Pain can be consuming. Frustrating. It can wear away at your patience. It affects your reactions and the way in which you process ongoing stressors. Relationships suffer. Work suffers. Finding positive and effective ways to cope with pain is sometimes easier said than done.

Here are five helpful tips to ponder if you suffer with pain.

1. Find your balance. Within the ankles, knees, hips and low back, there are special nerves that affect balance. Balance is often disrupted with injury or surgery, often leading to avoidance and muscular compensations. Balance is easy to restore and can be part of an everyday routine. So, every chance you get, practice one-legged balancing. Start by holding on to something - a countertop or a chair. Begin by keeping the toes of the non-balancing foot on the ground. Then make it progressively harder by challenging yourself with placements of the non-balancing leg and not using your hands for stability. If you feel confident enough, try with eyes closed.

2. Practice good posture. Whether sitting or standing, awareness of proper posture can save you plenty of pain. While driving, keep the back of your head as close as possible to the headrest. As the head moves forward of the shoulders it places a lot of strain on the muscles of the upper back and the discs of the neck. Pull your shoulder blades down. While at your desk or in the car, imagine a car seat headrest behind you. These same postural rules apply to the head and shoulders. Also, learn what it means to “engage your core”. Core engagement applies to stationary and moving postures. It is a more detailed concept that will require some research (googling?), but an important one that is also intertwined with your sense of balance.

3. Drink water. More water than you think. A good goal for the average person is about 64-72 ounces of water each day. Dehydration is responsible for a ton of ill and far ranging effects on the body including the fueling of inflammation. Proper hydration is needed for many bodily processes, as well as for healing and reducing pain. Consider a pinch of Celtic or Himalayan sea salt in your water for an electrolyte boost stronger than any sports drink. Make it convenient. Keep water by your side, in the car, and by your bed.

4. Breathe. When we are in pain we often hold our breath or take short, shallow breaths. Elongated inhales and exhales can help to release stored tension. Emphasize the exhalation. Focus on your breathing as much as you can at intervals throughout the day. Pause to take a few breaths. Count your breaths. Breathe through the nose and out the mouth. In through the mouth, out through the nose. In and out through the nose. Breathe how it feels good to you. Use your breath to tune into your body. Focus your mind to send your breath to the areas of pain. Close your eyes and breath into your pain. Keep breathing. Exhale. Let it go.

5. Float. Float therapy has tremendous benefit for pain. And floating also attends to the collateral side effects of chronic pain - increased sensitivity to stress and anxiety, as well poor sleep. A hallmark positive effect of floating is that it makes improvements in sleep hygiene, enabling more restful and productive sleeps. Good sleep affects everything including mood, pain, productivity, focus, energy. The restorative properties of floating easily allow for enhanced recovery of everything from post exercise muscle soreness to injury and surgery. There are many recent case studies confirming improvements in the intensity and frequency of chronic pain through floating. For this information, read our case studies including the study on chronic low back pain and floating. Floating also leverages any other wellness or therapeutic method so it serves as a good choice for pain management, as well as general health, as floating affects both the body and mind.

For additional information about case studies or to contact the author, Dr. David Berv, please email david@myfloatzone.com.