Social activities play a key role in pain management because they help improve mood, reduce stress, and provide emotional support. When you connect with others during enjoyable activities, your brain releases feel-good chemicals like endorphins and oxytocin, which can help reduce the perception of pain.

Engaging in social interactions also distracts from pain, shifting focus away from discomfort and toward enjoyable experiences. Supportive relationships can help you cope with challenges, provide encouragement, and reduce feelings of isolation, which can make pain feel worse.

Even small social engagements—like chatting with a friend, joining a group, or participating in a hobby—can boost your well-being and make managing chronic pain easier.

pain can make socializing difficult

Living with chronic pain can make socializing feel difficult. You may struggle with fatigue, worry about pain flare-ups, or feel like you should focus on responsibilities instead of spending time with others. Over time, this can lead to loneliness and isolation, which may negatively affect your mood and even make pain feel worse.

social connections are critical for well-being

However, social connections are an important part of emotional and physical well-being. Engaging with friends, family, or community groups can help reduce stress, improve mood, and provide support. Even small social interactions can make a big difference.

create a plan

This activity will help you explore social opportunities that fit your comfort level and interests. You’ll identify activities that bring you joy and create a plan to stay connected in ways that work for you. Whether it’s virtual meetups, short outings, or small gatherings at home, finding ways to engage with others can improve your quality of life while managing chronic pain.

In this learning activity, you will create a custom plan to spend time with people who matter, doing things that you enjoy.

  • Create and save your custom plan (“Download Activity” button)

  • Share your plan with those you want to connect with

  • Upload your plan to your Goalistics Certified Nurse Practitioner or Psychologist (“Upload Activity” button)

understand, ask for, and increase social support

Learning activities

Understand Social Support

This activity will help you to understand the different forms of social support and to consider the ways in which support can be helpful and, at times, not helpful.

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Ask for Support

In this activity, you will create a plan to request support from specific people. Your plan will also include ways that you can offer support.

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Increase Positive Social Activities

Maintaining social connections is important and a vital part of living a happy life. This exercise will help you discover activities that you enjoy.

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