Pain, Pain, DON’T GO AWAY

Wellness focuses on physical, emotional and spiritual health, and all three aspects should be considered part of your wellness plan.

Physical pain is obvious and can usually be relieved with pain medication.  Emotional pain is harder to conquer and is often not obvious to the outside world. Statistics show that nearly 10% of the adult population suffers from depression or anxiety, two of the most common forms of emotional pain.

In a recent discussion with a friend of mine who is putting together a new course for a local community college on How Training for a Marathon is Like Training for Life, we discovered that many of the keys to success in marathon training can be directly applied to life.  Of course this is meant to be a metaphorical comparison and in no way discounts the emotional pain you may be experiencing.

Lean into the Pain.  When we are exercising and feel the first twinge of pain we pull away.  We withdraw from that level of exertion and move down the scale to something ‘a little easier’.  That is exactly what we shouldn’t be doing.  Our brains instinctively tell us to avoid pain.  However, in marathon training, as in life, it is impossible to achieve mastery without pain–sometimes for a long time.  Though counter-intuitive, we should be LEANING INTO the pain of effort–not away. To escape the pain, you must push through this roadblock and get to the other side.  Stand strong to the pain and don’t back down.

For me, this lesson applies directly to my life (I am NOT training for a marathon).  Whether it’s growing my small business or dealing with a plethora of other ‘life issues’, pushing through the pain allows me to carry the hope that ‘this won’t last forever’ and ‘there’s light on the other side’.

We often avoid the rain, but rain cleanses, it makes things GROW–just like the pain of effort makes us grow.  It is okay to put on a raincoat when it rains, but it’s not okay to stay inside and AVOID the rain..and the pain…lest we deny ourselves the joy of victory.

So, go buy a raincoat.  You can do this.  Push through the pain and celebrate what’s on the other side!

Posted in the following categories: General Wellness, Stress