Pain is something that either makes us or breaks us as humans. We all experience pain in our lives one way or another – and how we use that pain determines how we live our lives from what we have experienced.
There are many faces of pain – there’s physical pain that we physically feel and experience from injuries. There’s emotional pain – we all have felt from losing a loved one, whether it is a death, a breakdown of a friendship, or even a relationship heartbreak. Then, finally, there is mental pain that takes you on a complete journey that will cause you to sink or swim in life.
I have experienced all three types of pain during my 28-year life. Mainly physical, though. I was what you call an injury-prone child growing up. I’ve lost count of the times I went to A&E as a child and into my late teens – Sprained ankle, broken knuckles, knee injuries, concussions… I digress.
I have heard people say that pain is a choice and can only affect you if you let it – physically or emotionally. When I hear people say that, I can both agree and disagree with it. I agree because there are times when I have gotten physical pain and have managed to distract myself to the point the pain no longer exists. I disagree because everyone’s pain is different, and we all deal with it differently; telling people that their pain is a choice isn’t fair.
There have been times when I would mask my pain, mainly emotional and mental, to shield and hide myself from showing any form of anguish that I was going through internally. As I write this, I can honestly admit that I am simultaneously experiencing all three types of pain for the first time at once. It is something new that I am feeling and not used to one bit.
- My physical pain comes from my physical health. I haven’t written about my health since my first post (which is no longer on here) in 2017. A lot has gone on with my health to the extent that I am constantly in pain all day. This is ongoing, and I am still dealing with it daily.
- My emotional pain comes from the breakdown of friendships and relationships with people in my life and my ways of not dealing with things in life. Rather than communicating my thoughts with those in my life, I just avoid and internally deal with them – which takes an emotional toll.
- My mental pain stems from the combination of my physical and emotional pain. Constant physical and emotional pain takes a mental toll and can get you in a giant funk.
I haven’t found a way to deal with all the pain I am experiencing – my go-to was to write, but I haven’t done enough of that to help. My usual way of internalising can’t be a way for me anymore because I know that it is not healthy and does more damage than good.
I want to end this by saying that I wrote this in early October – when I wasn’t in a good place, I would say – my physical pain took a toll on me in all aspects of my life. I considered changing it, but I want to keep it authentic to how I was feeling and looking back at how I was feeling, I am feeling differently now. My physical pain remains the same, but my emotional and mental pain has improved dramatically compared to how I was when I originally wrote this.
As I have gotten older and the more I observe life through my own eyes and watch how other people are, I can see that pain can be beautiful if you have the mindset to remain positive about anything and everything. Being optimistic has led me to understand that our pain is our current circumstance, and with time, we can learn from all our pain and navigate ourselves through it or around it.
Use your pain to grow; let it fuel you to do better, be better and want better for yourself. Our pain can either hinder us or allow us to flourish. Never let it hinder you. Growth can only happen through our experiences, both good and bad.