oomph, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. Mix it all together, lay on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

2. Find inspiration in ethnic cuisine

Many delicious, healthy recipes inspired by Japanese, Indian, and European cooking center on vegetables—which tend to cost less to make than meat—and spices. It’s easy to forget the aromatic flavors that spices can impart on foods, transforming a simple plate of vegetables from flavorless to fantastic.

Consider healthy, easy, incredibly affordable miso soup. Miso is a fermented soybean paste available in the refrigerated section of most health food stores. It offers profound health benefits, including reducing inflammation, which is essential for those living with chronic pain, and preventing cancer, according to MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Making miso soup is very easy and once you get the hang of it, you don’t even need a recipe. It basically involves heating water, adding spices like ginger, vegetables, and any noodles you desire until they’re cooked. For extra anti-inflammatory benefit, try adding seaweed, which is packed with antioxidants and iodine, an important nutrient that could help diminish fatigue, depression, or any difficulties losing weight, according to Greatist.

Once the soup is cooked and ready to eat, remove the pot from the heat and add miso in the amount recommended on the package. Heating miso destroys its active probiotics, so add it in near the end of cooking, and never to boiling water.

To get started, try this miso recipe from Whole Foods that includes garlic, ginger, bok choy, carrots, and tofu.

Another benefit to using spices like ginger, turmeric, and garlic is that these flavor enhancers offer many benefits to chronic pain patients. All offer potent anti-inflammatory compounds that help reduce pain.

Exotic spices impart fun flavor and powerful nutrients to healthy cooking.

Turmeric in particular is not frequently used in U.S.-style cooking, but has been found to put ulcerative colitis in remission, and potentially help to relieve arthritis pain and prevent heart disease, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Turmeric also works to lower blood sugar, making it potentially effective for those with diabetes.

Turmeric is used mostly in Indian cooking, giving curry its signature yellow color. Eating Well offers a collection of dishes with turmeric to get you started experimenting with this colorful, healthy spice. It’s available in powdered form in the grocery store, but most grocery stores also carry the root, usually alongside ginger.

3. Cook in a crockpot

Slow-cooked meals combine ease of cooking with healthy ingredients. Recipes made in a crockpot also frequently yield many servings, reducing the amount of cooking needed overall.

For those with chronic pain who find chopping vegetables difficult because of pain or fatigue, this feature is essential and a great tool for healthy eating. No sautéing or keeping an eye on the stove necessary—simply add the vegetables, turn the crockpot on and, a few hours later, voila, a healthy, delicious meal.

Foods cooked in crockpots tend to be more flavorful because of the slow cooking process. They enable you to buy less expensive cuts of meat because virtually any meat will become tender after hours spent marinating in savory juices and flavors.

Options for meals include vegetable and chickpea curry or butternut squash parsnip soup. If neither of those sound good to you, check out Cooking Light’s list of 100 slow-cooker healthy eating recipes.

4. Money-saving grocery shopping tips

Food costs continue to rise and searching for healthy recipes sometimes turns up fancy-sounding and expensive ingredients. Even if money isn’t an issue, maybe those fancy ingredients scare you away from healthy eating.

Eating nourishing food is about feeling good. If it doesn’t feel good, try something different. Plenty of recipes feature ordinary, everyday ingredients that don’t require a visit to a specialty store. Buying frozen vegetables is often less expensive than buying fresh. Plus, you don’t have to worry about fresh produce going bad, sending money straight into the trashcan.

While fresh vegetables are preferable, frozen is a good alternative, and much better than canned. Basing meals around staples such as vegetables, beans, and rice is a wonderful way to eat healthy while cutting costs. This way of eating is much more affordable than including meat on the plate every night, and healthier, too.

Using fresh spices like ginger, garlic, and lemon is a healthy way to add delicious flavor while keeping costs down and nutrients high.

What is your favorite tip for eating healthy and fast on a budget?

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The benefits of yoga are vast. Students can expect to gain flexibility, strength, and improved balance from continued practice, while those with chronic pain may find the practice improves quality of life.

Although many people aren’t sure how to start practicing, the best way is to attend a live class with a registered yoga teacher (RYT). While there isn’t much government regulation of those teaching yoga, teachers carrying a RYT designation are registered with the Yoga Alliance, the industry’s largest non-profit. To earn the ability to register, teachers must take at least 200 hours of class at a registered school. The training program covers yoga philosophy, alignment, and safety concerns for teaching special populations, including those with chronic pain.

Most teachers at studios, gyms, and other healthcare facilities have earned the RYT designation, although taking a training class isn’t required by law to teach yoga. If you’re not sure, it’s always a good idea to ask.

Why does taking a class with a registered teacher matter?

Many people new to yoga may start by trying out a few poses in their bedroom, or following along with a video or DVD. While this is a fine option for many people, it’s important to take a live class with a registered teacher to learn proper form and breath technique, particularly for those with chronic pain.

Learning the proper form and optimal sequencing is essential to enjoy the most benefits from yoga practice. Consider low back pain, a common problem. Some poses are contraindicated for those with back problems, especially spinal issues like bulging discs. Even a simple forward fold can aggravate back issues. In this example, a modification like bending the knees would be helpful for keeping the lower back safe.

Practicing proper form

Many yoga poses look deceptively simple. When practiced without proper form, they could cause injury. Stay safe and learn from a teacher.

Another risk of practicing yoga outside the scope of a qualified teacher is choosing the wrong type of poses for your health concern. For example, many people with low back pain might gravitate toward poses that stretch the back. However, back pain is best helped by poses that strengthen the back, a common area of weakness for those who sit a lot.

During yoga classes, a knowledgeable teacher will help you by demonstrating modifications to make the poses more accessible and reminding you of proper form throughout the practice. Be sure to let the teacher know ahead of time any areas of pain, and she will let alert you to the poses that could impact the affected area.

While people with chronic pain may have additional concerns, some alignment cues are important for everybody, regardless of age or physical health. Keeping the knee over the ankle in standing poses, for example, helps to protect the knee joint.

Other alignment cues are less important for preventing injury, but important for achieving the full benefit of the pose. In some poses, a person may sacrifice alignment to access what appears to be a deeper expression of the pose, but is in actuality missing the very muscles and connective tissue the pose targets.

When practicing at home alone, it’s hard to see your alignment, even if you practice in front of a mirror and know proper form. A teacher frequently issues gentle reminders about proper form that are important for preventing injuries.

Learning about the spiritual side of yoga 

Beyond the physical practice of yoga, called asana, there is a rich spiritual tradition of yoga that encourages mindfulness and compassion. Many yoga teachers teach breath work, called pranayama, and meditation in addition to the physical postures. These complementary practices do wonders for calming the nervous system, improving a person’s ability to manage stress, and generally creating a joyous sense of peace.

Meditation has been found particularly helpful in reducing the suffering of those living with chronic pain.

To access the full benefit of yoga, it’s important to match the breath to movement, a feature that can easily be lost when novice yogis practice at home. Yoga uses a special type of breath called ujjayi that’s powerful in calming the mind, particularly when linked with body movement. During yoga classes, teachers remind you to return to the breath and can answer questions about ujjayi or other yoga terms.

Teachers over time convey the deeper, spiritual meaning of the practice which many people find enjoyable. Most yoga classes don’t include meditation, but having a relationship with a yoga teacher could be helpful if you’re establishing a practice and need to ask a question. The ancient yogis saw the physical practice as a way to prepare the body for meditation.

Once you have a solid practice, practicing at home is fine and even encouraged. However, establishing a firm foundation is important to practice safely for many years.

I’m on a budget. How can I practice at a studio?

Fortunately, practicing yoga doesn’t have to be expensive. One good option is to join a fitness center that offers yoga along with other cardio classes. You won’t find the variety or the spirituality that many studios offer, but it’s a good option for people wanting to find affordable yoga classes.

Another affordable method is searching coupon sites like Groupon for deals in your area. You might find a large percentage off class packages or a month-long option of unlimited classes. Most studios offer discounts for purchasing packages of five or ten classes as opposed to the drop-in rate for a single class. Some studios offer weekly community yoga that’s free or low-cost. These rates and times change frequently, so contact a studio near you to inquire about a potential class.

If you’re in the Phoenix area, visit the Spirit of Yoga in Tempe. The school trains yoga teachers and offers free classes taught by students in exchange for filling out a feedback form. An experienced instructor supervises the classes, so rest assured your practice will be safe.

Keep an eye on the local events calendar. Fitness apparel stores like Lululemon and Lorna Jane offer free classes. Lululemon holds free yoga classes at its Biltmore and Chandler Fashion Center locations.

Many Lorna Jane stores have an in-store fitness studio where they hold classes. There’s typically a placard outside the store with each week’s schedule, or you can call for times. Valley locations include San Tan Village in Gilbert, Biltmore Fashion Park, Kierland Commons, and Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Have you ever attended a yoga class?

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January is National Blood Donor Month, a time when need runs high while donations typically run low, according to the American Red Cross.

Winter brings fewer blood donations because of busy schedules, colds, and inclement weather that keep people inside instead of visiting the nearest blood donation facility. Meanwhile, winter driving conditions frequently lead to an increase in the demand for blood, with bad accidents leading to traumatic injuries.

Save lives this January by donating blood during National Blood Donor Month. One pint of blood, the amount of the average donation, can save up to three lives, according to the Red Cross.

Who is eligible to donate blood?

Anyone at least 17 years old can donate, as long as they meet certain criteria designed to ensure a healthy supply of blood. The complete list of criteria can be found here, but generally anyone who is healthy can donate blood. Even those with ongoing health conditions such as diabetes may donate as long as the condition is controlled with appropriate medication.

If you have a cold, fever, or cough, though, wait to donate until you feel well.

Many chronic pain patients are on medication, but most prescriptions do not prevent you from donating blood. The Red Cross says:

“In almost all cases, medications will not disqualify you as a blood donor. Your eligibility will be based on the reason that the medication was prescribed. As long as the condition is under control and you are healthy, blood donation is usually permitted.”

If participating in National Blood Donor Month isn’t something you’re able to do, you might also consider making a financial contribution to the Red Cross to help the organization carry out its work.

Why donate blood?

When people arrive at the hospital from car accidents or other traumas, or go into surgery, they often need blood to help them survive. Other people have chronic health conditions, such as sickle cell disease, that require ongoing blood transfusions throughout their lives. Cancer patients may also need blood during the course of their treatment, particularly if they’re receiving chemotherapy.

A blood transfusion happens every two seconds in the U.S., according to the Red Cross, and 41,000 blood donations are needed every day to keep up with demand. Someone arriving at the hospital after a car accident may need as many as 100 pints of blood, although the average transfusion is three pints.

Type O is the type of blood most requested by hospitals, with Type O-negative able to be used for any patient. However, your donation will help save a life no matter what type it is. Fewer than 10% of eligible blood donors in the U.S. give blood.

How does blood donation work?

The first step is to find a place taking donations of blood. Visit this Red Cross website, where you can enter your zip code and find a list of the closest blood donation centers. United Blood Services also runs donation centers across the Valley and country.

Many centers are permanent, although special drives are held during National Blood Donor Month and throughout the rest of the year. For up-to-date information about collection drives, check the Red Cross Arizona Blood Services Region Twitter feed.

Before arriving, make sure to drink plenty of water because being well-hydrated makes it easier to draw blood. You’ll need to offer your arm for the blood draw, which typically takes place above the elbow, so wear a short-sleeved shirt or long shirt with sleeves that can be rolled up.

The Red Cross recommends eating iron-rich foods in the weeks leading up to your donation. Try filling your diet with foods like meat and eggs, tuna, scallops, and oysters. Some vegetables are also iron rich. They include spinach, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and kale. Beans and tofu are good sources of iron, as are strawberries, dates, figs, and prunes. Whole wheat bread, oats, and cream of wheat also offer an abundance of iron.

When you arrive at the blood donation center, it’s important to bring a list of medications you’re taking. While most medications won’t prevent you from donating blood, you’ll want to let the staff know exactly what’s in your system so they can ask any questions required and make sure the blood is safe to donate.

Plan to be at the donation center for about one hour and 15 minutes, although the actual blood draw takes around ten minutes. During your visit, you’ll also receive a mini physical with personnel checking your heart rate, temperature, and pulse to make sure you’re healthy.

After giving blood, you’ll head to a refreshments area to have a light snack and beverage to help the body replenish itself. Hang out there for ten or 15 minutes to make sure you don’t have any adverse effects, and then you’ll be on your way knowing you just helped save lives.

After leaving the facility and later through the day, Red Cross recommends drinking four, eight-ounce glasses of water or other non-alcoholic beverage to help your body replace the lost blood. You may experience dizziness or weakness, so take it easy and try to relax. If you do experience dizzy feelings, lie down with the feet elevated until you feel normal again.

What happens to donated blood?

Blood donated during National Blood Donor Month and during other times of the year is then sent to a special laboratory where technicians separate it into parts including red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. The different components may be used to help different people, making your blood donation mean that much more.

About the Red Cross blood services

The Red Cross’ blood program began in 1940, and today supplies nearly half (40%) of the nation’s blood supply. Blood donations are on a volunteer basis, and the Red Cross supplies the blood for free, charging only enough to run its extensive blood-gathering operations.

Most of the Red Cross’ donations during National Blood Donor Month and throughout the year happen at mobile donation centers situated at churches and other places of worship, community centers, and schools, while about 20% of blood is taken in at permanent Red Cross donation centers.

Have you ever donated blood?

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The subject of chronic pain is so pervasive that it’s finally making its way into popular culture. The latest movie cataloguing life with pain is Cake, starring Jennifer Aniston. The movie hits theaters Jan. 23, 2015.

In Cake, Jennifer Aniston plays a Los Angeles woman with chronic pain named Claire Simmons, whose acerbic wit lends the movie a comedic air although it also has a dramatic element. A woman in Claire’s support group named Nina commits suicide by jumping off a freeway overpass, and the beginning of the movie finds the support group members discussing their feelings about Nina’s tragic end.

Claire, in a way that defines her dark sense of humor, describes the death to support group members—and the audience—ending with a wry, “Way to go, Nina.” The snide comment was enough to get Claire kicked out of the support group.

In Cake, a chronic pain patient has difficultly managing the physical and emotional manifestations of disease.

Meanwhile, Claire herself is suffering immensely, taking painkiller after painkiller to numb her physical and apparently emotional pain. She also engages in destructive behaviors, like drinking wine with her medications. Brash-talking and unhappy, Claire doesn’t have much in life. Her perspective on life has driven away her husband and even physical therapist.

The one bright spot in Claire’s life is her housekeeper, Silvana, who functions as a sidekick, even accompanying Claire to Mexico to pick up painkillers.

Then, Claire begins to see Nina in a series of hallucinations that urge Claire to take her own life. In an effort to quash the feelings, Claire decides to investigate Nina’s death and contacts the woman’s widower, Roy, and son. Roy and Claire develop a friendship and the plot unfolds from there.

The movie has received mixed reviews, with some critics calling the plot ill developed, saved only by Aniston’s stellar acting. The Playlist concludes, “a few chuckles can’t cover up the fact that this is a character study of a character not worth studying.”

But as many moviegoers can attest, sometimes critic reviews are a little more harsh than those of the average viewer looking for an absorbing tale. Those living with or affected by chronic pain could find that Cake offers an interesting plotline.

Despite mixed reviews, moviegoers with chronic pain will likely find the movie Cake relatable.

Aniston approached character development with vigor, undergoing an “uglification” process that included minimal makeup. The only layers applied were intended to make her look unappealing. Aniston wore foundation to make her look sallow and pale and other makeup to resemble scars.

Stringy hair completed the look, undoubtedly a difficult ensemble to sport considering her face would be splashed across gigantic movie theater screens. Vulture reports that Aniston told a movie premier audience:

“I actually found [wearing no makeup on screen] quite awesome and liberating to tell you the truth.”

Although, she adds, that the experience did give her pause like it would many other women. Vulture reports that Aniston fell in love with the script the moment she read it, entranced by Claire’s beautifully tortured soul.

To prepare for the movie, Aniston talked with chronic pain patients for more than a month, asking them what their lives were like on a daily basis. She wanted to understand the nuances of the condition to accurately portray it in the film.

Cake covers topics many pain patients will know intimately well, including pain management, support groups, and mental health.

The movie could almost be a tutorial of how not to manage pain, by taking copious amounts of painkillers and using negativity as a crutch. Instead, there are many vastly healthier lifestyle modifications and alternative medicine treatments that many pain patients find alleviate suffering.

Use the torment depicted in Cake to fuel your own path to pain management and wellness—the healthy way.

Meditation, for example, has been shown to help lift both depression and chronic pain, which frequently go hand in hand. Some studies have shown that depressed people are more likely to develop chronic pain, and alternatively, chronic pain often leads to feelings of sadness.

Everyone feels sad some days, but finding tools to keep your head up and spirits high is important for living with chronic pain. These places to look for inspiration on even the darkest day might come in handy to keep your mental health as balanced as possible.

Diet is also critically important for managing both chronic pain and depression. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has been found to help stabilize the mood. Meanwhile vegan and vegetarian diets have been found to alleviate some pain disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis. Several studies have also shown that eating a plant-based diet could help to alleviate pain resulting from fibromyalgia and neuropathy.

Many pain patients, like Claire, find that support groups are immensely helpful. In real life, people have many options, ranging from online groups to in-person meetings facilitated by medical professionals.

Claire also seemed to find it difficult to express her pain and daily life experience to those around her in healthy ways. Fortunately, there are tried-and-true methods for describing to people how you feel to engender their compassion and understanding instead of anger, including asking for help when needed.

The spoon theory is another effective way of understanding low energy levels, in addition to providing a useful way of describing any limited capacity for activity to others.

Claire’s husband became frustrated by her poor attitude and the relationship ended in separation, but many caregivers and pain patients successfully navigate life with chronic pain. That situation is hard on both patient and caregiver, however, and keeping the lines of communication open is crucial for maintaining a healthy relationship.

Above all, managing stress is one of the most important things to do when living with chronic pain. It not only makes life more pleasant, but can also help to minimize suffering.

Do you plan to see the movie Cake?

Image by Ginny via Flickr