Living with chronic lower back pain - and finding new ways to support my body

Living with chronic back pain has changed everything for me. Not just how I move - but how I think about movement, training, and recovery.

There was a time when I pushed through discomfort. When I believed that more effort, more intensity, more discipline was the answer.

It wasn’t.

Today, I move differently. I listen more. And instead of pushing my body, I focus on supporting it.

A shift in mindset

Chronic pain forces you to slow down - and if you’re willing to listen, it teaches you a lot.

I’ve had to relearn:

• what strength actually means

• how to regulate my nervous system

• how to respect my limits without feeling like I’m giving up

  
  

For me, healing isn’t about “fixing” my body. It’s about creating conditions where my body can feel safe enough to recover.

Exploring red light therapy

Lately, I’ve been exploring red light therapy as part of that support.

One of the tools I’ve been using is the FlexBeam.

It’s not a miracle solution - and I don’t expect it to be. But I’m interested in small, consistent inputs that may help the body over time.

Red light therapy is often used to:

• support circulation

• ease muscle tension

• promote recovery processes in the body

For me, it’s become a quiet moment in my day. A way to pause, breathe, and give my body something gentle instead of demanding more from it.

What I notice

For me, it helps ease some of the discomfort in my back. I also use it on my stomach, shoulders, neck, and knees - simply following where my body needs support.

Some days, my back feels a little softer. Other days, there’s no big difference.And that’s okay.

Because when you live with chronic pain, you learn that healing rarely comes from one single thing.It comes from many small things, done consistently.

What I also appreciate is the ritual.

Taking 10–20 minutes to sit or lie down, breathe, and be in stillness and feeling the warmth. That alone has value.

A gentle reminder

If you’re navigating chronic pain too, you’re not alone.

And you don’t have to push through everything.

Sometimes the most powerful shift is this: from forcing → to supporting from ignoring → to listening

If you’re curious about trying red light therapy, I’ve been using FlexBeam and you can use my code annesiv for 10% off.

But more importantly - find what helps you feel supported.

That’s where real change begins.

Behind FlexBeam is the team at Recharge Health, a group combining clinical experience, medical expertise, and a focus on making recovery tools more accessible. Their research and development team is led by medical professionals and specialists in photobiomodulation, working to ensure the technology is both safe and grounded in science.

The technology itself is inspired by research originally explored by NASA, where light therapy was studied for its potential to support tissue repair and cellular function. FlexBeam takes this concept and translates it into a wearable, at-home device - using red and near-infrared light to support the body’s natural recovery processes.