Purpose in Pain

Pain is a tricky topic, but I want to dance with it today. I’m certainly not a pain expert, but I do have my own interesting reaction to pain that I’ve struggled to pinpoint. Over time I land on more ideas as to its cause. Today is one of those days where new ideas have emerged.

Disclaimer

First, my thoughts on pain are my own. My reaction to pain is my own. We are all unique in how we experience pain and it is impossible to compare. With this in mind, I’m in no way suggesting there is a right or wrong, these are all simply ideas to consider. Maybe something strikes you as it has me? Maybe something brings a new perspective your way? This is for you to decide.

My Experience of Pain

Truly Unique and Baffling. Throughout all of my 11-so-far surgeries I have never taken a single pain med, two I did without any anesthesia whatsoever, and for my in-patient surgeries I stayed in the hospital for only a few hours, walking myself out the door each time. Sure, there was pain, but never enough to rise to the level of meds.

Why?

I’m not a superhero. I’ve experienced plenty of pain before. But it has earned me the label of Outlier.

I’m convinced that of all the tools I armed myself with, the number one factor was mindset – understanding the cause and identifying the purpose.

Birth Pain

My daughter was born at home. It was amazing! In preparing for her birth I made affirmation cards to focus on while in labor. One that struck me and has stuck with me ever since said “your body cannot produce more pain than it can handle.” In terms of a natural, drug-free birth, it is only my body creating the pain, nothing external, so this made a lot of sense! It became my mantra for her birth.

Surgery Pain

That sentiment doesn’t quite apply to surgical pain since the pain originates from an external source, but it sort of does. Meaning, yes, that thing happened to me, but now I’m going to mentally decide how to process it. I couldn’t change the presence of pain but I could change my response. I became an observer of the pain rather than the recipient. Pain was a passerby. I claimed my power over its effect and, somehow, this worked!

Cause and Purpose

Understanding some of the details of my surgeries – which muscles, tendons, bones, etc. would be cut, moved, bolted, whatever – helped me immensely. I could visualize why there was pain and then logically work my way through it.

This then led to purpose. The medical purpose of the surgeries at the outset, but then later it grew into the larger purposes – sharing my story, working through my personal history, becoming my best self, personal development. Everything in this blog.

Believe it or not, focusing on all of these other purposes had a dramatic impact on diminishing the physical pain.

I know all of this will launch me into greater things. It already is. Keeping my story, experience, and scars to myself would be worthless. There is purpose in all of it, and by sharing, it all acts as a lighthouse, attracting others on the same path.

Those things that hurt, instruct.

– Benjamin Franklin

There is purpose in every pain.

My pain is by choice. This makes finding the purpose a lot easier. But even accident/not-on-purpose pain has purpose. Dig deeper and it is there.

---

“We are always bigger than the pain we feel. Always. The pain is not total. When you say “I am in pain,” there is the pain and there is the I but the I is always bigger than the pain. Because the I is there even without the pain, while the pain is only there as a product of that I. And that I will survive and go on to feel other things.

And as soon as we notice all that space inside us, we have a new perspective. Yes, there is room for a lot of pain, but there is room for other things too. And indeed, pain might be a total asshole, but it can inadvertently show us how much space we have inside. It can even expand that space. And enable us to experience the equivalent quantity of joy or hope or love or contentment at some future point in time.”

– Matt Haig, The Comfort Book

---

My Scars = My Stars

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.

– Kahlil Gibran

My entire experience has pushed me to a whole new level of strength and courage in every aspect of my life. Every day I’m on my way to becoming my best self, grabbing onto life and all it has to offer. All of my life’s mistakes are serving as launching points to grow, and then share with the world on this blog. All of my scars – physical, mental, emotional – are shining brightly as my stars.

I’m going to literally put my hip and pelvis surgical scars on display as stars on stage. I want them to shine as bright beacons to show that we are not our scars, our injuries, and that we can be more beautiful because of them – tapping more deeply into our inner beauty and strength that will shine through as a result.

If we allow it, present pain leads to future hope.

If we allow it, pain becomes strength.

What are your thoughts on pain? How do you react? Did anything in this post cause you to pause and consider new ideas? Pain is certainly no fun, but I believe we have more control than we realize and can work with it to greater effect when we know the purpose. What is the purpose in your pain?

If you have landed on this page from an external link, please go HERE to read from the beginning. Otherwise, click on the next title below to continue.