As your average sufferer of pain, I often wonder why this is such an important feeling for us. To know that something needs attention should be enough, so why were we gifted with the sharp, searing feelings in our bodies? My thoughts on pain have shifted silently as I grow older.
Pain is necessary. It lets us know when we are pushing ourselves. Too little pain, not enough motivation. Too much pain, we have gone too far. Those flashes of heat and searing are our thermometer for breaking past the possible into the impossible.
Pain is a barrier. Sometimes it’s the wall that we built ourselves. Neglectful eating, sedentary lifestyles, all leading to health consequences and pain. But that’s the key: consequences. Choices when we are young are nothing without consequences. If those didn’t exist, they choices we made would never have mattered. That’s a depressing thought to have.
Pain is real. It’s here with us, right now. It’s alive and it needs to be acknowledged, addressed, and dealt with. It’s our body’s way of saying: you can’t ignore this anymore. Steps need to be taken or this is only going to get worse. It is the antidote for stubbornness.
Since most of my days have it, I have to really focus on pain. Sometimes I need to fight it, and sometimes I need to accept the message it is trying to bring me.