Take a moment and think back to the most painful events in your life. How strong is the pain in your memory and how far have you come since then? Most importantly, what did you learn about yourself in the days, weeks, months and years after that experience. In other words, was the pain a teacher than led you to a better resting state of consciousness? If the answer is yes, you have instinctively stumbled on how painful experiences help shape us to be stronger. If the answer is no then please know that you can choose TODAY to finally realise that these painful experiences occurred for a reason; to help us grow as humans. Despite wishing differently, the past will never change. What can change is how you view the bad moments in life and what you can take from those dark days. 

Let’s now look at some areas where pain serves us and improves our mindfulness….

Injury

Injury is a classic “painful” experience….what does it teach us? 

1. That the body needs to be looked after and cared for.

2. That we always need to build a fitness base when  we attempt any level 3 (advanced exercise)

3. We learn about that area of the body which is now need of repair in much more detail.

Accidents

Good questions to ask after these painful events are … (such as cooking in the kitchen and burning ourselves)

1. How did it happen?

2. What caused it?

3. How could this have been possibly avoided?

4. What do we need to do in the future, to not put ourselves in this position again!

Relationships

We grow after a painful break up and after someone offends us because….

1. We become better at choosing our words and communicating with others.

2. We learn to choose to spend time with a better class of people. You lay with rats and you get fleas!

3. We learn about ourselves and what in a person we like and dislike.

Exercise

When working out, pain is to be monitored closely because ….

1. When muscles have a good, exercised soreness pain – we can feel happy that we have pushed ourselves

2. If the pain is sharp and really hurts, we quickly learn that the body is not ready for that level of fitness yet

3. We learn about how far we can push the body and what our limits are 

Of course, there are more pain points in life and the purpose of this simplified introspection is merely to understand that firstly, the past is the past, secondly, that asking questions gets answers, and, most importantly, that learning a lesson doesn’t have to be complex. If we accept the pain, communicate with ourselves and realise it’s there for a reason, its effect on us is not so strong. The result? Lessons learned and happier, healthier days ahead. 

Rick Parcell

Strategic Intervention Coach

www.thebodycamp.com