Suffering is optional. The first time a friend told me this, I argued tooth and nail with her. Clearly, she had no idea of the pain I was in. Not just the mental pain, but the physical pain was debilitating. Obviously, I was suffering because of the pain!
Because of the pain, I stayed home a lot instead of going out and having fun. The pain was also convenient to use as an excuse to not go or do things I didn’t feel like doing or going to. However, the pain felt very real as did the suffering.
Pain is uncomfortable and we try so hard to avoid it at any cost! Pain makes us suffer! Right?!
Well, I am here to tell you, that mindset plays a huge role. Actually, in my opinion and from what I have experienced, it’s all about the mindset. Pain is not universal. Let me rephrase that… The pain level we experience is not universal. Two people can have the exact same injury and experience two completely different levels of pain.
We all have heard of people with a huge pain tolerance, and we have heard of others who are complete and total wimps (their words, not mine). One person even can tolerate pain differently. I for one, have a huge pain tolerance. Mostly, when I don’t know what to expect and it comes out of nowhere. On the other hand, if I know it might hurt, I cringe and freak myself out before anything even happens. In that case, just the thought alone hurts like no tomorrow.
To me, this clearly proofs that pain is a mindset. Have you heard of the monks that can sit in sub-zero temperatures wearing nothing but their cloth robes with their arms and head exposed to the cold? They sit there and are perfectly fine, and warm. They do it by simply shifting their mind.
As far as I am concerned, my body is still in pain. It hurts, but I am no longer suffering like I used to. The only thing that has changed, is my mindset. You see, before, I focused on the pain and all the things I wasn’t able to do because of it. I totally gave into the victimhood side of things, pity parties and all.
The result… more of the misery and suffering.
Back then, I had no clue about the Laws of the Universe and their workings. Nor did I know anything about that mindset stuff. Once I learned about and started to adopt a new thinking, things started to shift. Yes, my body is still dealing with pain. However, the suffering has gone way down! Yup, there is still some… Some days more than other days, depending on my awareness levels and the overall frame of mind I am in.
Fortunately, I catch myself faster and faster and can shift things quickly. I acknowledge the pain and, yes, the suffering but no longer give it power over me. Oh, what a difference! Now, I focus on the things I can do and the parts that do not hurt. Interestingly to me, the suffering instantly stops as does the pain. Let me tell ya, that focus and mind shift stuff works!!!
Give it a whirl and let me know how it goes.
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