FW: DailyOM: Stuck in the Mud - Staying in Pain

[Guest guest]

March 23, 2011

Stuck in the Mud

Staying in Pain

Pain comes and

goes- it is when we get stuck in our pain that it becomes detrimental to our

well-being and development.

Pain comes and it goes. It is just one component to the grand

cycle of life. And when experienced as such, pain can serve as an important

teacher. It is when we get stuck in our pain that it becomes detrimental to our

well-being and development. If you notice that you feel closed-off, resentful,

heavy-hearted, or that you try very hard to avoid being hurt again, there may

be a part of you that is still stuck in pain.

We can get stuck in our pain for many reasons. As children, it was natural for

us to cry, throw a tantrum, and let the experience move through us. By fully

feeling our pain in this way, our emotions would wash us clean, leaving us open

and available to new experiences.

With age, though, we might have determined that expressing emotion

was no longer appropriate, and so we developed a variety of coping strategies

to deal with our discomfort.

We may have learned to stuff our feelings down or to run away from

them. Perhaps we began thinking that staying closed and unwilling to try new

things would keep us safe from heartbreak, safe from rejection, and safe from

failure.

We may have even gotten so used to being in pain that the thought

of being without it scares us. But, if we continue to hold onto it longer than

necessary, we are expending a lot of energy that could instead be channeled

into making our life experiences more positive.

If you notice that you are

continually connecting with the same familiar patterns of pain, consider

embracing your feelings and letting go of your hurt. Whether your pain is from

childhood or from an experience last week, see if you can give it room to move.

When it does, you will reconnect with a wonderful source of your own vital

energy.