Episode Summary

In this powerful installment of our Everyday Pain Stories series, we revisit Ed’s journey through chronic lower back and hip pain—and how a deeper understanding of his stress biology became a game-changer. Through strategic changes to his body chemistry, nervous system support, and emotional healing, Ed not only found physical relief but uncovered critical emotional ties to his pain. His story highlights the often invisible but profound impact of unresolved stress and offers inspiring lessons for anyone on a healing journey.

Key Topics Covered

· Ed’s Progress: How digestive support and nutrition changes dramatically improved his back pain and emotional stability.

· The Science of Blood Sugar and Mood: Why regulating glucose is essential not just for energy, but also for emotional resilience.

· Hidden Trauma Revealed: Ed's childhood experience with home invasion and its lingering impact on his nervous system.

· Acknowledgment and Healing: The physical and emotional release Ed experienced by recognizing the emotional roots of his body tension.

· Financial Stress and Resilience: How Ed buffered against new life stressors and stayed pain-free.

· The Next Healing Step: How small additions of cardiovascular exercise can offer huge protection against future stress build-up.

Conversation Starter

Have you ever noticed a shift in your pain levels after addressing emotional or life stress? Or has physical pain been the thing that finally pushed you to seek emotional support? Share your experiences with us on the Better Pain Coping Substack community—we grow stronger together!

Preview to Next Episode

Next time, we check in with Charlene and explore how personal life changes and emotional stressors have been quietly influencing her pain patterns. Her story reveals the critical intersection between everyday stress and physical healing you won’t want to miss.

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Subscribe to Better Pain Coping on Substack for insights, community discussions, and practical tips to support your body-machine. Claim your free yearlong subscription today!

· Join Better Pain Coping on Substack: For your free yearlong subscription use: dryalingliou.stubstack.com/listener

A community space to share reactions, questions, and experiences.

• Bonus Content & Illustrations: Access exclusive material on Substack to deepen your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

stress biology chronic pain, emotional trauma and pain, blood sugar mood connection, nervous system healing, everyday pain guide stories, chronic pain stress management, holistic pain recovery, emotional healing back pain, pain relief without medication, healing emotional wounds

#EverydayPainGuide #PainRecoveryJourney #StressBiology #ChronicPainSupport #HealingTrauma #MindBodyHealing #PainFreeLiving #EmotionalWellness #HolisticHealing #EverydayHealingStories

From the book series: The Everyday Pain Guide

• Volume 1: Put Out the Fire

• Volume 2: Fix the Fire Damage

Episode Summary

After mastering the art of releasing and retraining your stress biology, today's episode introduces the powerful third phase: Reinforce. Learn how easing up on yourself, maintaining steady habits, and returning to self-care with kindness can solidify your progress toward a healthier, low-inflammation life. Reinforcing healthier patterns isn't about perfection—it's about persistence, playfulness, and patience. Join me as we explore simple, joyful ways to make lasting change part of your everyday life.

Key Topics Covered

· Ease Up on Yourself: Why self-compassion is a biological advantage.

· Keep It Up: Gentle consistency beats strict perfectionism every time.

· Return to It: How to "begin again" without guilt whenever you falter.

· The Role of Sensory Joy: Using sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste to soothe your nervous system.

· Body Chemistry Reminders: Mindful approaches to food, sleep, movement, and connection.

· Visualization and Healing: Imagining a pain-free future as a tool for real biological change.

· Pain Is Not Forever: You are not alone, and setbacks are part of the journey.

Conversation Starter

Can you start to see a pain-free or stronger future for yourself? After practicing release, retrain, and reinforce strategies, what small but powerful changes have you noticed? Come share your story—and inspire others—over on my Substack, Better Pain Coping.

Preview to Next Episode

Now that you've completed all three phases of the Stress Biology Action Plan, it's time to revisit the journeys of Ed, Charlene, and Billie! In the next episode, we'll pick up with Ed’s story and see how the action steps helped shape his healing path. You won’t want to miss these real-world insights!

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Subscribe to Better Pain Coping on Substack for insights, community discussions, and practical tips to support your body-machine. Claim your free yearlong subscription today!

· Join Better Pain Coping on Substack: For your free yearlong subscription use: dryalingliou.stubstack.com/listener

A community space to share reactions, questions, and experiences.

• Bonus Content & Illustrations: Access exclusive material on Substack to deepen your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

stress biology healing, pain recovery strategies, reinforce low-stress habits, chronic pain selfcare, nervous system retraining, inflammation and pain relief, self-compassion healing, everyday pain guide, chronic pain mindset, body chemistry wellness

#PainRecovery #HealingJourney #StressRelief #ChronicPainSupport #MindBodyHealing #SelfCompassion #EverydayPainGuide #PainFreeFuture #InflammationRelief #BeginAgain

From the book series: The Everyday Pain Guide

• Volume 1: Put Out the Fire

• Volume 2: Fix the Fire Damage

Episode Summary

Over the past four episodes, we've explored action steps to calm your stress biology and set the stage for healing. Today, we're wrapping up the "Release and Retrain" phase by investigating hidden biases and beliefs about pain, aging, posture, weight, and diagnoses that may be standing between you and real relief. Join me as we learn how reframing these ideas can open the door to better control, greater resilience, and lasting comfort.

Key Topics Covered

· Understanding Bias: How subconscious beliefs can influence pain and healing.

· Pain and Aging: Pain is not an inevitable part of getting older.

· Body Weight Myths: Why fat, not weight, contributes to inflammation—and how strength matters more.

· Posture Misconceptions: The truth about "hunchbacks" and why you should embrace your unique shape.

· Arthritis and Disc Disease Realities: Why X-rays don't always tell the full story.

· Sciatica and Diagnosis Labels: How diagnostic labels can limit—or liberate—your healing journey.

· Power of Mindset: Why challenging your pain beliefs could be your biggest breakthrough yet.

Conversation Starter

What did you learn growing up about pain and aging? Have any of those early beliefs shaped how you experience or manage your pain today? I'd love to hear your reflections—join the discussion over on my Substack, Better Pain Coping!

Preview to Next Episode

You’ve now built the foundation by releasing and retraining — next, it’s time to reinforce the healthier, low-stress biology you’ve been creating. In our next episode, we’ll dive into the third and final action phase to make your progress sustainable and stronger over time. You won't want to miss it!

Connect and Subscribe

Subscribe to Better Pain Coping on Substack for insights, community discussions, and practical tips to support your body-machine. Claim your free yearlong subscription today!

· Join Better Pain Coping on Substack: For your free yearlong subscription use: dryalingliou.stubstack.com/listener

A community space to share reactions, questions, and experiences.

• Bonus Content & Illustrations: Access exclusive material on Substack to deepen your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

pain myths, pain and aging, body weight and pain, posture and back pain, arthritis misconceptions, disc disease MRI findings, sciatica truth, bias and health, stress biology pain relief, retrain beliefs pain healing

#PainRelief #ChronicPain #MindBodyConnection #HealthMyths #PainAwareness #BiasInMedicine #HealingJourney #EverydayPainGuide #PainMindset #StressBiology

From the book series: The Everyday Pain Guide

• Volume 1: Put Out the Fire

• Volume 2: Fix the Fire Damage

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Everyday Pain Guide, we dive into the subtle yet powerful connection between posture and stress biology. You'll learn how fear postures unconsciously reinforce stress responses—and how consciously shifting your body's alignment toward openness and ease can send calming signals back to your nervous system. Discover practical, science-backed strategies to retrain your body for resilience, starting from how you sit, stand, move... and even sleep!

Key Topics Covered

· Understanding the "Five F" responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn, and Flop

· How fear shapes our everyday posture—even without obvious stress

· The hidden role of fetal positioning in modern tension and pain

· How cardiovascular exercise offers a short-term "reset" for body tension

· Long-term strategies: strengthening muscles that promote an open, safe posture

· Practical exercises like Bird Dog, Superman Isometrics, and Reverse Roman Chair

· How sleep positions influence your stress posture patterns

· Using physical posture as a tool to embody feelings of safety and ease

Conversation Starter

After hearing today’s episode, which fear posture do you recognize in yourself the most—fighter, fleer, freezer, or appeaser? How might you start shifting your daily body language toward safety and ease?

Preview to Next Episode

Next time, we'll take your healing journey one step further by exploring how shifting your ideas and beliefs can profoundly change your pain experience. Get ready to uncover how thought patterns influence suffering—and how you can rewrite them to find greater freedom and resilience.

Connect and Subscribe

Subscribe to Better Pain Coping on Substack for insights, community discussions, and practical tips to support your body-machine. Claim your free yearlong subscription today!

· Join Better Pain Coping on Substack: For your free yearlong subscription use: dryalingliou.stubstack.com/listener

A community space to share reactions, questions, and experiences.

• Bonus Content & Illustrations: Access exclusive material on Substack to deepen your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

stress posture, fear posture, trauma response body, fetal position stress, nervous system regulation, posture retraining, everyday pain guide, coping with chronic pain, stress biology, body mechanics action plan

#StressBiology #PostureMatters #ChronicPainRelief #EverydayPainGuide #BodyMindConnection #SomaticHealing #PainManagement #FearToFreedom #TraumaRecovery #BetterPainCoping

From the book series: The Everyday Pain Guide

• Volume 1: Put Out the Fire

• Volume 2: Fix the Fire Damage

Episode Summary

In this episode, we unlock the powerful connections between what you eat, how you sleep, the way you play, and the quality of your relationships — and how they silently retrain your glucose metabolism and stress biology every day. Learn practical, actionable strategies to lower inflammation and pain, and find out why even healthy habits can sometimes backfire if you're not careful. Plus, we’ll explore why releasing toxic relationships and redefining joy might be as important as your food choices.

Key Topics Covered

· Food, Sleep, Play, and Relationships: These hidden "fuels" affect your blood sugar, stress levels, and inflammation.

· The Big Three Stress-Triggering Foods: How sugar, processed foods, and caffeine hijack your body chemistry.

· Beyond Elimination: How to build biochemical resilience, not just avoid "bad" foods.

· Sleep Without Stress: Why over-focusing on "perfect" sleep can worsen it — and simple, biology-friendly fixes.

· When Healthy Eating Turns Toxic: A look at orthorexia and why food obsession can harm mental health.

· Joyful Movement: Why forcing yourself through dreaded workouts may spike inflammation instead of helping.

· Toxic Relationships: How social support (or lack of it) can shift your blood glucose and stress hormones.

· Small Changes, Big Impact: How just noticing these influences gives you new power over pain and inflammation.

Conversation Starter

Have you ever thought about how your friendships — not just your food — could be affecting your blood sugar and inflammation? Which part of today's episode made you rethink your daily habits the most?

Preview to Next Episode

Your posture could be silently ramping up your stress biology every day.
In our next episode, we’ll dig into how small subconscious patterns in the way you sit, stand, and move might be fueling hidden inflammation — and simple steps you can take to reset for better pain relief and wellbeing.

Connect and Subscribe

Subscribe to Better Pain Coping on Substack for insights, community discussions, and practical tips to support your body-machine. Claim your free yearlong subscription today!

· Join Better Pain Coping on Substack: For your free yearlong subscription use: dryalingliou.stubstack.com/listener

A community space to share reactions, questions, and experiences.

• Bonus Content & Illustrations: Access exclusive material on Substack to deepen your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

stress biology, glucose metabolism, inflammation and pain, stress and blood sugar, healthy coping strategies, sleep and stress, processed foods and anxiety, orthorexia, toxic relationships and health, stress reduction strategies, functional medicine, Everyday Pain Guide

#StressBiology #GlucoseMetabolism #PainRelief #FunctionalMedicine #ChronicPain #BetterPainCoping #Inflammation #MentalHealthMatters #SleepHealth #FoodAsMedicine

From the book series: The Everyday Pain Guide

• Volume 1: Put Out the Fire

• Volume 2: Fix the Fire Damage

Episode Summary

In this eye-opening episode, we dive deep into how your five senses—sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste—can become powerful allies in calming your nervous system and reducing pain and inflammation. Learn simple, personalized techniques you can start today to retrain your body's reflexive stress responses and build lasting feelings of safety and ease. Plus, we explore why not all sensory input is created equal—and why it’s critical to choose wisely.

Key Topics Covered

· Smell: How pure, plant-based scents like lavender and peppermint can help reset your stress response.

· Taste: Why flavors matter less directly—but comforting associations with certain foods and drinks can still soothe.

· Touch: Using texture, temperature, and pressure (like weighted blankets or worry stones) to calm the body.

· Sound: Leveraging music, nature sounds, and even silence to regulate your nervous system.

· Sight: How panoramic vision, calming colors, and visual ASMR stimuli can create moments of relaxation.

· Mindfulness: Tapping into the five senses to anchor yourself in the present and naturally lower stress.

Conversation Starter

Which one of your senses has the biggest impact on your emotions?
Are you more soothed by a favorite scent, a comforting touch, a beloved song, or a stunning view? Share your experiences and tips in the Better Pain Coping Substack community!

Preview to Next Episode

Next time, we’ll dive into how retraining your glucose metabolism can biologically lower stress—and why it might be the key to unlocking better pain control and emotional resilience.

Connect and Subscribe

Subscribe to Better Pain Coping on Substack for insights, community discussions, and practical tips to support your body-machine. Claim your free yearlong subscription today!

· Join Better Pain Coping on Substack: For your free yearlong subscription use: dryalingliou.stubstack.com/listener

A community space to share reactions, questions, and experiences.

• Bonus Content & Illustrations: Access exclusive material on Substack to deepen your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

nervous system retraining, sensory stress relief, how to ease pain naturally, five senses for stress relief, essential oils for anxiety, mindfulness techniques, sensory therapy, reduce inflammation naturally, calming techniques, ASMR for relaxation

#PainRelief #StressManagement #FiveSenses #Mindfulness #NervousSystemHealing #EverydayPainGuide #HolisticHealth #BetterPainCoping

From the book series: The Everyday Pain Guide

• Volume 1: Put Out the Fire

• Volume 2: Fix the Fire Damage

Episode Summary

In this first deep dive into the Stress Biology Action Plan, we explore how emotional stress can fuel physical pain — and how small shifts in coping styles can lighten your mental load, retrain your nervous system, and jumpstart real healing. Learn how to release toxic coping mechanisms like toxic positivity, toxic distraction, over-analysis, and unchecked venting — and replace them with strategies that truly support your well-being.

Key Topics Covered

· How toxic coping styles amplify physical pain

· Why acknowledging difficult emotions is critical for healing

· The dangers of toxic positivity, distraction, over-analysis, and venting

· Practical strategies for healthier emotional processing

· The importance of nervous system retraining alongside physical healing

· How self-awareness and tiny daily habits can retrain your stress biology

· Why this phase is foundational before deeper recovery work

Conversation Starter

Which coping strategy — toxic positivity, distraction, over-analysis, or unchecked venting — do you catch yourself falling into most often when you're struggling with physical pain?

Preview to Next Episode

Next time, we’ll explore powerful ways to retrain your nervous system using your five senses — a surprisingly simple but potent way to tip your brain and body back toward healing.

Connect and Subscribe

Subscribe to Better Pain Coping on Substack for insights, community discussions, and practical tips to support your body-machine. Claim your free yearlong subscription today!

· Join Better Pain Coping on Substack: For your free yearlong subscription use: dryalingliou.stubstack.com/listener

A community space to share reactions, questions, and experiences.

• Bonus Content & Illustrations: Access exclusive material on Substack to deepen your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

stress biology, pain recovery, emotional coping and pain, toxic positivity, pain coping strategies, stress and chronic pain, retraining nervous system, mental emotional health, pain healing plan, self-care and chronic pain

#StressBiology #PainRecovery #ChronicPainHealing #ToxicPositivity #NervousSystemHealth #EverydayPainGuide #BetterPainCoping #MindBodyHealing

From the book series: The Everyday Pain Guide

• Volume 1: Put Out the Fire

• Volume 2: Fix the Fire Damage

Episode Summary

In today's episode, we shift from the Stress Biology Repair Guide to the launch of the Stress Biology Action Plan. Before lasting healing can take root, we need more than just strategies — we need the willingness and energy to apply them. But what happens when motivation feels out of reach? Join us as we explore the invisible forces of brain and body chemistry that shape how we feel about self-care, and why small, supportive steps can help you break the cycle of overwhelm, stress, and pain.

Key Topics Covered

· Motivation for self-care depends on both mindset and biochemistry

· Emotional stress can contribute to physical pain (and vice versa)

· How hormones like cortisol, serotonin, and thyroid hormones influence your energy and self-image

· The difference between "personality" and fluctuating brain chemistry

· The five stress biology influencers you’ll work with in this Action Plan

· Why self-forgiveness and persistence are critical tools for healing

· How to begin balancing emotional and physical stress while awaiting professional care

Conversation Starter

Have you ever noticed an emotional life change right before a bout of physical pain started — or worsened? How do you think stress and emotional transitions have shaped your body’s pain story?

Preview to Next Episode

Coming up next: We dive into the first hands-on steps of the Stress Biology Action Plan! We’ll explore how to Release and Retrain your nervous system together to lower inflammation and create more control over everyday pain. Stay tuned — your healing journey is about to get active!

Connect and Subscribe

Subscribe to Better Pain Coping on Substack for insights, community discussions, and practical tips to support your body-machine. Claim your free yearlong subscription today!

· Join Better Pain Coping on Substack: For your free yearlong subscription use: dryalingliou.stubstack.com/listener

A community space to share reactions, questions, and experiences.

• Bonus Content & Illustrations: Access exclusive material on Substack to deepen your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

stress biology action plan, healing motivation, self-care and biochemistry, emotional stress and pain, cortisol and pain, serotonin dopamine balance, stress hormones and healing, chronic pain management, functional medicine pain, nervous system regulation

#StressBiology #SelfCareMatters #HealingJourney #BodyMindConnection #ChronicPainRelief #StressAndPain #HormoneHealth #MotivationAndHealing #EverydayPainGuide #InflammationRelief

From the book series: The Everyday Pain Guide

• Volume 1: Put Out the Fire

• Volume 2: Fix the Fire Damage