If you are feeling down and out because of the daily
chronic pain don't let that be an emotional state you
choose to live in indefinitely. Just a few little changes in
your daily life can assist you to form clear positive
thoughts to help relieve pain.

1) Before you head home from the doctor's office appointment, make a detour and stop at
the pet store for a few minutes. Watching the puppies, kittens and even hamsters spinning
on their wheels for just twenty minute will give you a fresh outlook on the day. Studies
have given us lots of reasons to spend time with pets; they help our overall well-being,
decreasing our stress level, improving our quality of health, and even facilitating our
healing of surgeries more rapidly. Success has brought about a lot of pet therapy for
handicapped people and the elderly and pet owners with chronic and terminal illness
become individuals when there is a Fido in the house.

2) When was the last time you heard a song that was your favorite back in high school?
Start putting together a collection of your favorite songs. The new ipod shuffle recently
dropped in price to just $50 and it holds about 250 songs. This little device is around the
size of a cracker, yet it can increase your energy level exponentially. Research has found
that listening to music for just twenty minutes a day can decrease one's level of pain.
Researchers have also found the beneficial effects of music listening on healing in
children. So start putting together a list of the songs you eventually will want to
download and ask people to give you itunes cards as gifts. Son you will have a wide
variety of songs that will inspire you, spur childhood memories, provide energy, hope,
and maybe even a desire to get up and dance, even if you just dance around the kitchen
floor with a broom.

3) Ask your kids if you can join them while they play video games. Games aren't just for
entertainment anymore. Wheeling Jesuit University did a study and found that video
games can distract someone from their pain significantly enough to give them a real
break from their pain. Games for Health has recently been developed to bring together
researchers, medical professionals, and game developers to share information about the
impact games and game technologies can have on health care and policy. If you end up
needing rehabilitation following a surgery, you'll likely find yourself playing Wii.

4) Pick up a coloring book and a one of those huge boxes of crayons with the sharpener
in the back. If you haven't had children in your home, it's easy to assume that it's been
years since you've experienced the delight of a newly sharpened crayon in your fingers.
They have coloring books for everything now, or even free downloads online. Some of
these include: wedding coloring books, leprechaun coloring book, and even monkey
coloring books.