Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health The Mind-Body Skills That Help You Stay Active Through Chronic Pain
Nov 26, 2025
Chronic pain is a common struggle, affecting over 50 million adults. The key to staying active lies more in pain resilience than severity. Five components define this resilience: emotional regulation, psychological flexibility, self-care, spirituality, and internal strengths. Strategies like walking 8,000 steps daily and ensuring quality sleep can boost emotional balance. Additionally, consuming healthy carbohydrates fuels energy and repair. The hosts even challenge listeners to adopt two resilience-building actions for a week.
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Resilience Outweighs Pain Severity
- Pain resilience predicts activity more than pain severity or fear of movement.
- Resilience acts like a mental shock absorber enabling people to pace and stay active despite pain.
Five Pillars Of Pain Resilience
- Five components define pain resilience: emotional regulation, psychological flexibility, self-care, spirituality, and internal strengths.
- These components together enable sustained engagement and adaptation despite chronic pain.
Use Pausing And Reframing During Flare-Ups
- Practice emotional self-regulation by pausing, breathing, acknowledging sensations, and shifting focus during flare-ups.
- Adjust expectations with psychological flexibility to stay connected to meaningful activities.