The Support & Kindness Podcast, Episode 14: Understanding Chronic Pain

In this honest, empathetic conversation, host Greg and co‑hosts Rich, Jay, Derek, and Sam share personal stories about living with chronic pain — from migraines and traumatic brain injury to digestive disorders, joint damage, and addiction recovery. 

They explain how chronic pain affects the body, mind, relationships, work, and identity, and offer practical, compassionate strategies like pacing, tiny movement goals, grounding routines, symptom tracking, and peer support. The episode emphasizes validation, self‑advocacy, and community: your pain is real, you’re not alone, and small, consistent steps plus supportive people can make a meaningful difference.

Greg
00:00 - 00:21
Hi, I'm Greg Shaw, and this is the Support and Kindness podcast. You're listening to episode 14, Understanding Chronic Pain Beyond the Hurt. Today we're talking about chronic pain, what it is, why it's often invisible, how it shapes everyday life, and some practical ways to cope and adapt over time. Joining me today are my co-hosts, Rich, Jay, Derek, and Sam.

Greg
00:21 - 00:39
And just a quick note before we start, we're not medical professionals. We're sharing personal stories and experiences of living with chronic pain. Nothing that you hear today should be taken as medical advice. To put it simply, chronic pain is pain that sticks around long after an injury should have healed, usually three to six months or more.

Greg
00:39 - 01:02
And it's different from acute pain, which is your body's early warning system. that something's wrong. When pain lasts a long time, the nervous system can stay overly sensitive even after the injury heals and as a result, small or normal sensations can feel quite painful. Chronic pain doesn't stay isolated, it affects many parts of your life and causes various physical problems.

Greg
01:02 - 01:15
Your immune system can weaken. Pain and stress can affect your heart and circulation. Digestion can be affected too. Changes in appetite, activity or medication can make you lose or gain weight.

Greg
01:16 - 01:37
Pain and anxiety can make your breathing feel shallow or tight. Everyday movements such as walking, standing, cleaning, cooking or showering can become hard. And on bad days, basic hygiene like brushing your teeth or showering might feel quite impossible. You might need to change or stop hobbies or activities like sports, crafts, music or exercises.

Greg
01:37 - 01:46
In short, it can touch nearly every part of your life. But it doesn't just affect your body. It changes how your mind works too. You can mess with your thinking and memory.

Greg
01:46 - 02:04
Decision making can feel like climbing a mountain. Motivation can shift and you might genuinely not want to do things and you might feel tired and drained and overwhelmed all the time before you actually start. Chronic pain also touches your emotions in your relationships. Anxiety and stress are quite common and it can affect how you see yourself.

Greg
02:05 - 02:18
Some people turn to alcohol or drugs to cope with pain or with the stress around it. That's completely understandable but it can lead to other problems over time. Social life and relationships can often change. You might cancel plans at the last minute.

Greg
02:18 - 02:30
Miss important events or feel left out when others keep going without you. Family roles can shift too, and intimacy can be affected. And then there's work and money. Missed days, reduced hours, or even losing a job.

Greg
02:30 - 02:49
So chronic pain isn't just a physical experience, it can reach almost every aspect and part of your life. If you're facing that, it's understandable that you'll be exhausted. It's reasonable that it seems overwhelming because it truly is. One of the hardest things about chronic pain is that from the outside it's often invisible.

Greg
02:49 - 03:00
People around you might say, you don't look sick, you were fine yesterday. Probably just stress. But your scans and blood tests can all show normal even when you're in real intense pain. Pain's complicated.

Greg
03:00 - 03:18
It can involve both the body and brain. Medical tests don't pick up on everything that's going on. If you live with chronic pain, even when the tests show nothing, your pain is still real, your experience is still valid and it matters. Not seeing anything on a scan, it doesn't mean that you're imagining it or that you're making it up.

Greg
03:18 - 03:53
In this episode, we want to explain how chronic pain starts, how it can change over time and how it affects your body, your mood and everyday life. talk honestly about the emotional and the social side of things, share practical strategies that many people might find helpful, including things such as pacing and managing energy, gentle or graded movement, routines to support sleep or lower stress, simple mental health tools, tracking symptoms and activities in a way that helps, and communication tips for talking with family, friends, and healthcare providers. And finally, we'll wrap up with a concrete list of next steps that you can try right away.

Greg
03:53 - 04:13
and some trusted resources that you can explore after the episode, and they'll be in the show notes. Before we jump in, just a couple of ground rules. We're going to keep the conversation flowing and you'll hear from each of us as we share our personal experiences, practical tip that have helped us. As you listen, notice any concrete ideas that you might want to try or adapt in your own situation.

Greg
04:13 - 04:25
And just a reminder, this is for education only. It's not medical advice. Always talk with your healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment or medication regime. All right, so we'll bring everyone in.

Greg
04:26 - 04:44
Rich, Jay, Derek, Sam, welcome. To get started, I'd like to ask each of you three things. How your pain first began, an emotional or social challenge it's created for you, and the practical coping strategy that helps you get through the day. Aim for about three minutes if you can, and really just speak from your heart.

Greg
04:44 - 04:47
Rich, would you like to kick us off? Thanks, Greg.

Rich
04:47 - 05:07
I'd love to kick us off. My pain began in my late teens. I was involved in multiple motor vehicle accidents in a short period of time after having had a slew of sports concussions growing up. These two major car accidents in a few days left me with headaches and migraines and TBIs that I've been dealing with ever since.

Rich
05:07 - 05:33
The emotional and social challenges of headaches and migraines can be tough. They've left me with what I impacted, what I did a lot more in the past than what I'm doing now, as I've learned coping skills over the last 20, 30 years. But they impact where I go, what I'm willing to do, or the situation I'm willing to put myself in. I stayed back from a lot of opportunities.

Rich
05:33 - 06:05
I didn't go because my headache was progressing. I didn't take risk going out to a sporting event or a concert or something like that because I didn't want to risk being in a noisy environment because of how my headache was feeling that day or how the lights would affect my headache or turn a headache into a migraine. I missed out on a lot of memories with a lot of quality people, so I could sit back with a washcloth on my forehead, and socially that takes a toll.

Rich
06:06 - 06:37
Missing holidays, leaving early to lie down, high energy events can trigger more severe symptoms, and I missed a lot of really fun times. One practical strategy that helps me get through day to day is I've benefited from a few medication advancements over the last 30 years. I've seen the advancements that they've made in treatment. I've seen what some of my fellow patients in the traumatic brain injury group are going through in their treatment.

Rich
06:37 - 07:01
So I get to see a lot of what was the, I guess, cutting edge therapies for head injuries and headaches and migraines and that sort of ailment. So it's been nice. Practical strategy that helps get me through the day. Stay positive, keep looking toward the next medication or type of treatment as being the one that's going to solve my migraine problem.

Rich
07:01 - 07:04
Thank you for your honesty, Rich. I really appreciate that.

Jay
07:04 - 07:11
Jay, would you like to go next? I would like to go next. It's good to see everybody. Got a full house again today and that makes me happy.

Jay
07:11 - 07:25
It means we're making it farther and reaching more people. My chronic pain is, well, I was in a car accident, but that's not the one I'm going to speak on. I'm going to talk about, I have stomach illnesses. I have cyclical vomiting syndrome.

Jay
07:26 - 07:41
along with cannabinoid hyperemesis. And it continually put me in the hospital. I have episodes rather than everyday pain. I mean, I always have some discomfort, but I wouldn't call it chronic pain every single day.

Jay
07:41 - 07:58
But when I do have these episodes, it almost always leads to an emergency room visit. And then nine times out of 10, being admitted to the hospital. And the social toll that this has taken is cannabinoid hyperemesis. It's a sickness that you get from smoking marijuana.

Jay
07:59 - 08:22
It's like being allergic to marijuana. And I still continue to do it, even though that's very stupid to do something that you're allergic to. But It would put me in the hospital and the social tolls it would take on me, on me and my family. My family had to see me continually destroy myself, get the sickest you can imagine, just nonstop vomiting, lose weight.

Jay
08:22 - 08:41
And then this happens every two or three months. So people saw me struggle and saw me constantly being in the hospital for something that I can prevent. I can't prevent the cyclical vomiting syndrome, but I certainly can prevent the cannabinoid hyperemesis. And I'm happy to say that I have not done that in almost four months.

Jay
08:42 - 09:03
And that has been one of the few things that really has provided relief from it. That's the only thing you can do. They don't have any treatment for cannabinoid hyperemesis as of now, except for nausea medications, things like that. And not to mention the valuable resources I'm wasting by going into the hospital on something that I can absolutely prevent.

Jay
09:03 - 09:27
And then how I make it through the day when it's, I use hydrotherapy a lot. Warm water baths is directly related to the stomach illnesses I have. I don't know if it's the weightlessness from water, but it's just, it's the only thing that makes me feel better when I'm in these stomach episodes. And how I make it through the day is I do a lot of breathing exercises.

Jay
09:27 - 09:38
I meditate, especially in the really bad times. And being in the hospital, unfortunately, is a way that I have to cope sometimes. And again, happy to be here.

Greg
09:39 - 09:42
Thanks, Jay. Thanks for your honest share. Derek, would you like to go

Derek
09:42 - 09:46
next? Certainly. Thank you, Greg. Well, my, when did my pain first begin?

Derek
09:46 - 10:28
Well, it, I will say 12, 12-ish years ago, but I don't know when it When I was drunk 12 years ago and I fell down a flight of stairs, I can't really recall the first month because I was off and on, and whether it was medically induced or not, a coma, and I just can't recall any memories from the first month because it was a traumatic brain injury. After the fact, I've noticed there is a, it was more severe then, but it's dulled over the years, but it's not necessarily pain. It's a numbness that there's a side effect of pain because I can't how I walk with my certain stance.

Derek
10:28 - 11:05
So I fell on my right hip as I was periling down the flight of stairs and there's been nerve damage. So the way that I walk, it's disproportionate and there isn't an equilibrium, not necessarily vertigo, but a problem with how I walk and then musculature, how it compensates. It just, it leaves a tick in my back. So just because my gait isn't proper, my my lower back there's a dull pain and it's sometimes it's more severe and other times it's not but i've i just found it disheartening after a while because i wouldn't be able to partake in certain social like partaking in games

Derek
11:06 - 12:00
i didn't i wasn't quite up to snuff for the most part i just would kind of shy away but for the most part it was fine and then how i've been trying to combat that pretty much after the first six months after my tbi were interesting but physically i've just i've done an amalgam of different stretches that i've learned in vinyasa yoga as well as when i ran cross country in high school and middle school i just combine the different types of stretching to kind of hit all the snags in my musculature and how i walk and how i feel and how i move so for the most part that physical pain is fine or the emotion if anything there was more emotional pain and Aside from just with my shortcomings with my physical abilities and another little tick with my TBI, I would just get emotionally volatile and frantic when things, I was very ambivalent.

Derek
12:00 - 12:24
Everything was either extremely yay or extremely nay. And I've learned to just simmer down from that for the most part. There's a myriad of different ways that. Whether it's big or small, I've found a different, a myriad of ways that I can deal with it by just taking a step back and sitting and breathing a few times, or I'll just walk around if I need to get my gait back in action, or I'll just

Derek
12:24 - 12:39
stretch more and longer, or sometimes my body just needs a break. I just listen to my body, listen to my heart, listen to my gut, and try not to second guess my gut, my second, yeah. I will never second guess my gut because it usually bites me in the butt. I'm rambling and those were my three minutes,

Greg
12:39 - 12:43
but thank you. Not at all. Thank you for such an honest chat, Derek. I appreciate that.

Greg
12:43 - 12:47
Sam, would you like to go? Okie dokie. Let's give

Sam
12:47 - 12:56
it a go. So let's see my three minutes. So yeah, my pain starts. Oh, many years ago, probably in my early twenties.

Sam
12:56 - 13:05
I'm 46 now. So a couple, I don't know, almost two decades ago. I broke my back first. I had a rough cave in and I went down.

Sam
13:06 - 13:21
I was working, but that started and I did that with that for quite a while. And then I ended up with avascular necrosis. My long bone joints don't get blood, so they can't regenerate. So they die and crush in on themselves.

Sam
13:22 - 14:05
I've had several joint replacements going through like four, four, four or five different hip replacements. two here in the last six, seven years ago, I guess, got infected. And yeah, so I've been dealing with that, which that was fun, especially back in the day where, you know, they were pushing pills, which of course led to me getting addicted to opiate. And yeah, so that, I mean, just with the chronic pain and everything, the last 10 years, oh wait, 12 years, I've been in recovery and learning to live with chronic pain without any pain medication.

Sam
14:05 - 14:16
So that's, it's been a road, you know? So I've been dealing with that. I'm doing a hell of a lot better than I was when I was on pain medication. So that's actually a good thing.

Sam
14:17 - 14:25
Yeah. The social changes that it created. At first I just pushed everybody away. Like it, for one, it was all I talked about.

Sam
14:26 - 14:37
And after a while, people get tired of hearing that. You're always miserable. And so you just push everybody away. I'm just like self-destructed and fell more into addiction.

Sam
14:38 - 15:02
So eventually I ended up on the streets, you know, on heroin and everything else. But yeah, social change. And one practical strategy. You know, I'm still looking for the most practical, you know, it's, uh, I'm just now learning that my brain is probably not like a normal brain and, you know, so I'm kind of learning about my brain.

Sam
15:03 - 15:18
And so, yeah, I know that like breathing is, is really good. Meditation. That's a good one. So yeah, I'm a bit late to the whole understanding that my brain is not, is not, uh, typical, I guess.

Sam
15:19 - 15:29
which okay it's been it's been interesting so yeah let me see so yeah that's that's really what i got right now and yeah yeah is that three

Greg
15:29 - 15:59
minutes is that three things i don't know thank you for your such an honest yeah i suppose i should take my turn as well and i didn't practice for my turn so i'll just go just a real quick round my pain began many years ago but it's so much worse than it used to be i have a history of lifting things wrong and i used to have a reputation working in factories and things. If you couldn't lift something up or move something or undo something, I would say, go get Greg and he'll do it. And I kind of lapped up to that part.

Greg
15:59 - 16:15
I kind of played that part up and hurt myself many times. The old adage, you know, put your back into it, no pain, no gain and maladapted coping. Yeah, not coping strategies, but maladapted saying such as that, not bending at the knees. I hurt my back a few times at work.

Greg
16:15 - 16:29
I never thought of claiming workman's comp or anything like that. And then being a person of size, you're prone to injury a little bit more as well, because I think the muscles are working overtime. And it's really affected me. I cancel plans.

Greg
16:29 - 16:50
I don't go anywhere. It really fed into the depression. And as I started canceling plans and going places less weight gained with medication changes, a lot of medications that you take for pain. If you're unfortunate enough to have to take medications, Or maybe I should say fortunate enough because it's a good thing that we do have medications that can treat pain.

Greg
16:51 - 17:03
Either way, they can interfere with your metabolism and cause weight gain, which can then reduce activity and it becomes a vicious cycle. Where do you get out of it? So I cancel plans, I isolate and things. like that.

Greg
17:03 - 17:13
What gets me through the day? Distraction, where I can find it. If I can, I do something called creative work hour. I'm part of a co-working creative group.

Greg
17:13 - 17:21
And I do that every day. We meet briefly. We say what we're going to work on. And then we go off and we come back an hour later, say how we did.

Greg
17:21 - 17:30
And it's become a community and a second family to me. So that's a huge distraction. Watching a movie or a film, and you can do that. Not always easy to do with depression.

Greg
17:30 - 17:49
And gratitude, practicing gratitude is very helpful and trying to help other people, trying to be of service in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and any of those 12-step programs, they believe in service work for a reason. It's very good for you. So that's kind of how I get through my day. So yeah, thank you everyone for sharing so openly and honestly.

Greg
17:50 - 18:18
Now that we've covered your pain, how it started and some of the emotional challenges and a few strategies that have helped you get through the day. Before we wrap up, I want to give you each a chance to share anything that's on your heart right now. No structure, no rules, no specific questions. It could be a message to somebody who's in pain that might be listening, something that you wish people understood about you, a moment of gratitude, a frustration, or just where you're at today, just whatever's on your heart.

Greg
18:19 - 18:20
Rich, would you like to go first? Something

Rich
18:21 - 19:00
that Sam said that really stuck out to me is people don't want to hear about it. After you, the people you live with, the people you're around all the time, you know, you can only say, my back hurts, my legs hurt, my joints hurt, whatever your ailment is, you know, whatever your chronic pain is, my emotions, my headaches, my, whatever your ailment is, you can only say it so many times before your loved ones tune you out and it's so sad to be tuned out, to have your chronic pain tuned out. It's very isolating.

Rich
19:00 - 19:08
It's very lonely. It's a real terrible feeling. Just something that Sam had said that stood out to me that I wanted to bring

Greg
19:08 - 19:18
back up, so. Thanks Rich, I appreciate that. It reminds me of the episode that we did on medical gaslighting where medical professionals don't listen to you as well. It's very frustrating.

Greg
19:18 - 19:20
Jay, what's on your heart today? Well, I

Jay
19:20 - 19:45
would also like to touch on that. The last time I was in the hospital, because again, my episodes can be preventable, the terrible ones. And I had a doctor actually, when I was in the emergency room, tell me, because I'd been there so many times for the same exact thing, he says, if you come back, all I'm going to do is scan you to make sure that there's nothing physically wrong with you that I can't fix.

Jay
19:45 - 19:56
And then I'm going to send you on your way. And don't come back. And I actually had a hospital tell me, don't come back for this illness. I mean, I'm sure if I was in a car accident or something like that, they would have to treat me.

Jay
19:56 - 20:06
But for this illness, they said, don't come back. We're not going to help you. They even brought a security guard to escort me out. So you can wear out your welcome with medical professionals.

Jay
20:06 - 20:23
And that also brings me to my family. My family, you know, they can only, no one wants to see someone they love in pain. So they can only handle so much. I had a ex-fiancé and she came to the hospital with me one time.

Jay
20:23 - 20:37
And I think smoking had a lot to do with the reason why we broke up. I was hardheaded, didn't want to give it up. It was part of my identity. And the other thing I wanted to touch on is I didn't actually say how my pain started.

Jay
20:38 - 21:00
My pain started when I was 18. Before I was 18, I had an iron stomach. I used to drink beers, you know, eat chicken wings with my friends and just had an iron stomach, no problems at all. And then when I was 18, I had my first episode and I thought that I was just sick with the flu or something like that, but then it persisted for days and days and days.

Jay
21:00 - 21:11
to the point where I had to go to the emergency room. And from that point on, I was misdiagnosed over and over. They pulled my gallbladder, even though there was nothing wrong with it. Well, they didn't know that until they pulled it out.

Jay
21:12 - 21:28
But it was a healthy gallbladder after they pulled it out. They tried every test they could think of. The only solution they could think of was cyclical vomiting syndrome. And it actually took me about, I hadn't done marijuana in about 10 years and I picked it up again and started getting sick again.

Jay
21:28 - 21:47
So that's how I finally figured out what it was. In my teen years when it started, 18 to 21, I went from 280 to 130 pounds in less than eight months, I think. So stomach pain is really, really hard. Nausea, I probably puke three or four times a week still.

Jay
21:48 - 22:04
So I've been conditioned to it. Rich and I have talked about that it almost becomes a process. You have it down to a science when you vomit that it's almost like a purge and you become used to it. And that's not a healthy way to live.

Jay
22:04 - 22:15
It tears up your stomach lining. It has all kinds of effects on your body. It's no way to live. And I hope if there's people out there with chronic pain that this discussion can help you.

Jay
22:16 - 22:33
You're not alone. There's resources out there. I also didn't mention before, one of the ways I cope is these groups. Since I've been doing these groups with these fellas and podcasts, I really have found that my emotional pain has gotten a lot better.

Jay
22:33 - 22:42
I feel included, loved when I hang out with these guys and support groups are out there. They help a lot. Yeah, I think that's all I have. Thanks, Jane.

Jay
22:42 - 22:43
I appreciate

Derek
22:43 - 23:03
your honesty. Derek, what's on your heart today? I would just say that regardless of your physical circumstances and the extent of whatever pain you experience, whether it's deemed minimal by yourself or exorbitantly huge by others, just try to just try to take it slow day by day. Be grateful for what you have.

Derek
23:04 - 23:32
Be grateful for what you've been given. And sometimes, even in my worst moods and the worst pain I've ever felt or feel, sometimes I get solace from just the ability to experience pain, considering how close I was to dying. The fact that I still have the neurological capacity to feel pain, comforts me when I'm feeling my worst. Like, hey, at least you're able to feel this.

Derek
23:32 - 23:37
At least you're not dead from my brain injury. So there's that. Sam, what's on your heart today?

Sam
23:37 - 23:48
Okay. Oh, you know, lots of stuff, I guess. There's always like, so yeah, living with chronic pain. My body's like always in mutiny.

Sam
23:49 - 24:11
It's mutinous and can never plan or anything. So one thing, like a lot of people, I guess, you're just lazy or you just don't want to do nothing or you can't push through it. That, yeah, that's definitely one that I've run across. And I was even, I even thought about that about myself for many years.

Sam
24:11 - 24:28
You know, it's, it's definitely, it's really hard to comprehend, I guess, if you haven't been through it. But yeah, it's, you can't get through it. You know, it's not really get through it. You learn to live with it and you learn different coping strategies.

Sam
24:28 - 24:54
I am on Suboxone, which helps with pain. It's helped to take the edge off, I guess, because the thing about me and like my brain, there's never enough pain medication for me. There's just, they can't produce enough to keep me freaking from, you know, feeling like crap. When I take it and helping my pain, it's just not, there's no such thing, you know?

Sam
24:54 - 25:23
Like, so that's not an option for me. Yeah, it's definitely, you can, I think that it's finally starting to be more taken seriously with like Suboxone and pain. The only thing though, is like with Suboxone surgeries, cause it blocks opiates. I mean, I've been through two surgeries while on Suboxone and I did better as soon as I got off the Suboxone, like as soon as I got, or got on the Suboxone, I mean.

Sam
25:23 - 25:50
But yeah, it's, it's, it's interesting to see how the misconceptions, like I even had total misconceptions. I'm still learning about how to, what, you know, chronic pain works and, and my brain. learning more and more about my own brain and it yeah my brain it can suck at times but yeah I don't know that's uh that's about what yeah for some reason I just kind of like went blank for a minute right like right before but go

Greg
25:50 - 26:17
ahead not a problem thank you Sam I appreciate that I echo what everybody said I'd like to thank you all for your honesty and your vulnerability here. To anyone listening who lives with chronic pain, you're not alone and your experience matters and it's okay to take one step at a time. These groups have helped me tremendously, the podcasts, and everything else. So thanks again to Rich, Jay, Derek, and Sam.

Greg
26:18 - 26:29
Honest and helpful conversation. Before we wrap up, I want to pull together the main takeaway points and some trusted resources. All of the links that I mention will be in the show notes. So we'll have clickable links.

Greg
26:29 - 26:36
You don't need to write anything down. First, the essentials. Simple definition. Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than normal healing time.

Greg
26:36 - 26:49
Usually months or more, and it can continue long after the original illness. has healed. Second, the invisible burden, chronic pain is unseen and misunderstood. People will say things like you don't look sick.

Greg
26:49 - 27:20
That's why support, validation and patience from others really matter, as you've heard from the co-host. Third, there's no single cure for most chronic pain and most people end up using a mix of strategies over time. And that might include medical treatments when needed, pacing, gradual movement, good sleep and stress habits, Simple symptom tracking, mental health tools like CBT, mindfulness, acceptance-based approaches, and peer and community support. None of these are magic fixes, but small daily habits can add up.

Greg
27:20 - 27:36
Fourth would be self-advocacy. It helps to keep a simple pain and activity log, and it comes in handy to have with you when you go to appointments to take notes and questions. And have at least one person on your side who listens and believes you. and has your back.

Greg
27:36 - 28:23
Here are some national and international resources, all will be in the show notes. Clickable links in the United States is the U.S. Pain Foundation, there's the American Chronic Pain Association, National Pain Advocacy Center, Chronic Pain Research Alliance, International Association for the Study of Pain, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, American Society for Pain Management Nursing, and in Canada and regional was the Canadian Pain Society and Pain BC, which has patient resources and programs for British Columbia, but many tools are useful elsewhere. And a few condition specific tools and resources is the Arthritis Foundation, the American Migraine Foundation, National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association, and the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy.

Greg
28:23 - 28:58
and then there's some apps and digital tools you can search your devices app store for things like pain tracking and then there's mindfulness and sleep taps that can help and these names will be in the show note and other useful links that we'll put in there for you we'll put a directory of organizations for people with pain and the ISAP global peer initiatives to find a pain clinic near you search online for a clinic plus your city Check websites of major hospital and university medical systems in your area. All of these websites and names again will be in the show notes with clickable links. Quick practical steps you can take this week.

Greg
28:58 - 29:21
A few things that you could try if you have the capacity. Start a one page pain activity log and each day write down the date, your pain level, your main activities, how you slept and a small change that you could try next time. Pick a five minute grounding routine for pain flare days. Set one small repeatable movement goal for the week and choose one supportive person.

Greg
29:21 - 29:33
Agree on a simple signal. A short script that you can use if you need to cancel plans so you don't have to explain everything every time to everyone. And if you live with chronic pain, your experience is real. You don't have to do this alone.

Greg
29:33 - 29:49
Needing rest doesn't mean that you are weak. Small, consistent steps and habits wins the race. Before I close, I do want to mention that we host several free online support groups each week. If you'd like a safe, supportive space to talk to others who really understand, we have groups running on Mondays.

Greg
29:49 - 30:12
Tuesdays and Wednesdays and you can find the details in the show notes with a calendar link. And if today's episode has helped you, you can support the show by subscribing to the Supporting Kindness podcast. Leave us a rating or a review on your podcast platform. It truly helps other people to find the show and share this episode with a friend or a family member, or maybe a clinician who might benefit.

Greg
30:12 - 30:31
Send feedback, resources, or your story to info at kindnessRx.org and let us know what worked for you and what you'd like us to cover next. Thank you for listening to the Support and Kindness podcast. Join us next time for another inspiring conversation. And until then, take care.