The strangest thing happened last week.
I was on a train, heading to an event and reading…
Totally engaged in the moment.
Then my state was broken. A crew member was asking if I’d like a coffee.
And then it happened…
Searing pain in my left hand.
The reason?
I was pressing the space between my knuckles on a corner of the table.
If you are unsure of this type of pain just push your thumb hard between your knuckles for 30 seconds.
I had no idea how long I’d been in that position.
I didn’t feel anything at the time. My simple brain had blocked out a lot of hurt.
Pain is a message. It’s your mind’s way of protecting you.
But you can easily block it out – despite the fact that you’re still hurting yourself.
It’s the same with certain types of mental and emotional pain.
You can block that out, too.
Become used to it. Adapt to it.
Or… you could deal with it.
Dealing is harder.
Asking the tough questions. Going deep.
I can understand why most people don’t want to go there.
But for those who do…
And it’s not any of that macho b@@@ocks about ‘coming out the other side stronger’.
It’s just taking the time to think about who you are. Why you do what you do.
Who you really are.
And then acceptance.
Pain 0 – Acceptance 1
Be Brilliant!
Michael
Am I being too simplistic? I’d love your comments here.
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I like to go out running and that is quality ‘me time’ to enjoy the countryside and think about things without any other distractions. I also carry my keys and if anything starts hurting, legs, back etc, I gently press the end of a key into my palm and concentrate on that, and voila the other pain fades away 😉
Was the coffee that awful!!!??
More seriously, pain is therefore a valuable tool in our learning/survival process however we come by it? Does it equip us, add to our maturity & ability to empathise? Overcoming physical and mental trauma is a often such a big deal and so many live in a level of constant pain that we can’t imagine. One train journey I had springs to mind immediately with the relevance of pain… it was held up for hours as someone had thrown themselves off a bridge onto the tracks. Most of the passengers ceased to grumble imagining the depth of pain of the person driven to that action… sadly some were more interested in getting wherever they were going… but that was a “big deal” for the person in such pain on the bridge before their leap.
I know that’s not necessarily your message, but I just put the train/pain recollection together for a morbid moment! (Apologies)
Hope you arrived safe and in good spirits Michael with a lovely, well deserved cup of coffee too. DEE x
We had to have our 15 year old beloved dog Snoop put to sleep last week…talk about pain…it was unbearable at times…I sobbed uncontrollably for 3 whole days…talk about having to confront pain…I thought my heart was going to break. I encouraged my husband to show his pain by crying too…it’s such a release…don’t bottle it up otherwise it’ll come back to haunt you!
This is not too simplistic, and the fact that you have allowed that possibility is in itself interesting. The whole idea is interesting and useful to apply in some contexts, though not so much if you have live with chronic pain, which is different, and may have no solutions, can’t be dealt with, only lived with. (I am thinking not of myself but one of my closest friends.)
Thank you for this message Michael. It’s come at the right time for me today and I agree. We can’t block out the emotional pain, we have to sit with it and confront it. We have to feel it all.