There are a lot of reasons to want to be together — support, friendship, happiness, belonging…these are all wonderful reasons to see friends and family and meet new people. But what about when you have chronic pain that can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness when your community can’t relate?
It can be difficult to find a group of people who understand your life experience. That’s why we think it’s so important to meet those in our chronic pain world — it can make all the difference in creating a complete sense of togetherness. Building a community is powerful, whether through social media, support groups, conferences, or real-world get-togethers.
When you’re living with chronic pain, it’s easy to feel misunderstood. Our pain is invisible to others, and often, even close family and friends may struggle to fully grasp the extent of what we’re going through. Creating and fostering a facial pain community provides an outlet for sharing experiences and receiving true empathy.
In-person interactions strengthen our connections. While social media and support groups can be helpful, they can’t replace the power of face-to-face communication. This direct interaction often provides us with the validation and reassurance we need. A simple hug from a facial pain friend, whom we met in a support group, can remind us that we’re not alone on our journey and the challenges we face are valid.
If you’re joining us at this year’s in-person conference, remember to take a deep breath. You will be surrounded by people who share your goal: to expand their understanding of facial pain and build a supportive community. While no two experiences with chronic pain are the same, meeting in person allows us to gain new perspectives and consider different approaches and expand the way we view our diagnosis. Allowing ourselves the opportunity to be vulnerable means that we are taking some power back from our pain.
Remember that you don’t have to go through your diagnosis alone. Community and in-person interactions are crucial to providing emotional support, fostering shared experiences, and offering encouragement. Our community offers hope, strength, and the opportunity to thrive despite the challenges of living with chronic pain. Our community is a source of healing that no amount of physical pain can diminish.
We hope to see many of you at this year’s conference — it will be so exciting to finally see you all in person and step forward into a new space full of togetherness.
We invite you to be part of our community — if you’d like to join our support group, email [email protected]. If you want to join our 24/7 group chat, let us know! And make sure to follow us on social media @youngpatients.
