Dealing with pelvic pain is like velcro. It gets so stuck in your mind that it consumes all your thoughts, how you behave, what you say, where you go, what you do, etc.

This is exhausting both mentally and physically. Thoughts of worry, anxiety, fear, and anger are nerve impulses that set off a cascade of reactions in your body. You might notice bodily changes in your breathing pattern, heartbeat, temperature, sweating, and muscle tension. For you, that might also mean increased sensitivity of your pain.

Let’s say you sprain your ankle...messages go along nerves to the spinal cord in your back where a conversation is started about the situation. Eventually, that danger message might arrive at the brain. But this message is a danger message, not a pain message. Most of the time you’re not aware that this conversation is actually happening. It’s when the brain mixes these messages with other things like your thoughts, beliefs, memories, future plans, fears and a lot of other things that pain may emerge.

Just like the message from your ankle, thoughts, and beliefs are nerve impulses too and they can work for you or against you. When thoughts come up we don’t have to think about them, in other words, thoughts think themselves. A thought makes electricity and juice at the end of nerve cells just like danger messages from a sprained joint.

So what does this mean for pelvic pain? Worry, anxiety and fear are common emotions that arise when experiencing pelvic pain. Impending doom! It never makes sense to think

Pelvic pain makes me feel terrible so let me keep thinking about it.

When negative thoughts about pelvic pain come up for you, you don’t have to think them. Worry breeds worry and this creates a lot of unnecessary suffering.

So the next time a negative thought or worry grabs your attention like velcro, try these 3 simple steps to help calm your mind and ease your tension:

1. Drop what you’re doing  

2. Acknowledge the thought or emotion without judgment

3. Stop conceptual thinking by focusing your attention on your natural breathing pattern

This only works with consistent practice and awareness. So, check in with your mind throughout the day.

When your mind is peaceful, your brain doesn’t have to worry about protecting you which means, you guessed it, less pain.

This information is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding treatment, medications/supplements, or any medical diagnoses. This information is intended for educational purposes only and is in no way to substitute the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.