Non Drug Pain Management Ideas: Applying the 80/20 Principle

The idea for today's post comes from my husband, who has in recent years become a

follower of the paleo/primal diet.  Most of the time he is very strict about this diet, making sure not to eat anything taboo.  On occasion, he breaks from the rigidity of his new found way
of life and enjoys a few cookies, maybe a bottle of beer, or a new pasta dish.

Why, you ask?  He says that according to others who follow this course, there is an
80/20 rule.  This means that that if you adhere to the rules 80% of the time, you can allow yourself some leeway the other 20% of the time.  It is important to bring this concept to the readers of this blog for a number of reasons:

1)If you have been following this blog at all,
you know there are a lot of lifestyle changes that can tremendously enhance relief from chronic pain.  For a lot of people this not an easy thing to do.  By opting to follow the 80/20 rule these lifestyle modifications suddenly become much easier to follow!

2)If you find you have a lot of lifestyle changes to make and it seems impossible...maybe you can set a goal of 80%.  Make a list of the 10 most important things you need to change with #1 being highest priority.  Then try to make these changes slowly. Be patient with yourself.  When you get to #8...you rock!

3)For most of the lifestyle changes mentioned in Everyday Pain Management Ideas, following the rules 80% of the time will provide noticeable positive effects in pain relief. Every person knows their own body, and after a time will find themselves more in their comfort zone when they follow the rules then when they do not.

In my mind, the only exception to the 80/20 rule is smoking cessation.  I cannot think of anyone who could do this successfully.  Maybe it is possible and I just don't know it!

(Authors note: There are several books on the market about the 80/20 rule, and many websites as well.  I borrowed my graphic for this post from one such book that will be available from Amazon.com as of April 2014.)

Originally posted March 7, 2014