Accepting pain and discomfort
It’s so difficult not to feel mentally affected by physical pain. Even if it’s pain that we experience everyday and should be ‘used to’ by now. I find it still comes as a shock to my body and my mind responds with a ‘Uh oh, you’re in trouble!’ The problem with this is that I’m constantly in fight mode. I try to block out the discomfort, spar with the pain and I end up feeling defeated when it doesn’t go away. It’s then an automatic response for me to dip into a low mood and feel like my entire day is a write-off.
I often let the pain defeat me because let’s face it, day after day, it can become a very tiring battle and sometimes I’m just not up for the fight. But giving up is not in my nature and no matter how much I’ve struggled recently with my mental health, I still have this voice in the back of my head cheering me on.
I’m going to try something suggested by my therapist and that’s to accept the pain and discomfort. Sit with it, welcome it into my body and try not to fight it. I know it sounds utterly bonkers because why on earth would I accept such unwanted feelings. However, I can see how this will help me deal with it as I’ll no longer fear the pain and I’ll learn to be at peace with it. As the well-known saying goes “What you resist, persists”.
Our natural reaction is to tense our bodies and curl ourselves up into a tight ball and try to mentally block out the pain. So far, this isn’t working for me. Instead I’m going to try being more conscious of what I’m feeling, assess the pain and ask myself ‘Where is it in my body? What sort of pain is it? Dull, sharp, pounding?’ I’ll then breathe it in, welcoming it into my body and then with a long breathe out, I’ll release it.
I’m fully aware that this all sounds wonderful but in the moment of experiencing pain and discomfort, accepting it will be hard. However, I am determined to give it a try as having to fight constantly everyday is exhausting and the thought of finding peace with these feelings is very appealing to me right now. I don’t know how long I’m going to feel like this for, so to me it’s important I find a coping mechanism that enables me to still live instead of feeling like I’m just surviving.
🧠