I had not seen it so clearly expressed, and was very impressed. I am sure there are many people who can relate to some, if not all of it.

---

Is pain purely physical? Or is it physiological (just how the body functions)? Or psychological? We all know that falls and trauma can certainly result in pain. Poor posture or overexerting when lifting something heavy can also cause pain. So pain definitely has a physical component.

The article I referred to above also highlights how pain can be caused by underlying mental and emotional stressors. I certainly agree with some of it, and I have and will continue to refer some of my clients to clinical psychologists to address some of the concerns listed in the article. So that means that pain is not only physical but also psychological.

Headaches and migraines are likely due to all sorts of stress. Stress is commonly stated as a cause of headaches in medical text books. Stress is fundamentally the cause of all pain. But who doesn’t have stress? I have heaps of stress; but knock on wood, I don’t have any headaches or migraines.

I also know of high level individuals, CEOs of massive companies, who don’t have any money and financial concerns, but have low back pain. They are asked to be board members of different companies and get paid generously for their time and expertise. So I’m not entirely convinced back pain is completely a result of money issues.
So how about physiological? When you read my book, The Pain-Free Desk Warrior, No More Aches And Pains (launched in December 2015,), you will see that I dedicated a whole chapter on stress, which is the underlying cause of pain. As mentioned, most people have stress from a variety of directions like work, money, family, friends, and kids. People are stressed about what others think, what to wear at tonight’s event, or even what to eat for dinner.

Stress comes in five types – physical, mental, emotional, chemical, and spiritual – and no one will ever be able to sort out and get rid of all these stressors. What we need to understand about physical pain is that it is a result of how our body deals with the stress.

Having tools and strategies to deal with time management or anxiety is of great help. It can help with preventing or minimizing the onset of pain. But essentially pain means the body’s ability to cope is overwhelmed. We can deal with some level of stress in a certain amount of time. When this happens, our defense mechanism kicks in and if the stress goes away (let’s say you met the deadline or the payment ) then we go back to normal.

But if the stress persists, then we go into adaptation mode – what I refer to as a change in physiology. This is when the body starts compensating and overcompensating. It’s like working really hard and not getting enough sleep. You can still function and work, but your adrenaline and stress hormones are high. We can only stay in this state for a certain amount of time until our body fatigues. Until we reach our limit. That’s when the pain starts.

Most people overwork themselves past this point. Their body fatigues and gives up, and the pain, illnesses, and fatigue set in. What I do is help people adapt better to stress, and build their health so that their body is more resilient to their habits and lifestyle. To get them out of pain and better able to cope with stress, we need to adjust and improve their biomechanics, compensation patterns, and brain-body connection. Of course, the final part is improving their habits and lifestyle. This will also help to address the physical and psychological components of pain.

So, simply, to get rid of pain, eat right, move right, meditate, get connected with your body, free yourself from changes in physiology and compensatory patterns, tune in to your inner self, love, laugh and smile more, and accept your responsibility in getting yourself better, healthier and happier. Want to be pain free? It starts with you.

Good luck!