Chronic Pain Reset: 30 Days of Activities, Practices, and Skills to Help You Thrive

by Afton L. Hassett

Build a plan to reclaim your life with this easy-to-follow program designed by a leading pain expert. This indispensable guide explores the key role that your brain plays in processing pain and how small, simple actions can make profound changes in how you experience chronic pain. Chronic Pain Reset will help you evaluate your pain and its triggers, offering straightforward and often fun strategies to improve it. Using the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy, you’ll try one new evidence-based strategy each day for 30 days, from paced breathing and healthy sleep hacks to mindful walking and acts of kindness. The accessible strategies require as little as 15 minutes a day and apply to all fitness levels. Step-by-step instructions guide you with humor and compassion to make learning and practicing the strategies more engaging. The ones that work best and that you like most will go into your Thriving Plan, a personalized pain-management tool kit that you design to help you lead a life with less pain, greater purpose, and more joy. 6 charts

Genres: Health, Self Help, Psychology, Disability, Mental Health, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2023

Reviews

[Melissa T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is well laid out. It contains a lot of interesting research.

Each chapter has a succinct breakdown of the main takeaways, which I found very helpful. The 30 day plan is flexible and customizable, but I'm not sure If I will follow all of that.

I already do some of the things listed in this book, so it will be interesting to try and see what happens if I add more items in and rearrange my schedule to get the best benefit.

There are anecdotal sections called "Lived experiences" at the end of each chapter that are anecdotal type life experiences of people who have chronic pain that somehow relate to the topic at hand. There's a part of me that understands why they were included at the end of each chapter, but also a part of me that thinks they would have been somehow better serving as their own chapter to themselves.

As I have a condition that causes me to have chronic pain, I did relate personally to some of the explanations of behaviors of people who experience chronic pain. The book lead me to a few "oh so that's why I do x" type thoughts.

There are many valuable practices and resources in this book. While I'm not sure I'm going to be creating a 30 day plan for myself after reading it, it did give me some information to make better choices for myselt to help with my pain management.

[Amy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a very thorough and organized book with a lot of information on ways to distract you from pain. The beginning section reads like a textbook on pain. Then is has you try a new thing every day for 30 days to help relax, sleep better, improve mood, etc. Once that’s complete you should then create your own “thriving” plan using the ideas provided. Each idea is based on research that was done and directs you to where to get more information about it. Then it gives you a list in the back of the book of many resources to help with all of these plans. It was very informative with actual attainable items suggested. Based on all the resources provided this would be best to own vs getting from the library.

[Josh Dombal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides an optimistic way to look at chronic pain.
I am currently experiencing ongoing pain and discomfort due to several knee surgeries and nothing seems to be working. This book gave me hope and some practical information and tools to help cope and turn things around.

I found it reassuring and helpful to hear about other people’s success stories that were embedded throughout the book.

[Zoe Davey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars very practical and positive
Interspersed with science and practical tasks.