Chronic pain perseveres for more than 3 months and affects various aspects of life, including but not limited to work, social relationships, and leisure. Though medication can treat the biological aspects of the chronic pain experience, it comes with side effects and rules set out by health insurance. Due to the various effects on life and limitations of medication, psychosocial treatments for chronic pain deserve more attention. Flow, being in the zone during an actively engaging and challenging experience may provide a respite from pain via decreased pain awareness. We assessed naturally occurring flow activities among the chronic pain population to explore whether being in a flow state is associated with a decrease in pain awareness and intensity (Study 1). Then we conducted an intervention study, where participants spent 15 minutes per day engaging in a flow activity or a mindfulness activity or went about life as usual. We aimed to delve deeper into the relationship between flow and chronic pain in relation to decreasing pain awareness and intensity and compare these effects to those of mindfulness, non-judgmental awareness and acceptance of present moment states, feelings, and sensations (Study 2). Across the two studies, results revealed that flow and mindfulness have similar effects on pain awareness suggesting that either type of activity can be engaged in with relatively equal decreases in pain awareness and intensity. We also learned that this sample of people with chronic pain chose to engage in flow and mindfulness activities that were active in nature, despite experiencing effects on life that were physical in nature as a result of their chronic pain. These results provide initial evidence in support of flow as a management strategy for chronic pain, such that a flow state can provide temporary respite from unrelenting pain.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that does not have a cure. Therefore, it is important for patients to receive support, which would allow them to ask questions and express their feelings. This study examined online social networks for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to better understand the emotional valence of their initial posts and whether there was an association between posts with negative emotional valence and requesting support/information. We hypothesized that the majority (more than 50%) of the emotional valence of initial posts would be negative, and that there would be an association between negative emotional valence and support/information. Nine hundred eighty-six initial posts from a rheumatoid arthritis online social network via Reddit were coded as either positive, negative, neutral, or mixed. In addition, the initial posts were coded as either requesting support/information, offering support/information, neither requesting nor offering support/information, or both requesting and offering support/information. Negative was the most common emotional valence in the initial posts followed by mixed, neutral, and positive. There was also an association between initial posts that had a negative emotional valence and requested support/information, and initial posts that had a negative emotional valence but did not request support/information. As a result, the implications of this study indicate the need for additional information and support to be provided to patients with rheumatoid arthritis, so they can have a better experience and an easier way to cope with their illness.