Pain is an emotional as well as physical response to injury or disease. Intense fear and anxiety arevital immediate responses that cause you to avoid sources of pain whenever possible. ?Sometimes,however, pain persists even when the injury or disease is no longer present. ?A painful feeling canbecome associated with constant stress, bad.memories, or lasting fear.?
Medicine is often essential for controlling pain in the short term, but taking painkillers (止痛药)for an extended period can lead to addiction (上瘾) or serious physical side effects, including stomachand liver diseases. Your body may also build up a tolerance to a drug so that you get less benefit from itas time goes on.?
Although you should always seek medical advice if pain is severe or continues for a long time, youcan also use techniques to control it. Mind-body techniques can reduce or help control pain--with norisk of side effects. Most people relax with deep, controlled breathing to reduce the tension that comeswith pain. Try lying quietly in a dark room; breathe in deeply while counting to 10, hold the breath fora moment, and then exhale slowly for a count of 10. Continue this for 10 -20 minutes.?
Shifting your attention often reduces pain' s severity (严重程度). Try turning your attention awayfrom the painful area, focusing instead on a non-painful part of your body. Or, imagine the pain as a bigball of energy outside your body, and make it smaller in your mind. Train yourself to replace thethoughts like "I can't stop this pain," with positive ones such as "This pain is only temporary. "?
In this practice, you merely acknowledge the pain by actively fighting it, instead of allowing it todominate your thoughts.?
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "exhale" in Paragraph 3?
A.To breathe out
B.To fall asleep
C.To turn your body
D.To get up