Health & WellnessBeginnerPreview
Chronic Pain Self-Management
This course explains how chronic pain works in the nervous system and equips you with evidence-based self-management strategies. You will build practical skills in pacing, graded activity, and mind-body techniques to improve daily function and quality of life.
Adults living with persistent pain who want practical, evidence-informed self-management skills to complement their existing care.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook is your hands-on companion to the Chronic Pain Self-Management course. Use it to apply each concept to your own situation, track your progress, and build a personalised toolkit you can share with your care team. Always work alongside your healthcare providers — this workbook is an educational tool, not a substitute for professional assessment or treatment.
Understanding Your Pain
Translate pain neuroscience concepts into a personalised map of your own biopsychosocial pain drivers.
Exercise: Build Your Biopsychosocial Pain Map
Using the three-domain model from the course, brainstorm factors currently influencing your pain experience. Be honest and specific — there are no wrong answers. This map is for you and your care team, not for judgment.
- List 2-3 biological factors you believe are contributing to your pain right now (e.g., sleep quality, inflammation, physical deconditioning, nerve sensitisation).
- List 2-3 psychological factors (e.g., fear of movement, low mood, frustration, catastrophising thoughts like "this will never get better").
- List 2-3 social or environmental factors (e.g., work demands, lack of support, financial stress, healthcare access).
- Circle the one factor across all three domains that you feel you have the most influence over right now. Why did you choose it?
Worksheet: My Central Sensitisation Profile
Rate each item on a scale of 0 (not at all) to 10 (very much). Use this to track change over time and to prompt conversation with your care team.
- My pain spreads beyond where the original problem started (0-10)
- Light touch or clothing contact sometimes causes pain (0-10)
- Noise, bright light, or stress reliably worsens my pain (0-10)
- My pain is noticeably worse after poor sleep (0-10)
- I am more pain-sensitive throughout my body, not just in one spot (0-10)
- Date completed
- One question I want to ask my healthcare provider based on this profile
Checklist: Pain Science Education — Key Concepts Absorbed
- I can explain in my own words why pain intensity does not always equal tissue damage
- I understand that my nervous system can become sensitised over time
- I can name at least two factors in each biopsychosocial domain that affect my pain
- I know that central sensitisation is a real physiological state — not "in my head"
- I can explain why understanding pain science is itself part of the treatment
- I have shared (or plan to share) my pain map with at least one member of my care team
Pacing Strategies
Apply the baseline-setting method and develop a written pacing plan for your most challenging daily activities.
Exercise: Identify Your Boom-Bust Patterns
Look back over the past 2-3 weeks. Identify at least 2 examples of the boom-bust cycle in your own life. Be specific about the activity, the overdo, and the resulting flare. This exercise builds self-awareness without self-blame.
- Describe a recent example where you did significantly more than usual on a good day. What were you doing, and why did you push?
- What happened in the 24-48 hours after that activity spike? How did your pain, energy, and mood change?
- What was the trigger that made you decide to push on that good day (e.g., guilt about not contributing, fear of future limitation, external pressure)?
- If you could advise a friend in the same situation, what would you suggest they do differently — and can you apply that advice to yourself?
Worksheet: My Activity Baseline Tracker
Choose one activity to baseline this week. Record your performance over 3 days, calculate your average, take 80% of that as your starting quota, and track your daily completion for 2 weeks.
- Activity being baselined (e.g., walking, standing, gardening)
- Day 1 — duration or distance before stopping
- Day 2 — duration or distance before stopping
- Day 3 — duration or distance before stopping
- 3-day average
- Starting quota (average x 0.8)
- Week 1 Day 1 — completed quota? (Yes / Partial / No — notes)
- Week 1 Day 2 — completed quota? (Yes / Partial / No — notes)
- Week 1 Day 3 — completed quota? (Yes / Partial / No — notes)
- Week 1 Day 4 — completed quota? (Yes / Partial / No — notes)
- Week 1 Day 5 — completed quota? (Yes / Partial / No — notes)
- Week 2 quota (increase by 5-10% if week 1 stable)
- Notes for care team review
Checklist: Whole-Person Pacing — Weekly Actions
- I have written down my current quota for at least one physical activity
- I am doing my baseline quota every day regardless of pain level — no more on good days
- I have identified at least one cognitive task I need to pace (e.g., screen time, focused reading)
- I have planned at least one social activity at a level I can sustain, not at full pre-pain level
- I am breaking longer tasks into smaller bouts with rest breaks built in
- I have scheduled at least one valued activity this week regardless of pain level
Graded Activity and Exposure
Build a personalised graded activity schedule and a fear-avoidance exposure hierarchy in preparation to share with your physiotherapist or pain team.
Exercise: Create Your Graded Exposure Hierarchy
List activities you currently avoid or limit because of pain or fear of pain. Rate each on a 0-10 fear scale (0=no fear, 10=maximum fear). This hierarchy is a starting point to bring to your physiotherapist or psychologist — do not attempt high-rated items alone without clinical guidance.
- List 8-10 activities you currently avoid or significantly limit because of pain or fear of worsening pain.
- Rate each activity from 0-10 based on how much fear or anxiety the idea of doing it produces (not pain level — fear). Rank your list lowest to highest.
- For your lowest-rated item (2-3 range), what is your fear prediction — what do you think will happen if you attempt it? How could you test this prediction safely?
- Which item on your hierarchy would most improve your quality of life if you regained it? Bring this to your next appointment with your physio or pain specialist.
Worksheet: Graded Activity Programme — 4-Week Planner
Use this worksheet to plan a 4-week graded activity programme for one target activity. Set your starting level conservatively, then plan weekly 10% increments. Track completion — not pain level.
- Target activity
- Week 1 planned level (duration, reps, or distance)
- Week 1 — did you complete the plan? Notes
- Week 2 planned level (+10% from week 1)
- Week 2 — did you complete the plan? Notes
- Week 3 planned level (+10% from week 2)
- Week 3 — did you complete the plan? Notes
- Week 4 planned level (+10% from week 3)
- Week 4 — did you complete the plan? Notes
- Observations to share with physiotherapist
Checklist: Movement Confidence — Mindset Shifts
- I can distinguish between pain that signals tissue damage and pain that reflects nervous system sensitivity
- I have shared my fear-avoidance hierarchy with my physiotherapist or care team
- I am tracking activity completion rather than pain levels as my primary success measure
- I have attempted at least one item from the low end of my exposure hierarchy this week
- I recorded my prediction before the exposure and compared it to what actually happened
- I am celebrating completion regardless of pain outcome
Mind-Body Tools and Flare Planning
Practice and personalise the core mind-body strategies from the course, and complete your written flare management plan.
Exercise: Mind-Body Practice Log — 2 Weeks
Choose 1-2 mind-body practices from the course to trial over 2 weeks. Record what you practised, for how long, and your brief observation. This log is for your own insight — there is no right answer.
- Which practices from the course feel most accessible to you right now: body scan, breath awareness, progressive muscle relaxation, or cognitive shuffling before sleep? Why?
- After your first week of daily practice, what have you noticed — about your pain, your sleep, your reactivity, or your mood? Be specific rather than general.
- Did any practice feel unhelpful or activating rather than calming? Describe what happened — this is valuable information for a psychologist or pain counsellor.
- What is the smallest daily practice you could realistically sustain for the next month? Name the time of day, duration, and practice.
Worksheet: My Personal Flare Management Plan
Complete every field below during a calm period. Keep a copy accessible — in your phone, wallet, or shared with a trusted person. Review with your care team every 3-6 months.
- My early warning signs that a flare is building (list 3-5 personal signals)
- My immediate 24-hour response plan
- Activities I will reduce but maintain during a flare
- Activities I will stop completely during a flare
- Who I will contact and what I will tell them (name + brief script)
- My self-compassion reminder (write one sentence to yourself for flare days)
- How I know I am returning to baseline (3 personal markers)
- Post-flare review question: what will I note after each flare resolves?
- Date this plan was last reviewed
- Next scheduled review date
Checklist: My Chronic Pain Self-Management Toolkit — Complete
- I have a written biopsychosocial pain map to share with my care team
- I have at least one paced activity with a written quota I follow daily
- I have a graded activity programme for one target activity
- I have a graded exposure hierarchy I have shared with my physiotherapist
- I am practising a mind-body technique at least 5 days per week
- I have a written flare management plan stored somewhere accessible
- I have shared my self-management goals with at least one healthcare provider
- I have identified 3 valued activities I am taking steps toward regardless of pain level
- I know the difference between a flare and a new injury requiring medical attention
- I have scheduled a follow-up with my care team to review progress
Your Action Plan
- This week: Complete your biopsychosocial pain map and share it at your next appointment
- This week: Baseline one physical activity using the 3-day tracking method
- Week 2: Set your 80% quota and begin consistent daily practice — do not exceed it on good days
- Week 2: List your feared activities and rate them on the 0-10 fear scale for your exposure hierarchy
- Week 3: Begin a 4-week graded activity programme for one target activity with your physiotherapist's input
- Week 3: Choose one mind-body practice and commit to 10 minutes daily for two weeks
- Week 4: Write your personalised flare management plan and store it somewhere accessible
- Ongoing: Increase activity quotas by 5-10% every 1-2 weeks as you reach consistency
- Monthly: Review your pain map and update your flare plan with your care team
- Ongoing: Celebrate consistency — tracking completion rather than pain is your new measure of success
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