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Motivation Mondays: PAIN #mondaymotivation

22/02/2016
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“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” Joseph Campbell

Motivation Mondays: PAIN #mondaymotivation

Motivation Mondays: PAIN #mondaymotivation

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. Henri Nouwen
Some days, 24 hours is too much to stay put in, so I take the day hour by hour, moment by moment. I break the task, the challenge, the fear into small, bite-size pieces. I can handle a piece of fear, depression, anger, pain, sadness, loneliness, illness. I actually put my hands up to my face, one next to each eye, like blinders on a horse. Regina Brett

What does PAIN mean to You? Often when we think of pain, we think of physical pain in our bodies and the many ways we get wounded but, pain can be inflicted on us in other ways too; in addition to physical pain, we can experience emotional pain, mental pain, grief, and self-inflicted pain. Regardless of the form of pain we live with or face in our daily interactions with others, it is important to take some time to address it, by seeking professional help, because any sort of pain we experience is a message from our body/mind/spirit that something is amiss and needs to be healed. When we live with pain, it becomes a major energy drain and interferes with our ability to complete tasks and move on with living. If we ignore it, eventually, it could become debilitating to the point where we are no longer able to do certain tasks.  Whenever you work/live in a toxic environment, you probably encounter some level of pain on almost a daily basis. Some of us sublimate the pain and refocus on our job but that is not going to make the situation improve. How do you deal with it?
How do you protect your body/mind/spirit from Pain? We all experience some emotional fluctuations and pain in life but we need to make sure that it doesn’t become a constant place we inhabit. Even those of us who live with physical pain from an injury, emotional pain, or mental health challenges from life stresses need to seek professional support to help us get some relief and to take the edge off. It is imperative that we do so or the pain will impact our quality of life and lead to other challenges. While some of us might trick our minds to ignore it or push it to the side, if it remains unaddressed, it will manifest in other ways as aches, pains and moodiness that can become problematic. Sometimes, we prolong a painful situation because we believe that it will resolve itself; it will pass. In some instances, such situations do pass but we must pay attention and know when to act. At the end of this post, I have added a powerful poem by one of my favorite poet/writers: On Pain by Kahlil Gibran. Make sure to read its moving message.

A Short Lesson: It will Pass
A student went to his meditation teacher and said, “My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I’m constantly falling asleep. It’s just horrible!”
“It will pass,” the teacher said matter-of-factly.
A week later, the student came back to his teacher.
“My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It’s just wonderful!’
“It will pass,” the teacher replied matter-of-factly.

“Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” Mary Tyler Moore

Motivation Mondays: PAIN #mondaymotivation

Motivation Mondays: PAIN #mondaymotivation

In 1968 Ronald Melzack and Kenneth Casey described pain in terms of its three dimensions: “sensory-discriminative” (sense of the intensity, location, quality and duration of the pain), “affective-motivational” (unpleasantness and urge to escape the unpleasantness), and “cognitive-evaluative” (cognitions such as appraisal, cultural values, distraction and hypnotic suggestion).[10] They theorized that pain intensity (the sensory discriminative dimension) and unpleasantness (the affective-motivational dimension) are not simply determined by the magnitude of the painful stimulus, but “higher” cognitive activities can influence perceived intensity and unpleasantness. Cognitive activities “may affect both sensory and affective experience or they may modify primarily the affective-motivational dimension. Pain via Wikipedia

What situations add to Your Pain? Recently, I was chatting with an old friend who no longer worked at her old job. I wondered why she left after investing so many years there. She admitted that the job was a painful, frustrating place to work and, over time, she felt physically ill when she entered the building. There was endless gossip, backbiting, verbal infractions and all sorts of underhanded business going on in that environment and even though she tried to rise above the fray, she was constantly being pulled in to friction and it slowly seeped into her space. She stayed strong until she felt the inner push to move on. Initially, she saw it as failure but, it was a great experience that taught her many lessons about resilience and knowing when to let go and change directions.  If we wish to improve our quality of life, we need to pay attention to our motives, our relationships and our actions. When we allow others and situations into our lives that pull us into arguments and painful separations, we open the door to other forms of pain that can contribute to our ill-health. To stay motivated on our path to personal growth, success and satisfaction, we must be vigilant about our daily interactions with others and know when to speak up, and when to walk away.
What is your Pain Threshold? While preparing material for this post, I looked up the segment on pain in Wikipedia and the above jumped at me. It is fascinating to read about the three dimensions of pain mentioned in the quote above and how it addresses the way we deal specifically with physical pain. We can apply the same theory to other types of pain we experience in our lives and how they affect us. When we are in painful situations in our relationships, we have an affective-motivational response that makes us want to escape it. Depending on where we come from and our upbringing, our associations with pain also have sensory-discriminative and cognitive-evaluative aspects to them.

In some cultures, certain rituals that include pain are performed to initiate people into adulthood or into a way of life; these initiations offer a cognitive-evaluative justification. For instance, there are devotees of Thaipusam who use self-flagellation as a way to show their deep commitment to the path. While I’m completely against Female Genital Mutilation, some advocates of the practice believe that the pain prepares a young girl for future life pain and the pain of giving birth. We might say pain is pain but there are degrees to it. The goal of this post is to remind us all to not push past our threshold for pain; let’s remember that we need to draw a line in the sand, know when enough is enough, and seek expert guidance to help us through our painful situations.

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for January 2016 and February 2016 are:

01/04 – ANEW –
01/11 – POSSESSIONS –
01/18 – MLK DAY –
01/25 – Opposite Day, Yin and Yang

02/01 – VALENTINE’S DAY–
02/08 – CHINESE NEW YEAR –
02/15 – PRESIDENTS DAY – third Monday of month –
02/22 – PAIN –
02/29 – LEAP YEAR –

Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2016?

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– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.

— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab

 

More Below!

“The struggle of my life created empathy – I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me.” Oprah Winfrey

Motivation Mondays: PAIN #mondaymotivation

Motivation Mondays: PAIN #mondaymotivation

A lot of people say they want to get out of pain, and I’m sure that’s true, but they aren’t willing to make healing a high priority. They aren’t willing to look inside to see the source of their pain in order to deal with it. Lindsay Wagner
Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it. Kevyn Aucoin
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. Winston Churchill

 

What can you do about pain? Whether we live in pain, are exposed to people who cause us pain, or live with others who are struggling with pain, we can make an effort to help ourselves and our family members feel better. For starters, seek professional help! Take some time to reflect on the source of your pain. Is it physical? Emotional? Mental? Then follow up with a wellness visit to your doctor and get the help you need. While some forms of pain are permanent, all forms of pain can be managed with the right kind of care and attention from a trained pain management expert. Instead of putting off a visit, we must make time to address it. Remember that our quality of life is key to our survival and that we can change our circumstances and work to overcome the pain. Choose to act today! Please take a moment to imbibe the message of Kahlil Gibran’s poem, below, on pain. What would you like to add?

On Pain By Kahlil Gibran via PoemHunter.com
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses
your understanding.
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its
heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the
daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem
less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart,
even as you have always accepted the seasons that
pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the
winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within
you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy
in silence and tranquility:
For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by
the tender hand of the Unseen,

And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has
been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has
moistened with His own sacred tears.
Khalil Gibran

Source: Zen Antics All stories via Goodweb.cn

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Positive Motivation Tip: Life is about pleasure and pain, however, we can all work to make our pleasure quotient greater.

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM

Related Posts

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Stories via Zen Stories on Goodweb.cn   Quotes via BrainyQuotes, All Photos: Category – Pain, Pain In Art, via Wikipedia

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

from → Global Events, Motivation Mondays, Positive Advice, Posts & Photos 2016
81 Comments leave one →
  1. Karlyn Flores permalink
    25/02/2016 2:59 am

    Suddenly I’m in pain, me and my hubby was arguing and he slapped me that is the first time that he hurt me that why i decided to moving house

    Reply
    • Eliz@MirthandMotivation permalink*
      25/02/2016 7:36 am

      I’m so sorry to read about this altercation dear one. Please seek professional help and he must do the same too. The sad part about physical abuse is that once it starts and is not immediately stopped, it can escalate. Please, please take care of yourself… Sending you hugs and healing love. <3

      Reply
  2. Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen permalink
    25/02/2016 2:23 pm

    The recent pain I experienced was when my father passed away last month. It’s hard to move on from something like that but I have to. I just keep in mind that he’s already at peace.

    Reply
    • Eliz@MirthandMotivation permalink*
      26/02/2016 9:47 am

      Dear Peachy, I’m so sorry to hear about your loss and I send my heartfelt condolences to you and your loved ones. <3 Losing a parent is hard and I have to confess that I still miss my dad too. Time helps us heal some of the pain and our loving memories stay with us too. Hugs and healing love sent your way! <3

      Reply
  3. verabear permalink
    28/02/2016 1:20 am

    I find myself lucky – I haven’t experienced much pain in my life. I knew physical pain like no other when I suffered from slip disc and I couldn’t even sit. But still, I haven’t felt deep emotional pain. I thank a lot of people for that. I’ve had my heart broken, but it’s not like what you read about or see on tv.

    Reply
  4. janzcrystalz permalink
    28/02/2016 6:14 am

    There a lot of circumstances that give pain to our lives. Losing someone, cuts and giving birth, or hearing someone back bite you are painful to us physically, emotionally. We have to learn to surpass these pains because these are only trials of life.

    Reply
  5. Karina - My Letters of Transit permalink
    28/02/2016 9:33 am

    You post reminded me a of quote by Kahlil Gibran. I ran across it at a moment of such deep mental and emotional pain, that I have never been able to forget it. Part of a longer poem, the part that stuck with me was: “Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding… It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.” Each time I find myself nearing the limits of my pain tolerance, I say this quote to myself, and remember that whether it is now, in a day, a year, or even decades from now, I will emerge on the other side of pain. So for now I need to just embrace it, find a way to exist with it, for it is as much a part of me as my joy, and as you said, hiding it or running from it, will only make it seep into other parts of your life and yourself.

    Reply
    • Eliz@MirthandMotivation permalink*
      28/02/2016 3:06 pm

      Oh dear one! Thank you for the reminder! Kahlil Gibran is one of my favorites and I had planned to add his words on pain, But, as the time to publish drew near, I got distracted and completely forgot. I have since updated my post to include his poem … so Thank YOU! <3

      Reply
  6. Real Life Deals (@RLDeals) permalink
    28/02/2016 4:08 pm

    I’ve been in pain the past few months. My mother passed away. It was somewhat expected but still very hard. I’m praying for healing and acceptance.

    Reply
    • Eliz@MirthandMotivation permalink*
      28/02/2016 4:14 pm

      So sorry to hear about your loss. Losing a parent is never easy and the pain is deep. My condolences to you and your family! <3 Sending you hugs and healing light too! <3

      Reply
  7. Indu permalink
    27/08/2018 2:26 pm

    Pain is integral part of life as much as joy is. Both are interchangeable. In the event of pain hijacking our joy totally than it needs to be addressed medically as well as spiritually.

    Reply
  8. Jasmine - LoveLifeLaughMotherhood permalink
    06/09/2018 2:57 pm

    Pain does mean different things for everyone. just as the management of that pain can mean many things

    Reply
  9. Emily Fata permalink
    07/09/2018 5:54 am

    I think that protecting one’s mind, body, and spirit from pain is of the utmost importance. I mean, of course we need to experience pain SOMETIMES, or else we’d never learn, but it’s that kind of pain that leaves more scars than physical pain, in my opinion.

    Reply
  10. arun permalink
    23/04/2019 11:15 pm

    Love the poetry of Khalil gibran. It’s true, we experience pain, whether it’s physical or emotional at different spheres of our life. We can’t deny it away or ignore it .To move forward its important to accept and make changes for betterment.

    Reply

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