Living Well with Chronic Pain
Pre-Recorded Course Information
Everyone can feel stressed, worried or experience low moods from time to time. These feelings are normal but can become more intense when living with chronic pain and the emotional distress it can cause. Chronic pain can be overwhelming and it can impact every area of life. Many people can also find that they become less active, or start experiencing unhelpful thoughts about themselves, their health and the world around them.
How is the Course Organised?
'Living Well with Chronic Pain' is a five session online course, with new material provided each week. Each session will be pre-recorded and made available via a video link, which you can watch at your convenience. We would encourage you to watch each session week-by-week to keep the therapeutic momentum going. However, the videos will remain available to you for the duration of the course. Each video will look at different tools and techniques to help you manage your emotions. They will also be accompanied by a booklet, which contains interactive exercises that work alongside the content of the sessions. Watching and interacting with each of the sessions will provide you with a good understanding of low mood, anxiety and stress and how to manage it. You will get more from the course if you practice the techniques between sessions.
Each week there will also be an optional group-based 'Course Support Session'. This will be interactive, facilitated online by two of our clinicians. This session will support you to reflect on your learning and to give an opportunity to answer any questions you may have from that week's course content. In this session clinicians are unable to offer individual support. If you feel you need to speak to someone directly, please use the crisis numbers and helplines listed below.
What will I Learn?
Session 1: Welcome to the Course
How what we do and think affects how we feel.
How anxiety about our health affects the body.
Skills around relaxation, goal setting, lifestyle changes and improving sleep.
Session 2: Managing our Mood
What low mood is and how it affects our behaviour.
What actions you can take to improve motivation and boost mood.
How to overcome common barriers to activity and exercise.
Session 3: Managing Thoughts
How chronic pain can affect our thinking.
How to identify unhelpful thinking styles and challenge unhelpful thoughts.
How to manage unhelpful thoughts, using the STOPP Technique.
Session 4: Managing Worry
How to identify different types of worries and how to manage them effectively.
The relationship between worry and tolerating uncertainty.
Skills to refocus your attention using 'Worry Time' and 'Problem Solving' techniques.
Session 5: Facing your Fears and Bringing it all Together
How the role of avoidance and reassurance keeps anxiety going.
Techniques to help you to face your fears and regain confidence.
How to develop a future management plan and prepare for possible barriers to your progress.
Questionnaires and Feedback
You will be asked to fill in a short questionnaire about anxiety and low mood before each session. This enables us to both give you feedback about your progress and evaluate the course. We also welcome any comments or suggestions you might like to share about the course.
Crisis Support
If you are in crisis or need immediate support:
Samaritans: 116 123 or text "shout" to 85258
For support and information:
Sussex Mental Healthline: 0300 5000 101 open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For more advice on coping with suicidal thoughts:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide/