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Daily Drop

Finding purpose in the pain.

We all must face a certain amount of pain in this life. Will we let it destroy us or will it serve to strengthen us?

Now I want to be clear, Im talking specifically about emotional pain for the context of this post. Im not suggesting that all pain is equal, or that we should intentionally cause ourselves or others pain. Unnecessary pain that can be prevented or avoided is the wise choice.

But what about the pain we can’t avoid? From the daily little things to the more difficult deeper challenges of life.

What if the pain we can’t avoid can at least serve us in some way?

When we can shift our mindsets to see pain not as a problem to solve but as an experience in life, we will perceive it differently. Pain is so uncomfortable, emotionally and physically that often well do anything to avoid it or block it.

What if we sit with that emotional pain for a minute. Not pushing, not fighting, not rejecting, just being present in it. Just allowing it to be. There’s a saying “what you resist persists.” The more we attempt to squirm away from the pain and avoid facing it the more it will keep coming up.

When we learn to be present, to feel the pain and allow it to pass through without desperately trying to escape it, we will be better able to process it. And even work through it so it’s no longer stored in us.

Without having to face adversity and pain, we would be weak, soft and brittle. Pain is a difficult emotion but it strengthens us and gives us perspective. It allows us to appreciate the good of life in a way we could not understand if we never had to taste pain.

When someone breaks a bone, that’s a very painful experience, and it takes getting some help, and a process of healing that takes time. The interesting thing is, if the break was healed properly, and the individual is healthy, that bone usually heals stronger than it was before.

I believe that’s an apt metaphor for healing from psychological pain. Mental pain is often just as painful as physical pain. It also takes time and maybe some help to process and heal. But often once we face the pain, and make it through to the other side we also heal stronger than we were before.

When we get through difficult times, we see that we are capable of overcoming hard circumstances, we have to face adversity and prove to ourselves were capable of more than we thought. We show ourselves that when we’ve been knocked down, we get back up. This improves our overall self confidence.

We all must face some level of pain in this life. The question is… Will we let it keep us down, or will we choose to get up, dust ourselves off and keep moving forward?This will take time, it wont be easy, but what if… The pain has a purpose?