Pain Awareness Month: My Journey with Chronic Pain

It is currently Pain Awareness Month, and I have literally lived with pain every day of my life, so I will be shouting about it even more! It is so important that we share more during awareness months, so others do not feel alone.

My Personal Experience:

As a child I was constantly struggling with pain, my mom would take me to the doctors, and he would say it was just ‘growing pain’ and I would grow out of it. I soon learned that there was no point saying anything and got on with my life though my legs and arms constantly hurt.

This is often called masking and can be why many healthcare professionals do not understand or believe people who live with chronic pain. It is also why chronic pain can come under the umbrella term of ‘invisible illness’ meaning that people cannot easily see the suffering.

Day to day, living with chronic pain is not easy, I personally find it depressing at times because though I am on a lot of medications for it, I still experience pain. However, because I hide how much pain I am in, people around me unintentionally can forget how I am struggling. I have noticed this more since moving in with my mom and being a carer for her with my husband.

Emotional & Spiritual Impact

Chronic pain has taught me a lot though, especially since having to give up work and to find ways to live a positive life. Often in our society, working and earning money is seen as the most important thing we can do. Many people, including me, struggle to feel like a contributing member of society when our health stops us getting a job.

Thankfully, I have turned to two things that have helped me personally, one of which is this blog and my YouTube channel; and the other is my spiritual and witchcraft practice. Through both of these avenues I have found ways to cope with chronic pain, and to find structure and value in my days.

I have a very structured week, and because of this, I am able to pace out my week’s energy and plan in times to rest. Things like ten minutes cleaning, showering, and gentle exercise are planned in with times to read and lay down. I also plan out my blog posts and each YouTube video which on average take me 2-3 days to complete as they must be done in small sections. You can see more about this on my weekly vlogs.

Pain has also had a big impact on my witchcraft practice; many witches go foraging in nature or do long rituals. Like these examples, there are many avenues of witchcraft I cannot practice due to my pain and chronic fatigue.

I have spent a long time learning how to practice my craft in a way that both supports my illnesses as well as bringing me joy.

Witchcraft for Pain Support

Before I talk more about witchcraft practices that help me, I need to acknowledge that none of these things are cures. They are simply practices and rituals that I, and many disabled witches, use to help support their chronic illness journey.

I lean a lot on the gods and ancestors who I work with every day, and I often ask them for healing or to ease my pain or fatigue. I usually do this through prayer which is a big part of my witchcraft practice as it can be done wherever I am or whatever I am experiencing.

On difficult days with my chronic pain or fatigue, I will often do a longer meditation called a Yoga Nidra which can help me to be mindful and to sit with my emotions and feelings. They can also be used to help me rest or nap by helping me to take control of my breathing and thoughts.

I also use sigils a lot, creating them for healing or pain relief and then using an eyeliner pen to draw them on my skin. There are so many ways to use witchcraft in your chronic illness journey, books like Disabled Witchcraft, Chronically Magickal, and Defying Shadows, have practical rituals and practices that we can use to empower us in our fight against pain.

Awareness & Advocacy

There is so much change that can come from raising awareness and talking about chronic pain and how it affects us. Being in constant pain changes your life and makes your ability to do what able bodied people can, almost impossible.

People who have only had short term pain cannot imagine how anyone can live in constant pain and yet appear to look okay. This is why it is so important to me to speak up and be seen in the world here on the blog and on YouTube.

By being seen and having our voices heard, we can change how society sees us, and that will change how we are treated by governments who make the decisions. So, this Pain Awareness Month, speak up on social media, either by making posts and videos yourself, or by sharing others. Let’s work together to change the world!

I want to share so much love to the chronic illness community this Pain Awareness Month, your feelings and experiences are valid, and you are valuable in the community. The disability and chronic illness community is so special and can provide so many ways to help you on your journey. Let me know if there are any ways you help your pain alongside your medications and treatments from your doctors in the comments.

Spoons and Sparkles xx

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