Many people are stressed out, especially now with the end of the semester drawing near. Busy schedules have made both students and faculty preoccupied with many things. Because of this, self-care in handling emotional or physical troubles gets pushed back in people’s heads, getting ignored in order to prioritize work and academics.

One thing that everyone deals with in some way in their lives is pain. The source of the pain can be anything. For things as small as a paper cut or as severe as a broken bone, the answer is simple: fix it yourself or go to the doctor.However, there are also types of pains that are chronic and cannot be treated quickly and sometimes, they cannot be treated at all.

If you ever find yourself with a more ongoing pain that cannot be treated permanently, here are some ways to cope better with it.

Take pain medication (with care). Over the counter pain medicine is one of the more common ways that people treat pain, and for many, it is one of the most convenient ways to try and make pain such as migraines or body aches more bearable. However, this convenience can also become a concern. It’s important to always follow the instructions when taking pain medication and to notify your doctor if you are taking them.

If pain medicines don’t work for you then here are some other options that you could try using.

Apply heat: Heat is a good way to relieve pain by either taking a hot bath or shower to soothe the body. There are also topical creams that provide heat to treat things such as sore muscles. Microwavable heating pads are also an option in treating pain with heat. This reusable method can be cost-effective since the heat can easily be activated with the use of a microwave.

Apply ice: Ice packs can be a good and effective way to get fast pain relief. If you really wanted to, you could take an ice bath. Similarly to heat, there are cold patches that can be applied to the area in pain. The cost-effective method is to purchase reusable ice packs that can easily be used and thrown back in the freezer for future use.

Using athletic tape can help with strained or sore muscles and can help support your joints in order for you to keep using the muscle that is hurting. Packaging typically comes with instructions on where and how to place the tape based on the support needed. If your packaging doesn’t, a quick Google search is always helpful.

Aromatherapy: For headaches specifically, if pain medicine does not work, then you could try using aromatherapy, getting a massage or working on relaxation and breathing techniques. Essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus and peppermint have been shown to help in soothing headaches.

If nothing else, one of the things you can do to try and cope with pain is to rest. Even though there may not be much time to do it, resisting can give your body time to repair itself enough so that you can make it through the day. Take the time to care for your body.