"Before serving on a mission with Doctors Without Borders, I often had back pain due to scoliosis. But when I volunteered for a mission in Sri Lanka for a 30,000-person refugee camp during the civil war, I didn't feel much pain in my back. During work, I was completely immersed in caring for the hundreds of patients our team had to examine. I did my best to be kind to my team and to each patient."
"I remember how immensely thankful parents were when I treated their sick children. Women's expressions were of deep gratitude, and I connected intensely with the people I treated. The work was extremely rewarding. I am not the only one whose chronic pain decreased with volunteering. A large prospective study on about 48,000 British people foundthat people who volunteered reported significantly less pain over 10 years of follow-up compared to those who did not volunteer."
Kindness toward others through activities such as volunteering, donating, mentoring, or community work associates with reduced chronic pain and buffers negative psychological effects of pain. An account describes decreased back pain during intense volunteer medical work in a Sri Lankan refugee camp, linked to immersion in patient care and reciprocal gratitude. A large prospective study of about 48,000 British people found volunteers reported significantly less pain over ten years. Mindful self-compassion reduces chronic pain and outperformed cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and pain disability at three- and six-month follow-ups. Self-compassion and kindness slow heart rate, reduce muscle tension, and less muscle tension correlates with less chronic pain.
Read at Psychology Today
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