As I have battled arthritis pain for the last 28 years, I have tried many different things in my search for pain relief.
Prescription and over-the-counter medication make up a big part of my treatment plan.
I believe that if I have more positive support in my life, I don’t dwell on my pain levels so much. It’s fine to have the support of family and friends, but for me, I think spirituality has been the most helpful.
How to Explore Your Spiritual Side
Write Down Your Goals
What are your goals? You may have a vague goal such as I want to learn more about spirituality or you may create a ritual that leads to a life-long journey.
Remember this is YOUR journey. It isn’t what your mother wants you to do to keep the neighbors from gossiping. Your brother may have been the family superstar who excelled at everything, but that is his journey, not yours.
Feed Your Mind with Positive Information
There is no shortage of negative information in a book or online. I find that I can waste a lot of time online reading the latest news, which contains stories about murder, fraud, stealing, and everything in between.
Feed your mind with biographies and memoirs of famous people who have overcome adversity and are now on a more spiritual path.
I love to read positive human-interest stories that show people helping others. These stories make me realize that there are still good things and people in our messed-up world.
Write in a Journal
It’s fine to journal about all your feelings positive and negative, but I did an experiment where I just journaled my positive thoughts and it made a huge difference in my attitude.
I was working for a large insurance company and had made friends with one of the vice presidents of the company. Our workgroup was having problems at the time and he encouraged me to keep a positive journal.
I got so lost in this journal that I forgot about the work problems. When our workgroup had our next meeting, I had to think hard to remember what problems we were having.
Write whatever works for you. There have been times that I was so upset, that I practically tore holes in the paper trying to get all the negative thoughts out of my head.
Pray
If you are like me, your day can be so busy that you forget to pray. You don’t have to be inside a church to pray. If necessary, you can silently pray in your head or head outside on your break where you can have some peace and quiet to concentrate.
There is nothing like divine guidance to keep you on the straight and narrow path.
Develop a Meditation Practice
Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. You can use it to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings.
Many people think of it as a way to reduce stress and develop concentration. Regular meditation practice can lead to a more positive mood and outlook, better sleep habits, and increased concentration.
Try Hypnosis
I have blogged about this before, but if you are not using hypnosis you are really missing out on some great benefits. There is an MP3 that I listen to called Arthritis Pain Relief. How does hypnosis relieve arthritis pain? It’s very relaxing and when you are relaxed, you don’t have as much pain. It has been a real game-changer for me.
Summary
Write down your goals and review them every day. Try these tips and see which ones work for you. There is a lot to learn about spirituality so take your time and enjoy the process.
