Skip to main navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer For Medicare For Providers For Brokers For Employers Español For Individuals & Families: For Individuals & Families Medical Dental Other Supplemental Explore coverage through work How to Buy Health Insurance Types of Dental Insurance Open Enrollment vs. Special Enrollment See all topics Shop for Medicare plans Member Guide Find a Doctor Log in to myCigna
Home Knowledge Center Wellness Library Chronic Pain: Using Healthy Thinking

Chronic Pain: Using Healthy Thinking

Overview

Living with pain can be hard, especially if it's long-term (chronic) pain. Chronic pain is pain that lasts for 3 months or longer. It can make you sleep poorly, feel tired and irritable, and have a hard time being active or working. It may strain your relationships with loved ones too. You may feel stressed or get depressed or anxious. And these feelings may make your pain worse, because they can make it harder to manage your pain.

One way you can help manage and cope with your pain is through healthy thinking. A type of therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you learn healthy thinking habits.

How can cognitive behavioral therapy help?

Cognitive behavioral therapy, also called CBT, is a way to help you stay well or cope with a problem by changing how you think and behave.

CBT can help you learn to think in a healthy way. It can help you notice negative thoughts and reframe them so they're more helpful.

If you learn how to reframe negative thoughts, you may be more able to care for yourself and handle life's challenges. You will feel better. And you may be more able to avoid or cope with stress, anxiety, and depression.

CBT also teaches you how to notice and change unhelpful behavior. For example, you might learn ways to respond to stress differently by calming your mind and body. Techniques may include meditation, yoga, muscle relaxation, or guided imagery.

Many people work with a therapist or a counselor for CBT. But you also can practice CBT skills on your own.

You can use your CBT skills throughout your life. You may find that more "tune-up" sessions help you stay on track with your new skills.

How can you use healthy thinking to cope with pain?

How can you use healthy thinking to cope with pain?

Changing your thought patterns may not be easy. But our minds can be trained to be stronger and healthier—just like a muscle. A technique called thought reframing can help.

Thought reframing is the process of replacing negative thoughts with more helpful thoughts. It's a skill taught in a type of counseling called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). There are also books and apps that can help you learn thought reframing on your own.

With practice, you can get better at choosing healthier thoughts to replace negative thoughts.

  • Watch for common types of discouraging thoughts.

    When you know some of the common types, it's easier to spot them when they happen. Here are a few to watch out for.

    • Ignoring the positive: This means that you filter out the good and you focus on the bad. For example, you might focus only on the days when pain was worse this week and forget that you had 1 or 2 days when the pain was more controlled.
    • The "should": Thinking that you or other people "should" or "have to" do something is a sign of this type of thinking. For example, "If my physical therapy is working, then it should cure my pain."
    • Overgeneralizing: This means taking one example and saying it's true for everything. Watch for words such as "never" and "always." For example, "I tried going for a walk last week, and my pain got worse. I'll never be able to walk very far."
    • All-or-nothing thinking: This is also called black-or-white thinking. It means that you think of things as either all good or all bad—with no options in between. For example, "If my doctor can't cure my pain, I'll be on disability for the rest of my life."
  • Practice reframing your thoughts.
    • Notice the negative thought. Don't be hard on yourself because you had the thought. Negative thoughts can pop up sometimes before you can stop them. But learning to recognize them can help you shift them.
    • Question the thought. Ask yourself whether it's helpful or true. Your answers can help you find more accurate ways to think about the situation.
    • Replace the thought. Ask yourself "What's something that's true and more helpful?" Use your answer to replace the discouraging thought. Here's an example:
      • You might first think: "If my physical therapy is working, then it should cure my pain."
      • You can replace that thought with: "If I keep doing physical therapy, my pain could get a little better. And if it's a little better, then I might be able to go camping with my family this summer."
  • Use a thought diary.

    Write down negative thoughts throughout the day. Then rewrite them to be more encouraging. Over time, choosing more positive thoughts in the moment will get easier.

Current as of: June 24, 2023

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Ignite Healthwise, LLC, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.

© 2024 Ignite Healthwise, LLC. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Ignite Healthwise, LLC.

Related Links

Stop Negative Thoughts: Choosing a Healthier Way of Thinking

<cipublic-spinner variant="large"><span>Loading…</span></cipublic-spinner>

Page Footer

I want to...

Get an ID card File a claim View my claims and EOBs Check coverage under my plan See prescription drug list Find an in-network doctor, dentist, or facility Find a form Find 1095-B tax form information View the Cigna Glossary Contact Cigna

Audiences

Individuals and Families Medicare Employers Brokers Providers

Secure Member Sites

myCigna member portal Health Care Provider portal Cigna for Employers Client Resource Portal Cigna for Brokers

The Cigna Group Information

About Cigna Healthcare Company Profile Careers Newsroom Investors Suppliers The Cigna Group Third Party Administrators International Evernorth

 Cigna. All rights reserved.

Privacy Legal Product Disclosures Cigna Company Names Customer Rights Accessibility Non-Discrimination Notice Language Assistance [PDF] Report Fraud Sitemap Cookie Settings

Disclaimer

Individual and family medical and dental insurance plans are insured by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (CHLIC), Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Illinois, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Georgia, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of South Carolina, Inc., and Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc. Group health insurance and health benefit plans are insured or administered by CHLIC, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CGLIC), or their affiliates (see a listing of the legal entities that insure or administer group HMO, dental HMO, and other products or services in your state). Accidental Injury, Critical Illness, and Hospital Care plans or insurance policies are distributed exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, are administered by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, and are insured by either (i) Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (Bloomfield, CT); (ii) Life Insurance Company of North America (“LINA”) (Philadelphia, PA); or (iii) New York Life Group Insurance Company of NY (“NYLGICNY”) (New York, NY), formerly known as Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. The Cigna name, logo, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. LINA and NYLGICNY are not affiliates of Cigna.

All insurance policies and group benefit plans contain exclusions and limitations. For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico.

Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna.com to another website, which may be a non-Cigna website. Cigna may not control the content or links of non-Cigna websites. Details