07/05/2024
I attended the Women's Pain Inquiry Forum held at The Gordon organised and facilitated by Christine Couzens MP, Alison Marchant - Member for Bellarine, Ella George MP with key note speaker Kat Theophanous MP.
And I have just completed the online survey for women and girls who have experienced pain. There are a variety of online survey forms for people to complete including one for practitioners and one for people who are close to people who experience pain.
Here is a link if you would like to participate to have your say to influence reforms that will take place as a result of the findings of this Inquiry.
https://engage.vic.gov.au/project/inquiry-into-womens-pain-survey/participate
I have a better understanding now that pain can come in many forms, and mental anguish can manifest as an increase in physical pain. I take a holistic approach to pain, understanding that health and well-being include optimising access to good food, good rest, a good relationship with oneself, good relationships with others, and good exercise of the mind, body, and soul.
And especially remembering to slow down and be mindful of our breath. Women often take short, shallow breaths, inhaling just enough to care for their families and communities. They often prioritise themselves at the bottom of the list, yet they are the life force nurturing and supporting others.
Gender inequality and societal attitudes, spanning generations and cultures, have sent women a message that they should be self-sacrificing. This often comes at a great cost, where women lose their agency to prioritise self-care, to pause, and to enter a state of stillness where they can breathe in the life force of air by taking slow, deliberate breaths to reoxygenate every cell and fiber of their bodies, enabling them to self-regulate their emotions and reduce the amount of cortisol, a significant trigger of pain in the body.
I believe that the more women are educated on being assertive and giving themselves permission to have agency over themselves and their choices, the more they will be able to move from a place of reactivity to a place of mindful responsiveness.
The more women learn to love and accept themselves for exactly who they are, the more they will be able to overcome misguided beliefs that they are flawed in some way and this somehow makes them lesser. Whether it's the physical body we are born into that causes us pain, or it is a disease manifests, or it is a personal loss that we experience, or an unforeseen life circumstance that rocks our world, we need to know that this is a part of the human condition and that reaching out to get support shows strength, it is not a sign of weakness.
Through adversity, we gain strength, empathy, and we cultivate resilience. It is not that we should suffer unnecessarily, it is that we should support each other through the challenges that life presents.
It is my desire that people who are suffering from pain do not suffer in silence, that they set themselves free to explore where they can turn to for support. Pain can be a massive burden that weighs people down and limits them from reaching their full potential and in living full lives.
The more we support each other, the less burden individuals will carry for their pain, leading to a life filled with joy, contribution, and meaning. This strengthens our society's overall health.
As a result, there should be reduced pressure on public funding for long-term chronic health conditions.
This Inquiry into Women's Pain offers an opportunity to overhaul healthcare and reshape our attitudes towards pain and our right to access support when experiencing it.
This is my belief.
Get involved and have your say with the Inquiry into Women’s Pain Survey project
