Don't ignore pain.

Dealing with Pain

“Pain is often a sign that something has to change.”

Mark Nepo (The Book of Awakening)

Isn't it funny how we can go through years of emotional pain and not change our lifestyle, but physical pain, even for a little while, can bring us to our knees and have us begging for help? Our body knows that, it being far wiser than our spin-doctor brain. When we refuse to listen to our body's message, it will crank up the volume until we do. Stress and emotional pain cause us to keep our bodies tense, as though we are bracing for an attack. If you think of the parts of the body on which armor would be worn, were you going into battle, that's where we brace and hold tight. Over time, and it doesn't take very long, we develop pain in the area of those tight muscle. Most people wear their armoring in the torso and neck, and also in the muscles used for fighting—the arms and shoulders and hands. Try clinching your fist and holding it for one minute. By thirty seconds, it's crying out for release, because that kind of tension keeps the blood from circulating well and the area is less oxygenated as a result. It also constricts the nerve endings, and both of those unhappy events cause pain. The same thing happens to your neck, when you chronically tighten your shoulders. Imagine what it means to hold that kind of tension for years.

Pain, whether emotional or physical, (most of the time, they go together) is the body's way of telling you that something needs to change. Perhaps a lifestyle change away from the source of your stress is needed, or if that is not possible, a change in the way your handle your stress. Regular exercise, a good diet, making sure you get enough sleep, some meditative techniques for releasing tension in the various muscle groups, and/or regular massage may help. And if your physical pain has an emotional trigger, having a healthy outlet, perhaps a counselor or a pastor to talk with on a regular basis, will make a big difference. The better part of wisdom is to deal with your stress, or your emotional pain, before it gets to the point of physical pain. But sometimes we have to work backward—address the physical pain first and follow the trail back to its the source.

The take away here is, don't ignore pain. It is your body's means of galvanizing your attention and forcing action. And your body is very, very smart.

                                           In the spirit,

                                              Jane