Chronic pain is multidimensional and includes an emotional dimension in addition to the physical and cognitive dimensions. Self-compassion, being touched by and open to one’s own suffering, has been identified as a useful resource during difficult experiences. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the role of self-compassion in the emotional experiences of women with chronic pain. Seven women participated in focus groups, reflective photo voice and one-on-one interviews. Three collective narratives were generated highlighting the women’s sources of emotional pain and suggesting self-compassion as a constructive approach to manage the emotional dimension of chronic pain.

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Relations between negative emodiversity (NED; the variety and relative abundance of negative emotions) with depression and anxiety were examined before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-five individuals (ages 25-65) participated in two ecological momentary assessments (EMA): pre-pandemic and during-pandemic (Fall, 2020). Participants reported how much they felt 6 negative emotions several times each day for 10 days (resulting up to 91 EMA “events”). Each event’s NED was computed and then averaged using an adaptation of Shannon’s entropy. Participants with higher levels of average NED had higher levels of concurrent depression and anxiety. When adjusting for average levels of negative emotion and other covariates, NED was a significant predictor of depression and anxiety only during the pandemic. These findings, which did not vary by age, suggest that having more diverse negative emotions on a moment-to-moment basis may hold greater significance for mental illness outcomes during times of extreme chronic stress.