Living with chronic pain can feel impossible to describe.
And it can be truly difficult to make others understand what it’s like.
This Pain Awareness Month, we asked people living with pain to describe their pain journey, using just three words. We compiled their responses into the word cloud you see above.
Many turned to the same few top words to describe their experiences: Isolating. Frustrating. Exhausting. Lonely. Painful.
A number of other words also appeared repeatedly: Long. Relentless. Challenging. Depressing. Enlightening. Hard. Struggle. Resilience. Sad. Years. Struggle. Life-changing.
For others, the three words came together to tell something more personal:
Live in spite.
It really sucks.
My life changed.
Living in hell.
Change of course.
Life turned 180.
Others described their pain journey as confusing. All-consuming. Devastating. Educational. Unbearable. Expensive. Humbling. Eye-opening. Powerless. Overwhelming. Stigmatized.
Some mentioned empathy. Bravery. Deterioration. Torment. Acceptance. Experimentation. Agony. Purpose. Vulnerability. 24/7.
Three words cannot tell the whole story of a life with pain. But together, these responses reveal both the experiences so many people share, and the deeply personal ways pain can shape a life.
There are millions of stories behind these words. This Pain Awareness Month, we’re bringing them together as #OneVoiceForPain, because every one of those stories has a place in the movement to change pain.
