Many of us say or hear them — “Good things are coming soon.” or “The darkest hour is just before dawn.” They’re kind expressions of positivity and hope. But can optimism actually help with, say, chronic pain management?

I’ve noticed that during harder periods with disease or chronic pain like my Hashimoto’s, you can change your mindset, which alters how you experience discomfort and illness.

Introduction

Winter has been hard since my diagnosis with Hashimoto’s disease. During one flare-up, the inflammation around my thyroid became so painful that even swallowing hurt.

I felt freezing cold while also overheating from inflammation, and the irritation around my neck triggered painful breakouts. I remember sitting wrapped in blankets, feeling completely exhausted by my own body.

Can optimism do that?

What surprised me most wasn’t medication or supplements, though I am grateful for those. Healing came faster because of my family’s positivity.

My husband and kids stayed endlessly optimistic through the entire flare-up. They kept reassuring me that I’d get through it, and somehow their calm energy made everything feel more manageable.

That experience left me wondering about something I hadn’t seriously considered before — can optimism improve your health, especially when you’re living with chronic pain?

Why optimism isn’t just forced smiles

What do you think is harder, forcing one or being the recipient?

People sometimes hear the word “optimism” and immediately assume it’s the same as forced positivity or fake cheerfulness. When you live with chronic pain, that “fake feeling better until you are” sentiment can feel exhausting.-

Nobody wants to hear “just stay positive, and everything will be OK” when they’re struggling to walk without crying.

Real optimism feels different. It acknowledges discomfort, frustration and fear while still believing things can improve. It doesn’t deny reality, but it leaves room for hope.

The distinction matters

That distinction matters because chronic pain already has a way of shrinking your world. When aching becomes constant, it’s easy to assume tomorrow will feel precisely the same as today.

Positive focus interrupts that cycle. It creates enough emotional space to believe that your flare-up may ease, that your body may recover or that your difficult season won’t last forever.

I’ve noticed that during harder periods with disease or chronic pain like my Hashimoto’s, you can change your mindset, which alters how you experience discomfort and illness.

Optimism and health walk the road of healing together. On days when you feel emotionally defeated, everything feels heavier. The pain becomes sharper, and small inconveniences seem overwhelming. However, when you feel emotionally supported and hopeful, you cope better physically, as well.

It doesn’t mean the symptoms disappear. However, you can stop feeling consumed by them.

What is the optimist’s approach to a life in pain?

One of the biggest differences I’ve noticed between optimism and hopelessness is how each one affects action. When you feel hopeless, you stop trying things. You cancel plans, isolate and convince yourself that nothing will help anyway.

Chronic pain can quietly push you into survival mode without you even realizing it. Being positive shifts you back into participation. You become more likely to rest intentionally rather than give up entirely. You speak to doctors, make small adjustments to your routine and look for moments of comfort instead of assuming the suffering is permanent.

That shift matters, both psychologically and physically. Research continues to explore the relationship between positive motivation and health outcomes, especially regarding the reduction of inflammation, stress and immune function. Chronic stress increases cortisol levels, which may worsen inflammation and pain perception over time.

While an optimistic mindset doesn’t magically cure illness, it can reduce the emotional stress that comes with it. Cancer research has shown that optimism reduces pain levels and improves patients’ overall quality of life.

I noticed the impact of being optimistic during my winter flare-up. The calmer and more emotionally supported I felt, the less tense my entire body became. My shoulders relaxed, my breathing slowed and I slept better. My recovery felt smoother because I wasn’t spending every moment spiraling emotionally while trying to survive the physical symptoms.

How your mindset can help your body heal

You’re the sole authorized manager of your mindset. Get in there and make necessary changes — even if it scares you.

Approaching chronic pain with a positive outlook is the best way to manage discomfort and promote healing. When you feel positive about the journey, you are more likely to engage in health-boosting activities.

Moving to reconnect with yourself

When you hurt, exercise can feel impossible. Movement doesn’t always have to mean intense workouts or pushing yourself beyond your limits. Sometimes, it’s just putting on music and gently moving around your kitchen while cooking dinner or stretching your shoulders while sitting on the couch.

While I’m dancing in the kitchen in pajamas, I get to ignore some of the agony, which makes me more resilient and teaches me I can overcome difficult situations. Dance makes me feel good and eventually even positive, so my immune system fights the diseases I have, potentially helping me live longer.

I began popping in a rhythmic fitness DVD and dancing with my daughter before she got ready for school. Those 10 minutes before breakfast helped me find a reason to get up in the morning when I really didn’t want to.

Finding light when the darkness surrounds you

Optimism may start with tiny moments and activities. It could be when your son drags the step stool to the kitchen so he can make you a cup of tea, or when you realize you have a little more mobility today than yesterday.

I’ve even found joy while sitting in our garden for a few minutes, with the soothing sound of the water feature and the wind whispering through the leaves. By dipping my feet in water to cut my stress, I can breathe easier. These moments matter because they interrupt the emotional tunnel vision that pain creates.

Holding on to hope as your most powerful tool

On a really bad day, when I felt like I couldn’t handle the inflammation anymore, my husband gently held my hand and asked me to choose hope. I realized that I had already taken every medicine I could for the day, and all I had left was the choice to choice to embrace hope that my symptoms would ease and that I would get through the night.

My medical options were as exhausted as I was, so I had nothing else left. In choosing the belief that I would feel better tomorrow, I managed to get through the day. At times like this, a quiet phrase can be enough to help you carry on.

These are my favorite:

• “This flare-up is temporary.”
• “My body is struggling, not betraying me.”
• “Resting is still productive.”
• “I don’t need to solve everything today.”
• “Small progress still matters.”
• “I’ve survived difficult days before.”

When a choice changes everything

My Hashimoto’s flare-up eventually passed, but what stayed with me was how much optimism changed my experience. My husband and kids didn’t remove my symptoms, but their encouragement helped me feel calmer, steadier and less consumed by what my body was going through.

Chronic pain can make your world feel very small. Optimism may not erase illness, but it can help you move through it with more resilience, hope and trust that difficult seasons won’t last forever.

Well, I’ve laid it all out and feel better for it. I hope it was, or will be, helpful — to you or someone you care about. I’d love it if you’d  take a look at more of my work. Visit my online home, Body + Mind, and for my Chipur articles, head to The Body + Mind Collection. As always, thank you.

For Bill’s Chipur emotional and mental illness info and inspiration articles, review all of the titles or do it by category — scroll down on mobile, right sidebar on desktop.

Beth is the mental health editor at Body+Mind. She has five-plus years of experience writing about behavioral health, specifically mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Beth also writes about the power of human design to reveal our full potential and purpose.