Why Slowing Down Can Help When Pain Flares

This gentle audio talk explores why slowing down may help when pain flares. Learn how stress, fear and uncertainty can increase distress around pain, and how pacing, mindfulness and gentle movement can support calmer decisions. A practical reminder to work with your body rather than fight against it.

Transcript

When pain flares, Our first reaction is often to fight it. We want it gone. We might stretch harder, Push through it, Constantly test it out or search for that magic fix that will get rid of it straight away. Or we may go the other way and just stop moving altogether because we're frightened of making things worse. But sometimes the most helpful place is somewhere in the middle, Slowing down. Slowing down doesn't mean giving up and it doesn't mean that the pain isn't real and it doesn't mean that you have to stop everything. It means giving your body and your nervous system just time to settle while continuing to work gently with what is happening in the present moment. Pain is real, But it's also very, Very complex. And it isn't always a direct measure of how much damage is present in our bodies. Our experience of pain can be influenced by so many factors. Stress, Poor sleep, Fear, Previous experiences, Uncertainty, And even how safe or threatened we feel at the time. When pain suddenly increases, The nervous system often becomes more protective. The muscles begin to guard. Our breathing might become quicker and more shallow. We can often become hyper-aware of every sensation. Our pain dial can often go up. And our thoughts can quickly move towards the worst possible outcome. What have I damaged? How long will this last? Will I be able to work? Will I be able to run again or exercise again? Those thoughts are understandable, But they can also add another layer of distress to an already difficult experience. I experienced this recently when my lower back flared during a run. I'd only just started and I noticed very early into the run that I got this sensation in my back and almost immediately my attention narrowed right onto that area. And for about the next four days, I couldn't bend over and do my shoelaces up. Now, Like many people, I could have kept testing it out, Pushing through it or worrying about what it might mean. Instead, I tried to slow everything down. I didn't mean I immediately assumed that every uncomfortable sensation was new, Fresh damage. I changed what I was doing. I walked. I used some gentle movement. I sat in meditation, Counted my breathing. I really found that helps. But none of these things instantly removed the discomfort, And that's important to say. Mindfulness isn't a magic switch that makes the pain disappear, But it helped reduce some of the distress around the pain. It gave me a little more space between the sensation itself and the thoughts I was having about it. And then within that space, I was able to make calmer decisions because I had a calmer mind. When pain flares, Slowing down might mean taking a gentler walk instead of completing the run you had planned. It might mean breaking a job into smaller pieces. It could mean changing positions or resting for a short time and then returning to some comfortable movement. It might simply mean taking a few slower breaths and just noticing whether your jaw, Shoulders, Or hands are tightening from the experience that you're having. You're not forcing your body to relax. You're creating the conditions that may help it feel that less threatened. And this is where pacing can be helpful. Pacing isn't about doing nothing and it isn't about pushing until the pain forces you to stop. It's about finding a manageable amount of activity and building from there. Doing a little bit more often can sometimes be way more helpful than doing too much on a better day and then needing several days to recover. I see this a lot with my massage work as well. When people are in pain, There can be this strong desire to find that sore spot and attack it. More pressure, More stretching, More effort, More yang. But the body doesn't always respond well to force. Sometimes a slower movement, Gentle touch and calm breathing can be such a better starting point. Slowing down can also give us time to listen. Is the body asking for a complete rest or would some gentle movement would mobility work, Would that be more supportive? Am I avoiding movement because something feels really unsafe or because I'm frightened of the sensation? Am I pushing because it feels helpful or because I'm frustrated and I'm trying to prove that the pain won't stop me? There isn't one answer that works for everyone. New, Severe or unexplained pain may need to be assessed by a health professional. Slowing down is not a replacement for appropriate medical care. But when you understand your condition and you recognize a familiar flare, Slowing down may help you respond with way more awareness and less panic. The goal isn't always to make the pain disappear immediately. Sometimes the first goal is simply to stop adding more tension, Fear, And frustration to the experience that you're having, To remind yourself that this moment can change, To continue moving in a way that feels manageable, And to give your nervous system time to adapt. The next time you have pain and a flare, See if you can pause before reacting. Take a slower breath, Notice what is your mind predicting, And then ask yourself, What would working with my body look like right now? Sometimes slowing down is how we begin moving forward again.