Have you heard of pain self-management?
Self-management means that you can make small changes that add up to big
improvements in your well-being. We give you the tools and you make the changes.
There is a free online self-management tool for people living with chronic pain,
it is called LivePlanBe+. The name is a play on the concept of Plan B,
which is the alternative we turn to when life doesn’t turn out as planned.
It was created by Pain BC, in British Columbia Canada,
in partnership with people living with pain and healthcare providers.
LivePlanBe is available to anyone in the world. So, let's talk about leave Plan B plus today.
LivePlanBe+ is free because it receives funding from the government of British Columbia,
hospitals, donors and foundations. It is made in Canada but anyone in the world can access it.
It includes 47 videos with 9 people with pain who tell
you about their experiences with self-management.
The content is tailored to your interest and your existing knowledge of pain and self-management.
Let’s take a pic inside it:
This is the landing page. You sign in and create an account. You see
that you will acquire skills and strategies for living with pain.
And you can learn at your own pace. You can apply what you learn by making small,
manageable changes to daily habits. The program makes it easier to work on these small changes.
Once you enter the program, you will see this home page.
Here you can keep track of the modules you are learning, the small changes that you are making.
Before you start, you will be invited to do an assessment and select your topics.
The program will then recommend you where to start.
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There are 40 topics that you can choose from to learn, and they are organized into modules.
Here, you see there are core modules,
then pain science modules, building a flare-up plan, treatment, health Care,
Identity, Goals, Relationships, Communication, Stress, Movement, Sleep, Symptom Management,
Nutrition, Sex and intimacy, Nervous System Regulation, Mood and Behaviour, and many more.
Let’s see an example, this one on relationships, sex and intimacy. It says here this module will
take 26 minutes, there are resources for you to read, and you can hear an interview with a
doctor. In this video, Desmond Williams, who is a person living with chronic pain
will interview Dr. Lauren Walker to talk about relationships, sex and intimacy.
You can also watch Trevor reflecting on how chronic pain has strengthened his bond with his
wife. Carmen shares the struggles of navigating relationships when you live with chronic pain.
And Debra reflects on the challenges and rewards of being in a long-term
relationship when you live with chronic pain. These are all real
people with chronic pain who were interviewed for these modules.
Listen to some of these interviews here. I'm a musician, that's part of my identity.
I studied Jazz at the conservatory and run a lot of different bands and I love to do that
kind of stuff. When pain gets in the way there sometimes, but I've managed to keep that part
going. My identity, I'm also a hypnotist now because I learned that hypnosis helped me so
much with my pain. I wouldn't have gone in that direction at all if I hadn't sort of tried it and
found it so valuable from a scientific beginning actually which is a bit of an odd story but
yeah, I'm also a father and a husband and yeah I there's more to me than pain. There was a time
when I couldn't see past that. Thankfully it's not like that anymore. Pain has affected my sleep in
a lot of ways. I haven't been getting good sleep since I had chronic pain.
I find myself tossing and turning all night. The only way I get to sleep is probably because
I'm so fatigued. When I don't get a good sleep the next day, I am tired, I'm Moody,
I forget things, I become very forgetful which is very frustrating. Yeah, when it comes to managing
negative moods or things that are triggering one of the most difficult things sometimes can
be that those emotions or those feelings, those moods just need to be felt and again
speaking to forgiveness and not blaming yourself or feeling a particular way just because you're
in pain and allowing yourself to sometimes just be grumpy and expressing yourself. If there's
people that you love that maybe you're grumpy around you can be vocal and you can be honest
and say I'm sorry I'm just feeling very grumpy today I'm in a lot of pain and I can't seem to,
you know, change my mood up in the moment. There are a lot of cool animations in this
program too. Look at this one about strategies of mindfulness, strategies
for a better sleep, and for better nutrition. Strategies: Nervous System Regulation.
Learning how to live in the present moment, when the present moment is painful or uncomfortable,
is a critical part of mindfulness. Learning to live in the present moment when things
feel good and are pleasurable is also a part of mindfulness. Mindfulness is about
accepting what is here right now as best we can. Acceptance is not about giving up.
Research shows that people who learn how to live in painful moments with
some acceptance have a better response to treatments and better overall pain outcomes.
Negative thoughts can drive negative feelings.
When we are in pain, this can influence the sensitivity of the nervous system which can
then increase our pain experience. Mindfulness training is based on the
idea of noticing what is happening with curiosity and without judgment.
While this won't make pain go away, it takes some of the attention from our worries about
negative things that might happen and puts the focus on what is really happening.
Mindfulness can be used to approach everything we encounter throughout the day including eating,
walking, or even doing the dishes. The idea is to be aware of the present moment as much as
possible. This helps us avoid getting caught up in fears from the past or worries for the future.
Living in the moment can be a helpful technique when dealing with pain.
We can get through most things if we live moment to moment
and don't allow the implications of what we're dealing with to overwhelm us.
Living moment to moment can help us avoid getting caught in a spiral of secondary suffering.
It can be difficult whenever we have a twinge or sensation of pain.
We are immediately flooded with worries and fears as to what this could be.
We may wonder if our pain will ever get better or if we have seriously injured ourselves this time.
Reacting out of habit is something our brains are trained to do for survival
like how we automatically lock doors behind us, turn out lights at night,
or even brush our teeth without thinking.
Learning how to respond by choosing a positive reaction versus reacting in knee-jerk ways
is a good way to train our brains to cope with difficult experiences before they spiral.
Using mindfulness breathing exercises as an anchor
to pay attention to the present moment is helpful at these times.
This can mean observing our bodies as we breathe in and breathe out noticing
how our chest and stomach might move. It also includes working on noticing our experiences,
thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations rather than focusing on them or trying to stop them.
Module 3.4 strategies: sleep. Sleep can be a critical factor in maintaining a balanced life.
Sleep hygiene is managing the things we do that can affect our sleep. Keeping a
sleep diary or log can help us determine which factors make the most significant differences.
A sleep diary tracks important sleep related information like Sleep Quality, length of sleep,
waking time, how long to fall asleep, naps, medications.
By tracking our sleep habits, we can see patterns and create new habits that will
help us get a good sleep more often. Exercising, even at low levels, can be beneficial to our sleep
although, we should avoid exercising within two to three hours of going to bed because
it can increase our heart rate and body temperature making it harder to sleep.
The things we eat before bed can also have an impact.
We should avoid heavy, fatty, or sugary Foods.
and anything with caffeine like coffee, chocolate, or carbonated soda.
We may consider having milk before bed as it is sleep promoting. The environment in which
we sleep in can be important. A bedroom should be quiet and as dark as possible.
It may help to use earplugs, a fan, or a white noise machine.
We want to make sure the temperature is comfortable and not too hot or too cold
although it is easier to fall asleep in a cooler room.
We want to limit reading from computers or mobile devices before going to sleep.
Many people find it helpful to establish a clear sleep routine and habits
like waking up at the same time every day.
It can be beneficial to look for signs of sleepiness like nodding, off
zoning out, feeling cold to indicate we're ready for bed. Other strategies that may help
include taking a warm bath or shower before bed which can relax us and help our bodies get to an
ideal temperature for sleeping. Relaxation exercises before bed can also be helpful.
Establishing good sleep habits and hygiene
can make a big difference in our ability to manage pain.
Module 3.5 strategies: nutrition. What we eat and drink can really affect our health.
Proper nutrition nourishes our body and makes us feel good.
Poor nutrition can lead to a host of negative symptoms and long-term impacts on our health.
Although we know nutrition and diet are important,
research doesn't yet clearly tell us what we should and should not eat to manage our pain.
Recent evidence does suggest that in general, good eating habits may positively impact pain.
So, what are good eating habits? We might be surprised to know that having good habits
doesn't mean eating an anti-inflammatory diet buying only organic food or following
the latest diet trend such as ketogenic or gluten-free. Good eating habits are mainly about
eating a variety of unprocessed fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins.
Avoid processed foods sugary snacks and sodas drinking lots of water. Over time, we can refine
our approach to eating by trying different foods and noticing what makes us feel best while still
aiming to meet National nutrition guidelines. A good starting place is Canada's food guide
which recommends eating plenty of vegetables and fruits. They should take up half of our plates.
Eat protein foods these should take up about a quarter of our plates. Choose whole grain
foods this should take up about a quarter of our plates. Make water our drink of choice.
We are all in different situations and for some of us, accessing nourishing foods may be difficult.
We should look for the healthiest or least processed option available within our means.
It might not be ideal, but it is still a good choice. Changing what we eat can be hard. A good
idea is to start slowly with small changes as we will be more likely to keep them up.
It is also easier to tell what makes a difference to our pain when changes are slow and deliberate.
If we do find something that works, we can keep it.
If we don't notice any difference or feel worse, we can get rid of it.
When we focus on small changes over time, we can improve the way we eat and hopefully how we feel.
And to finish, I would like to show you this flare-up Plan tool. Here you can build your
own flare-up Plan. You can choose from a variety of strategies, like gentle exercises, massage,
phone a friend, and create a list of friends, do mindful meditation, or create your own strategy.
Please remember that this video is not intended to provide medical advice,
it is for educational purposes only. If you have a condition that is causing chronic pain,
please talk to your doctor to get an individualized plan for you. If there
is an emergency, please call an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency department.
So, if you like this program, share it with people you know. Smash the share button here
and send this video to anyone you know has chronic pain. The LivePlanBe+ program is not restricted to
Canada, which means, anyone around the world can take advantage of all these resources.
I would love to read your comments. Please use
the comment section below to write your suggestions for topics of future videos.
Thank you for watching. Goodbye.