Regular activity is important for effective pain management. You may find that you do too little on many days. On good days, you may do too much and “pay for it” later with increase pain and fatigue.  You can learn to slowly and safely increase your activity level to achieve a healthy amount of regular movement.

Do You Have a Pacing Problem?

People with chronic pain may have trouble maintaining a healthy level of activity. One common challenge is the experience of “overdoing it”. On good days, you may do more than your body is used to. This can cause an increase in pain, fatigue, or other symptoms, often requiring more rest or recovery time. During such a flare-up, you may get behind in work or other responsibilities, lose sight of personal goals, and socialize less than you would like. When your symptoms decrease, you may pack your day with activities, chores, work, and time with friends or family. However, you may do too much again and you may experience a new flare-up, resulting in another slow day. You may develop a pattern of doing too much, having a flare-up, needing to rest, doing too much, having a flare-up, needing to rest, and so on. This common pattern is called a pacing problem.

you may become weaker

As you become less active, your body will become weaker over time. A weaker body means that you may feel more tired and less able to participate in life. Weaker muscles are more prone to painful flare-ups. Weak and tight muscles hurt more than strong and stretched muscles.

you may be less involved

You may become less involved in life and in the pleasures that life has to offer. As you lose confidence in your ability to be active, you may find that you tend to pursue only the most basic, easy goals. You may be missing opportunities for growth, change, and personal satisfaction.

your mood may suffer

As your activity level declines, you may start to feel a loss of control over your daily life. This can lead to feelings of sadness, frustration, and discouragement, making it even harder to stay motivated and engaged. Over time, this cycle can impact both your mood and overall well-being.

Create a Pacing Plan

Fortunately, there is something you can do to reverse this common pattern. You can create a pacing plan for any activity that you may want to safely increase, including exercise, social, household responsibilities, or work activities. A Pacing Plan will help you to gradually increase how long you can do an activity. This method helps prevent overdoing it and lowers the chance of pain flare-ups. The goal is to keep a doable level of activity without causing more pain or fatigue. Review the video to learn how to create a pacing plan. If you are completing the activity on your mobile phone, click here for instructions.

Boost, Pace, and Pursue Goals

Learning activities

Boost Your Activity

Create brief, easy-to-do activities that last 10-15 minutes. These “activity boosters” are ways to keep you moving.

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Pace Yourself

A Pacing Plan will help you to gradually increase how long you can do an activity and prevent overdoing it, causing more pain or fatigue.

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Pursue Your Goals

Goal setting is a key ingredient in behavior change. Identify a SMART goal, view examples, and develop a plan to work towards it.

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