(BPT) - For the 100 million American adults living with chronic pain, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Just as the causes of pain vary from person to person, the therapies that will bring relief are many and diverse. Yet one approach has proven universally helpful for people living with chronic health challenges: self-management.

The concept of self-managing your pain doesn’t mean simply taking matters into your own hands, or abandoning your relationship with your doctor. Rather, self-management includes defining your personal goals for treating pain, acting as your own advocate with your doctors, and overseeing the integrated efforts of your team of health care providers.

“We know that chronic pain can be disabling for one in three people who experience it,” says Jan Chambers of the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association. “Effective self-management of chronic pain encompasses all aspects of one’s life, from working with your doctor to identify treatments, to making lifestyle changes such as losing weight, exercising and eating well.”