Arthritis Recovery: How Powerful is Positive Thinking?

If you do a search on the internet, there are many stories from people who made up their minds, or made a pact with God, to win out over arthritis.

Joint damage alone does not account for the amount of pain a person feels, or for the amount of difficulty anyone has in getting dressed, getting around, or getting on at work. In fact, attitude and emotions may be more important. Depression, for example, is more likely than joint destruction to keep people from taking care of themselves.

You hardly need to be blamed for any difficulty you are having in controlling your symptoms or managing your daily activities. Having said that developing arthritis is not your fault, it is not right to claim that suffering from it is your fault because you aren't cheerful enough or resourceful enough to do better. Anxiety and depression, for instance, are conditions that can be treated, whether in psychotherapy, with the help of support groups, or by other means. The elements of resourceful­ness can be taught by arming yourself with a series of positive statements you can repeat to yourself in times of need. Ideally, these learned 'coping statements' take the place of your old self-defeating beliefs, and give you the push you need to take control of your situation — even if you weren't born with a silver lining in your mental outlook.

A good all-around coping strategy is a combination of attitude and action. You use the positive ideas (I can reduce my pain by staying calm and relaxed) along with specific self-care measures, which usually include taking medication on schedule, resting, applying heat or ice (or both), exercising, eating well, and practicing a relaxation technique.

Handicapped by Helplessness

Because arthritis may begin for no known reason and persist with no known cure, it often engenders a sense of helplessness. This is an understandable but counterproductive reaction — because helplessness can lead to depression and the inability, or unwillingness, to follow your prescribed treatment plan.

With rheumatoid arthritis, it is not understood why one person gets the disease and another doesn't. If a sense of helplessness develops, it often starts a vicious cycle in which pain causes depression, which in turn can increase pain and even the disability. Based on what we learned and read, there are pain relief and quality of life benefits beyond standard medical treatment.