Northern Pain Centre in St Leonards, New South Wales | Health & wellness website

Northern Pain Centre

Locality: St Leonards, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 9439 6456

Address: Level 4, Suite 6, North Shore Private Hospital, Westbourne Street 2065 St Leonards, NSW, Australia

Website: linktr.ee/northernpaincentre

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24.01.2022 PILLAR 6 - CONNECTION This is a fantastic read for anyone wanting to improve their relationships ... these quick research based activities have been shown to enhance the relationships we have in our life. LEARN MORE... https://www.gottman.com//6-hours-a-week-to-a-better-relat/ #relationshipsmatter #relationships #socialconnection #connection

23.01.2022 PILLAR 10 - GRATITUDE NPC 10-day Gratitude Challenge Day 9 - Be thankful Research has shown being thankful or showing gratitude makes us happier:... STUDY: - One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. - A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them - A third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). Results: After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation. STUDY: - A study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship. Results: gratitude fostered better relationships. STUDY: - One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. - The second group assigned to work on a different day received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who told the fund-raisers she was grateful for their efforts. Results: During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fund-raising calls than those who did not. STUDY: - Middle-aged divorced women who kept gratitude journals were no more satisfied with their lives than those who did not. Results: greater life satisfaction. LEARN MORE Article: Giving thanks can make you happier https://www.health.harvard.edu//giving-thanks-can-make-you #NPC10dayGratitudeChallenge #Grateful #Appreciatethegood #Gratitude #Happy #chronicpain #chronicillness #findthegood

21.01.2022 Article worth a read: Neuroplasticity: What, Why & How? WHAT? Every time we learn something new, we create new connections within our brain ... - The more we practice and utilise this new skill, the stronger this connection becomes in our brain (forming a habit). ... - When we use this new skill often, our ability to draw upon it becomes faster. - This connection in our brain becomes more dominant and decreases the strength of other connections that are used less often (old pathways). - Habits are well-travelled, frequently used pathways in our brain. WHY? Our ability to learn allows us to change, evolve, adapt, critically think, analyse and move through our life. Strengthening commonly used thoughts and skills allows us to access this information "freeway" quickly ... It allows us to protect ourselves, use our strengths, master hobbies, access memories, strengthen relationships, progress in our work ... it is part of what differentiates from other living creatures. HOW? Neuroplasticity means our brain is constantly learning, evolving and changing. The consequence of this is that whatever we repeat - thoughts, feeling, behaviours - will change the connections and structure of our brain. The challenge is our brain cannot distinguish what is good or bad, helpful or unhelpful. Factors which can change our brain include traumatic events, chronic illness, chronic stress, social interactions, meditation and other relaxation activities, emotions, learning, paying attention, new experiences, diet and exercises. Why does this matter? What does it have to do with chronic pain? Some neuroplastic changes occur beneath our awareness and control. One such change has been studied intensely in pain medicine and is known as sensitisation. This is a phenomenon associated with changes at the nervous tissue which amplifies pain signal transmission to the brain. Central Sensitisation Our central nervous system includes our brain, spinal cord and nerves. Central Sensitisation is a condition in the nervous system responsible for the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Central Sensitisation occurs when the nervous system starts to adapt adversely to pain signals. This occurs after prolonged stimulation of the nociceptors (pain receptors) and leads to changes in how we process pain signals. The nervous system goes through a process known as "wind up" which includes: - high reactivity of our "warning system" to less stimulus (activities, sensations) - amplification of pain signals: the volume on pain is turned up and more pain is felt. READ & LEARN MORE: https://www.northernpaincentre.com.au//neuroplasticity-wh/ #chronicpain #neuroplasticity #changeyourbrain #ChangePain #wellbeing #activeselfmanagement

20.01.2022 PILLAR 10 - GRATITUDE NPC 10-day Gratitude Challenge Day 6 - Mindful Gratitude Mindfulness and gratitude are like two sides to the same coin - the aim of both is to strengthen the part of our brain that leads to resilience and more positive emotions.... LEARN MORE Article: How Gratitude and Mindfulness Go Hand in Hand This article writes: "Mindfulness is based on the act of nonjudgmental awareness. It invites us to accept and observe our mental state and our external reality with compassionate and nonjudgmental attitude no matter how harsh it is. We cannot stop reacting to negative events with sadness or with pain, but we can stop reacting to pain and sadness with frustration and irritation. We can compassionately accept our moments of vulnerability and watch them gradually and naturally fade away. As Williams and Penman (2012) have argued, it is not pain or sadness that are detrimental to our mental health, rather, the detrimental part is the frustration with which we react to pain and to sadness: sadness generates frustration which generates more sadness which generates more frustration and the mind slips into an infinite spiral of negative emotions." https://psychcentral.com//how-gratitude-and-mindfulness-g/ #NPC10dayGratitudeChallenge #Grateful #Appreciatethegood #Gratitude #Happy #chronicpain #chronicillness #findthegood

20.01.2022 Northern Pain Centre wishes you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy Christmas and New Year's Period. Our team will be taking a short break from midday on Christmas Eve until Thursday 7th January 2021, when we will reopen.

17.01.2022 PILLAR 10 - GRATITUDE NPC 10-day Gratitude Challenge Day 7 - We are in this together Earlier this year during COVID-19, we learnt how dependent we are on the shops that provide us food and goods. We learnt how challenging life can be when those shelves are empty.... Reflecting on the food you eat is a great exercise in gratitude ... the connection from the farm to us involves so many people ... each of which helps us have something to eat. Being grateful for the simple things, teaches us to have a greater appreciation for all the things we take for granted everyday. LEARN MORE Article: Dishes that remind us to be grateful for the food we have https://www.irishtimes.com//dishes-that-remind-us-to-be-gr #NPC10dayGratitudeChallenge #Grateful #Appreciatethegood #Gratitude #Happy #chronicpain #chronicillness #findthegood

17.01.2022 PILLAR 10 - GRATITUDE NPC 10-day Gratitude Challenge Day 10 - Gratitude Walk Being grateful for our local neighbourhood creates a deep connection which has a snowball effect on our neighbours.... When we see our homes as a place worth protecting, building, growing and nurturing, we will make them better, stronger and more connected. Often this starts with changing the lens, we look at our neighbourhood with ... LEARN MORE Article: Neighbourhood Stories Our Neighbourhood Groups have some amazing stories to tell stories of connecting, of sense-of-purpose, of fun, of belonging! https://www.neighbourhoodconnect.org.au/stories-from-the-n/ #NPC10dayGratitudeChallenge #Grateful #Appreciatethegood #Gratitude #Happy #chronicpain #chronicillness #findthegood

16.01.2022 PILLAR 10 - GRATITUDE NPC 10-day Gratitude Challenge Day 4 - Gratitude for Today Being grateful in the moment changes the "if, then" way we tend to think - if this happens, then I'll be happy - and focus' our brain on right now I have this, so I am happy.... Changes this dialogue in our mind, changes our focus from desire to satisfaction ... we stop longing for things outside ourselves and start relishing in the things we have. Gratitude has been shown to increase life satisfaction. LEARN MORE Article: Is gratitude the secret of happiness? I spent a month finding out https://www.theguardian.com//is-gratitude-secret-of-happin #NPC10dayGratitudeChallenge #Grateful #Appreciatethegood #Gratitude #Happy #chronicpain #chronicillness #findthegood

15.01.2022 PILLAR 11 - EMPATHY, COMPASSION & SELF-COMPASSION This month we are delving into the concept of empathy, compassion and self-compassion ... but what are they and why do they matter? Empathy - to feel what another feels. When we see a person injure themselves we can often feel in ourselves the pain that has been inflicted.... Sympathy - to understand, recognise and acknowledge another's pain and suffering. Compassion - drives this feeling into action. We don't just feel the pain, we don't just acknowledge the pain, but we are driven to act and try to alleviate the suffering another is experiencing. Self-compassion - when we act with empathy and compassion to ourselves, acknowledging our unity and same-ness with others. We treat ourselves with the same kindness as we would another who is suffering. Why it matters? Putting ourselves in another shoes, not only connects us to others, it strengthens those connections. When we can "walk a mile in another's shoes" through sympathy, empathy and compassion, we acknowledge how connected and similar we are - each with our struggles, each with our insecurities, each with our worries and concerns. Self-compassion allows us to acknowledge ourselves as being part of the human race - doing our best, trying our hardest and not always getting it right. Self-compassion is simply being as kind to ourself as we would to a friend. #empathy #compassion #selfcompassion #sympathy #connection Graphics courtesy - First graphic: https://www.researchgate.net//Sympathy-empathy-and-compass - Second graphic: https://self-compassion.org/women-fierce-self-compassion/

14.01.2022 12 QUICK TIPS FOR GETTING THROUGH CHRISTMAS For many of us, this Christmas will be very different to our usual. With restrictions, changes to family events and customs, and the flow on effects of many of the challenges of 2020 many people are still experiencing. These quick tips are just a few ways we can manage this Christmas and stay safe and well - mentally, physically and emotionally.... Take care of yourself and each other this Christmas period READ IT https://www.northernpaincentre.com.au/12-quick-tips-for-ge/

12.01.2022 12 Tips for Christmas - Putting the Pillars into Practice This year we have started the journey towards improving wellbeing and health, with our "12 Pillars of Wellbeing for Managing Chronic Pain". This years we have decided to create 12 Tips for Christmas to support these pillars and you through the Christmas period ... LEARN MORE https://www.northernpaincentre.com.au//chronic-pain-and-r/... #npc12pillarsofwellbeingformanagingpain #12tips4christmas4chronicpain

12.01.2022 PILLAR 11 - EMPATHY & COMPASSION This month we are delving into another two positive emotions which helps us to understand, connect and increase our wellbeing ... Empathy & Compassion. "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." - Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird... Cultivating empathy, helps us to move from a place of judgment, anger, annoyance, intolerance and even hatred ... to one of curiosity, compassion, connectedness, kindness and care. The more we experience empathy, the greater our understanding of alternate perspectives and realities outside our own - we see the world as we are, not as it actually is - empathy helps to create the bridge in these discrepancies. WATCH & LEARN https://youtu.be/vAJ6jDoePyY #empathy #compassion

12.01.2022 PILLAR 10 - GRATITUDE NPC 10-day Gratitude Challenge Day 8 - See the good in your day Our brain's are negatively biased, this is partly to ensure our survival. By seeing the risks, threats, and the glass half empty - we ensure that we aren't taken by surprise by something that could potentially cause us problems.... Gratitude helps to build the more positive pathways in our brain, by practising these daily, it shifts the automatic negative response to one that is more neutral and then one that is more positive. LEARN MORE Article: Our Brain's Negative Bias Why our brains are more highly attuned to negative news. https://www.psychologytoday.com///our-brains-negative-bias #NPC10dayGratitudeChallenge #Grateful #Appreciatethegood #Gratitude #Happy #chronicpain #chronicillness #findthegood

08.01.2022 PILLAR 10 - GRATITUDE NPC 10-day Gratitude Challenge Day 5 - A Letter of Gratitude Part of why we write things down we are learning, is because the act of writing reinforces the thoughts.... The act of writing a gratitude letter, or even writing in a gratitude journal, helps to enhance the benefits of gratitude ... it's like a double dose of positivity, which is tripled if you deliver it to the person you have written it for. As we are social creatures and often feel good when we make others feel good, writing a gratitude letter, not only makes you feel closer and more connected to the person, you also make their day. LEARN MORE Gratitude Letter - a guide to writing a gratitude letter https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/gratitude_letter #NPC10dayGratitudeChallenge #Grateful #Appreciatethegood #Gratitude #Happy #chronicpain #chronicillness #findthegood

03.01.2022 WHOLE HEALTH If we look around the world, we see certain things that have lasted the test of time ... these things were spread before social media existed, before the internet ... they were spread by word of mouth - by people who lived, breathed and experienced the benefits of them. These things often harness the mind-body connection ...... - Spirituality - Diet - Connection to others and community - Physical Activity - including yoga, pilates, tai chi - Meditation When I look at these things, I think ... millions of people believed and positively reviewed these things ... the word spread and was passed from generation to generation ... to now. When research is finally looking to uncover the benefits of these ancient therapies for health and wellbeing. Learn more about "Whole Health" and the mind-body connection in this video: https://youtu.be/cl_CoZo7DSw #wholebodyhealth #mindfulness #meditation #wellbeing #mindbodyconnection

01.01.2022 PILLAR 11 - EMPATHY, COMPASSION & SELF-COMPASSION We have all felt the impact of isolation and loneliness this year. For many people, it is the first time they have experienced what life is like for those who live with chronic illness and disability ... worries about the future, worries about finances, worries about safety ... Meaningful relationships are a core part of our emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. Finding ways to enhance the relationships in our life, and ...even build new relationships, can be incredibly challenging, especially when living with chronic illness and the toll it takes on us. So where do we start? We all know that when we feel acknowledged, heard, accepted and "normal" in our experiences, we feel more connected and ok in those experiences. When we express this to others, they feel connected to us ... often people do not expect a solution to their problems, just acceptance and acknowledgement of their experiences. Empathy and compassion are building blocks of a healthy relationship ... they connect us to the person in front of us: by sharing the common humanity we all experience. They allow us to share experiences, emotions, and thoughts. Empathy and compassion, help us to strengthen relationships and build meaningful connections. Meaningful connections helps us to fight feelings of isolation, loneliness, and alienation. They help us to normalise our own experiences and emotions, and seek support when we are struggling. Learn more: 1. https://www.gottman.com//what-makes-love-last-expressing-/ 2. https://www.gottman.com//how-to-share-compassion-empathy-/ 3. https://www.gottman.com//meta-emotion-how-you-feel-about-/