Self Management BC

This post was originally posted on Blogger July 9, 2024.

Living with chronic pain can have a significant impact on your independence and quality of life. Day to day chores and tasks are harder to do, and it’s easy to get lost in everything as it piles up. Chores and tasks that were easily managed before, and done without much thought, now take planning, cause more pain, and use up energy you don’t have. This affects your self esteem, and the value you place on yourself as a contributing member of your household. At least it does for me. 

Learning to manage chronic pain so that you are still somewhat productive and functioning is a skill that is learned over time, and if I’m being honest, can take years to figure out. The trick is to pace yourself with your commitments, chores and tasks, and not doing too much. It’s tough to do because what might be ok one day, is too much the next. Figuring that out also has a learning curve. A steep one. Some days you feel like a rockstar, crushing your to do list, and some days all you can do is focus on getting through the day by doing things that fill your cup. On these days it’s vital to distract yourself from the relentless torment that chronic pain brings with positive self care activities. 

It’s been since 2008 for me and I’m still learning how to pace myself, stay motivated despite how I feel, and keep up with as much as I can keep up with. It’s not easy. I feel like a failure a lot of the time, but my efforts are genuine and I am seeing progress.  

Part of that progress is finding what community, provincial and federal support services are offered in your area. Usually they are free or low cost, and can be very helpful. 

Last year I was told of a program, Self-Management BC, run out of the University of Victoria’s Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health research center by one of my health care practitioners, who suggested I sign up. 

(https://www.selfmanagementbc.ca/home)

Taken from their website, “Self-Management BC, supported by the Province of British Columbia, offers FREE health programs for adults of all ages with one or more ongoing health conditions. Programs are offered in person, virtually, online, by telephone, or by mail for adults living in BC.” 

(https://www.selfmanagementbc.ca/CommunityPrograms)

They offer 4 different programs, with them being cancer, chronic health conditions, chronic pain and diabetes. You can choose how you receive your support, being in person, virtual, over the phone, or by mail. I signed up for their chronic pain support by mail, and received a package that I could go through at my own pace. It consisted of 4 books, with 2 on living a life with chronic pain, and 2 on living a life with chronic health conditions. 

For those that want to learn beyond just the books, and have some more structured guidance, Self-Management BC offers workshops throughout the year for these programs that you can attend in person or virtually. I would love to go to one of the in-person support groups, but they are off island and not a realistic option given my circumstances. 

They also offer 30 minute sessions of personal one on one coaching by telephone, or you can receive the coaching by email, and they have a mailing list you can subscribe to to get their newsletter, “In The Loop”, sent every couple of weeks. Below is the link to sign up.

(​​https://selfmanagementbc.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=43bc52c036e0bdceb52a0d238&id=9819c68f5a)

Today I started reading the books they sent on managing chronic pain, and will be writing about my progress. I’m starting with the 20 page supplement booklet that outlines the Tool Kit for Active Living with Chronic Pain and offers guidance for reading Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Pain, which was written by people with years of experience working with people with chronic pain conditions. 

I will be journaling my progress and sharing what I’m learning as I move through the book. The first page in the supplemental booklet is a brief overview of what “Action Planning” is and how important it is when you are living with chronic pain or other chronic health conditions.

I have also registered for their free 6 week virtual workshop on living with chronic pain, which begins October 1, 2024. I am excited for this free opportunity.

My ultimate dream and long term goal is to start a chronic pain support group here on Galiano. Years ago when I first moved here there used to be one but the woman who ran it had to step down. I’ve often thought over the years that I’d love to get it up and running again, but do not have the bandwidth or organizational skills anymore to take that on. That being said, once I’m further along in my online goals, and have a good system going, I’d like to look into starting a private local Facebook group for residents of Galiano with chronic pain or other chronic health conditions. That seems a little more attainable to me.

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You don't have to manage your chronic pain journey alone. Join our community of pain warriors by signing up for my newsletter on the home page or below any blog post on my website https://meredithhutton79.com/meredithhutton79. As a welcome gift, I'll send you two complimentary pain-tracking pages and a 200-page household planner to help ease your mental load.

For more resources, browse my collection of chronic pain-themed trackers, planners, and journals at my shop: https://meredithhutton79.com/shop