A different way to look at pain: building hope in your self-management

by Tory Garnham, Learning and Development Manager at Arthritis NZ 

When pain feels unpredictable, having a way to think about your next small step can make all the difference.

While attending the NZ Pain Society conference, I had the opportunity to speak with someone living with fibromyalgia and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). 

During our conversation, he shared the idea of hope theory. It really resonated with me not as a “quick fix” for pain, but as a different way of thinking about how we move through it. 

I wanted to share this with our Arthritis NZ community, in the hope that it might resonate with you too, and that you might take something from it to bring a sense of direction, purpose, or even small moments of joy into your everyday routine. 

When you’re living with arthritis or long-term pain, it can sometimes feel like things are out of your control. This way of thinking isn’t about fixing pain, but about helping you find a sense of choice and possibility within it. 

In this context, hope isn’t about “just staying positive.”

It’s about how we:
•    set meaningful goals
•    find different ways forward
•    and keep taking small steps

This can be especially helpful when living with arthritis, where things can change from day to day and there isn’t always one clear answer.

Hope theory can be broken into three parts: 

• Goals – what matters to you 
  This could be something small and meaningful, like improving sleep, getting out for a short walk, or having more energy for your whānau.
• Pathways – finding different ways forward 
  Pain can be unpredictable. What works one day might not work the next. Having a few different approaches can help when things change.  
• Agency – your “I can do this” 
  This is about building confidence in your ability to take small steps, even on harder days.