The Benefits of Pain

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I have been an athlete my entire life. From Karate as a child to Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and Track & Field as I grew up.
The sore muscles from a workout were always my signal that I put in work that day and got some good things out of it. Many people will take Advil to help ease the pain of their aching muscles, but I never liked to. I wanted to feel the muscles 100% naturally and feel as they healed themselves over time. It helped me to gage whether or not I was recovering properly from the workouts and gaining the full benefits. I prefer to stay away from pain killers as much as possible, and many people question why I do so. I have many reasons as to why, but none were like the validation I felt when I read Ariel Glucklich's Sacred Pain: Hurting the Body for the Sake of the Soul. 
This book showed me that there were so many different sides and dimensions when it came to pain. The way society has changed it's views on the subject in the past few centuries says it all. It all changed from it once being a learning tool, to a problem that must be relinquished by medical assistance. 
Over the past year, I have experienced what is possibly the most excruciating pain of my entire life. It resulted in my needing minor surgery on my foot and constant treatment with a prescription acid for over six months. Thankfully, that injury has healed and the pain is gone now. However, I feel I learned something from living with that constant pain for so long. 
I learned a lot about my physical limits and when to listen to my body when it is telling me to stop because something is wrong. Things got worse when I didn't do that. I learned that it takes a strong will to do the treatments myself everyday for many months even though I know it's going to burn and make walking difficult for hours. I learned that even though some pain can be "waited out" and can heal itself, it is ok to reach out and get help when things get to a crippling point. 

Comments

  1. Jonathan Brumberg-KrausMay 11, 2018 at 6:54 AM

    Great observations about your experiences with pain. I thought the Glucklich readings might resonate with you. It's an important insight into religion that "religion isn't always nice" (to quote my current favorite interpreter of religion Graham Harvey). I think you have found a way to see that.

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