Some of us have a tendency to get caught up in spinning elaborate scenarios related to events that may never actually occur, and spend considerable time and emotional energy looking for potential trouble, as well as for solutions to problems that don’t exist. For instance, you sense pain in a specific area of your body that may be uncomfortable, but in and of itself is not that big a deal. However, your self-talk tells you, “This is horrible! It’s going to spread to my entire body. I’ll be in intense pain and have to spend the day, maybe even several days, in bed.” Thinking that catastrophe is upon you or inevitable has considerable influence on your experience of pain and your perceived options. The first step in interrupting this process is to become aware of it and realize what you are thinking. Only then can you make an informed decision about how you want and need to proceed based on the options available. This blog post is an excerpt from Pain Recovery – How to Find Balance and Reduce Suffering from Chronic Pain by Mel Pohl, MD, FASAM, Frank Szabo, LADC, Daniel Shiode, PhD, Robert Hunter, PhD; Published by Central Recovery Press (CRP). photo credit: Tricia Wang 王圣捷 via photopin cc