- Engage your brain. You can develop skills for your brain to reduce or ignore pain signals. Developing expertise in these skills, including deep breathing techniques, can help have some influence over your pain.
- Get enough restorative sleep. Pain is a leading cause of insomnia—difficulty with falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Adding to the cycle, inadequate sleep can make your back pain worse.
- Exercise your core. The muscles in your abs and back play a role in spine support. These muscles don't normally get a workout—they need to be targeted through exercise.
- Stretch your hamstrings. If your hamstring muscles are too tight, your lower back and sacroiliac joints will be stressed, leading to more pain.
- Release your endorphins. Endorphins help block pain signals from registering. Aerobic exercise, massage therapy, or meditation are known to release feel-good messengers.
- Find activities that make you happy. Some people find that even doing just 3 things that make them feel good each day—such as enjoying a comforting cup of coffee, walking the dog, or receiving a hug from a loved one—can make pain more tolerable.
