National Pain Week returns at the end of July 2026. The day turns national attention to a condition that quietly shapes daily life for people across the country.
Chronic pain wears people down in body and mind, and the strain it puts on mental health often goes unspoken. The body gets medical focus while the weight on a person’s wellbeing can go unnoticed. The pain and the low mood that comes with it can both be eased from home without necessarily reaching for more medication.
What is National Pain Week?
National Pain Week is Australia’s annual awareness event for chronic pain, coordinated each year by Chronic Pain Australia. Through the week, Chronic Pain Australia highlights the experience of people living with chronic pain and pushes to reduce the social and other barriers tied to it through panel discussions and personal stories. The goal is to lower the stigma around pain and to improve how easily people can reach and afford care.
The organisation also runs the National Pain Survey during this period. Survey responses feed the National Pain Report, which Chronic Pain Australia presents to Parliament in its case for chronic pain to be recognised as a national health priority.
You do not need a health background to take part. Sharing the campaign, completing the survey, or checking in with someone you know who lives with ongoing pain all support the week’s aim.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is pain that lasts beyond the normal healing time after an injury or illness, generally more than three months. Whereas acute pain is instantaneous after an injury, chronic pain continues long afterwards.
Some conditions, such as arthritis, keep the body generating pain day after day. Other times, the nervous system becomes over-sensitive and amplifies pain signals, for example, light touch or an ordinary movement can then trigger discomfort. Common causes include back problems, arthritis, past injuries, and nerve damage, though for some people no clear cause is ever found.
The Link Between Long-Term Pain and Mental Health
National Pain Week highlights one part of chronic pain that often goes unnoticed: its effect on mental health. Living with constant pain raises the risk of depression and anxiety. In turn, depression and anxiety can make a person more likely to develop chronic pain. Among Australians living with chronic pain, close to four in ten experience depression and around one in four report anxiety.
Pain can disrupt sleep, and poor sleep lowers mood and raises pain sensitivity the next day. It also limits the activities that usually lift people’s mood, such as work, exercise, and time with friends.
Mental Health Pain Management Techniques
National Pain Week promotes the everyday strategies that help people manage chronic pain and protect their mental health at the same time.
Gentle movement is one of the most helpful strategies. It can feel wrong to exercise when you hurt, but the right kind of activity can ease pain over time and lift your mood. Low-impact options like walking, swimming, water-based exercise, and gentle stretching are good places to begin.
A steady sleep routine can help when pain disturbs your nights. Going to bed and waking at the same time each day, keeping your room dark and cool, and switching off screens before bed all support deeper rest. Better sleep can lower both pain and stress.
Stress and muscle tension make pain feel sharper. Mindfulness, slow breathing, and meditation can lower stress and ease that tension.
How to Start a Conversation With Australians in Need
National Pain Week encourages connection, and reaching out to someone living with chronic pain often does more good than many expect. You do not need the right words or a solution. Showing that you have noticed, and that you want to listen, is enough to open the door.
Pick a private, calm moment rather than a rushed one. Ask open questions like how they have been feeling lately, and let them answer without jumping in to fix things. Listen more than you speak. Avoid quick advice such as telling them to try a new diet or to push through. That kind of suggestion can feel dismissive. If they are struggling with their mood as well as their pain, you can gently suggest they speak with their GP, and offer to help them find support. Keep checking in afterwards. One conversation rarely covers everything.
Enrol in Mental Health First Aid Training
Chronic pain can affect mental health as much as it affects the body. Support comes from people who show attention and a willingness to help. A mental health first aid course gives you the skills to support someone through a mental health crisis until they can reach professional care. With the right training behind you, you can become the person who can steady someone you love through the worst of their pain.
References
Aaron, R. V., et al. (2025). Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among Adults With Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Network Open. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40053352/
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2020). Chronic Pain in Australia. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-disease/chronic-pain-in-australia/summary
Chronic Pain Australia. (n.d.). National Pain Week. Retrieved 23 June 2026, from https://chronicpainaustralia.org.au/
Chronic Pain Australia. (n.d.). National Pain Survey and Kids in Pain Survey. Retrieved 23 June 2026, from https://chronicpainaustralia.org.au/takethesurvey/
healthdirect. (n.d.). Chronic Pain. Retrieved 23 June 2026, from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/chronic-pain
FAQs
Does Chronic Pain Affect Children Too?
Yes. Around one in five Australian children live with chronic pain, and Chronic Pain Australia runs a separate Kids in Pain survey to record their experience. Pain at this age can disrupt school, sleep, and friendships.
How Much Does Chronic Pain Cost Australia?
Chronic pain was estimated to cost Australia about $139 billion in 2018, mostly through lost productivity and reduced quality of life. Most of that cost falls outside hospitals, in the form of people unable to work or take part in daily life.
How Long Is a Mental Health First Aid Certificate Valid?
While a mental health certificate doesn’t expire, we recommend refreshing your certified mental health training every 2 years to stay current with best practices.
