By Karen McMahon
No one likes to feel pain. Our natural reaction is to resist it. So we take an aspirin, have a cocktail, dive into our work, go for a run, yell at a loved one…you get the idea. We resist it. The more pain we feel, whether physical or emotional, the more we resist.
The problem is what we resist persists.
As a result we feel like we are living in a perpetual emotional storm.
What would be the opposite of resisting our pain? Let’s start by looking at why we feel pain. If we get hurt physically, our body reacts by swelling, throbbing, aching…it draws our attention to our pain. Our reaction is then to ‘medicate’ the pain so that it doesn’t hurt anymore. We take our attention away from the pain. Yet a fever is meant to help the body burn off the virus; swelling protects us from hurting the area again, headaches are one of the body’s alarm systems telling us to Pay Attention, something is wrong.
The opposite of resisting the pain is to embrace it. Sounds crazy, right? Let’s look specifically at pain caused by our circumstances. Out of the blue your back goes out or your head starts to throb or you begin limping on one leg…what has really happened. You may be stressed and think, “I don’t have time for this!!” But what would happen if you give your pain all of your attention? If you were to focus on the sensation and the emotion behind the sensation, an amazing thing begins to happen…the pain begins to diminish.
Step One: Awareness. Simply begin to witness your discomfort and pain and how you handle it. That’s all for now. Just become aware of it.
Next we will discuss steps to changing the way you react to pain and discomfort – the way you Resist Pain – and how that affects its intensity and endurance.
Chief Visionary: Karen McMahon
Our team of coaches at JBD is passionate about helping men and women navigate the emotional difficulties of relationships, breakups and divorce. We work together with you to open the possibility that your current relationship challenges can lead to a rewarding voyage of self-discovery and an immensely more pleasing life experience. Together we create a path to clarity. Find out if Coaching is right for you, and accept my gift of one FREE session.
