Pain speaks

I know better. I know better! But here I am again, ignoring what I’ve learned, and feeling the pain I tried to numb. Now, what started off as a slight pain in my lower back has become a throbbing, shooting and electricity-throwing pain that makes sitting, walking and laying down an almost impossible feat.

If you’ve ever been to the dentist for a tooth removal, you know what it feels like when the Novocaine finally wears out. If you’ve had a cesarean section, you know what it feels like when the spinal anesthetic wears off. If you’ve had a cold sore, you know how your lip wants to fall off when the numbing gel no longer numbs the soar. Each of these instances requires that we pay attention in different ways to our bodies. That we take care of an issue. Before going to the dentist, the hospital or the pharmacy, pain alerted us that something was not right. We either heed and take care of the underlying issue or we numb it, ignore it, and then finally deal with it. In the end, we must feel the pain, listen to it and take care accordingly.

I should have listened. My back was whispering stop, take care, rest, recharge. I ignored it and now it’s screaming I told you to stop, take care, rest and recharge! 

Today is a good day to, in a similar way, listen to what our pain is telling us. Whether physical, emotional or spiritual, pain is an indicator that something is out of alignment, out of sync. Numbing the pain through substances, food, medication, alcohol, neglectful behavior, binge tv-watching or social media marathon sessions does not deal with it. Numbing the pain does not resolve what is causing it. Sooner or later we have to deal with the cause. Let’s pay attention to our pain. Let’s be aware of where it points to, of what is asking for our attention, of what needs tending to, of what changes we need to make, what patterns we need to break, what new habits we need to form, which emotions we need to deal with, and what consciousness we need to keep. Only then can we relieve the pain and heal.

Image found at fineartamerica.com.

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