The relationships in our lives, determine the quality of our lives. The relationships we have with our parents, partner or children, determine the quality of our lives. The relationships we have with our coworkers and neighbours determine the quality of our lives. But most importantly, the relationship we have with ourselves and our physical body determines the quality of our lives.

If the relationships are negative such as hatred, anger, disgust, disappointment, frustration, annoyance, or lack of acceptance, we will have a lower quality of life. On the other hand if our relationships are mostly of love, compassion, acceptance, caring and understanding, we will have a higher quality of life.

 I am hair challenged, yet I have a positive relationship with my bald head. I am accepting of it, understand it and am now non-judgemental about it. This makes my lack of hair irrelevant to my quality of life. I do not mean to belittle those suffering from physical pain by comparing pain to my baldness. However, many people also suffer from significant emotional pain related to their physical appearances such their weight or the size of their nose etc. The emotional pain and the lack of self-acceptance can have quite a significant negative stress and on the quality of their lives.

“This study showed that acceptance increased the patient’s quality of life by giving physical relief from pain. In contrast, pain catastrophizing decreased the quality of life, and increased the patients’ tendency to get frustrated, irritated, and anxious about the pain.” – Semeru & Halim 2019

The primary aim of The Pain Truth program is to help individuals positively change their relationship with their pain. You may become a Pain Truth Certified provider by completing a short on-line course. You may first view this intro video to the program.

Reference: Semeru G, Halim S. Acceptance versus catastrophizing in predicting quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain. Korean J Pain. 2019 Jan; 32(1): 22–29.

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