No one wants to feel pain.
We all naturally shy away from it.
When it touches us, we run away or suppress it.
And that does not serve us.
It doesn’t serve us for many reasons.
First, when we suppress it we are still holding on to it even if we are not feeling it.
That pain is stored in the cells in our body and it builds up over time.
Second, the pain is trying to teach us something and by ignoring it we are ignoring the lesson.
When we ignore the lesson it usually means we are going to repeat it.
And we keep repeating the same action until the pain gets so bad we have no choice but to listen to it.
By then, it can cause us some massive challenges.
Third, by not feeling it we hide a little bit more from life.
We start choosing not to be present to what is going on around.
Over time that will lead to us choosing not to be here moe and more or even at all.
Our senses get dull.
Our desire for life wanes.
The enthusiasm and joy we once had for various parts of our life diminishes and we lose our energy.
None of these three consequences serve us.
They may temporarily or in the short-term, and in the long-term they definitely do not.
So what are we to do about the pain?
First, we have to be willing to be present to it.
At least a little at a time.
When we allow ourselves to really feel it, each time we go back to it it becomes a little easier, a little less harsh.
We can also find support around it.
Talk to a friend, a counselor, or a professional.
With the support of another person, we can get through the pain with less suffering.
Second, after we’ve learned to be present to it, we can now learn to forgive ourselves and the other person involved in the pain.
Forgiveness helps us to drop our attachment to the pain.
It frees us from the suffering.
From the debilitating effects.
And now we can live more fully, more energetically.
We can recover our old enthusiasm for life and be more of ourselves.
Is that not worth the price of feeling the pain?
Can you see where there is pain in your own life that you have been suppressing?
Can you allow yourself to feel it, even if it is just a little, and begin to heal it?
See what comes up for you, and move forward gently.
~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant
