Good morning @ graysea. Congratulations on doing breathing exercises! Diaphragmatic "belly breathing" is such a bonus in helping calm your nervous system down. Do you practice breathing exercises throughout the day? I used to do belly breathing only when I was at peak pain, but I've learned that scheduling breathing throughout the day helps it become more routine, natural and effective. It really has helped. I even do it in the car at stop lights.

You mention wishing you could exercise while you sleep. Now that would be interesting. My morning stretches are a lifeline, and my body depends on them. What form of exercise do you do? While you're awake that is? 😄 Do you have an exercise routine?

I'm sorry about your fiasco with Gabapentin. No fun. I hope you get situated soon and find stable relief. Will your doctor try Pregabalin (Lyrica) instead?

Mantras are similar to what you said you read...positive quotes and stories. Here's some info on mantras:

"What is a mantra and how is it used?
Mantras are one way to practice mindfulness because we focus on a word or phrase as a way to calm and center the mind. In this sense, mantras help us slow down our brains and allow for more space in breath, mind, and body. Mantra is a Sanskrit word that loosely translates to “vehicle of the mind.”"

You can use a mantra while you are practicing your breathing by reminding yourself of a positive quote that you wish to believe. Muscle memory plays a role.

Meditation, breathing and mindfulness can be all tied together. I like to read positive daily mantras for inspiration and to keep me centered. Believe it or not, I never did any of this stuff until I was forced to find ways of counting on myself for pain management. My friend and fellow mentor @artscaping promoted mindful meditation when I first arrived on Connect. She taught me to welcome pain every morning because it would be my shadow and we'd have to learn to live together. At first, I thought she was craaazzyyy!

Remind yourself that all the meds and doctors in the world can't fix or cure "chronic". They can play a helpful role, but we must assume a part in helping ourselves.

I hope your husband found a wordsearch app. Good for you for staying focused and wanting to help yourself. It's a tall order, but mindset is a very powerful tool. What's next on your list of self-help tools?