Pain: The Great Teacher

I've been absent from blogging for weeks now due to a new role at work -- which for many reasons is occupying a lot of my time. I considered skipping this month's Self-Discovery Word by Word but decided last minute on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to make sure I contributed. After all, as someone who writes about her recovery from severe neck and back pain, how could I consider not writing about 'pain', this month's word?


If you're new to my blog, you can read the long version of my struggle with pain here. But a quick synopsis is that I had repetitive strain injury (RSI) from poor posture and long hours spent hunched over my desk. Unfortunately, I also threw out my back last year and it has taken me a long time to recover from it. But with the help of an excellent physio (physical therapist), I am now essentially pain free.

And what did I learn? Pain is a great teacher. I would say that the most important thing is that everything in life is temporary. One minute you go from a carefree lifestyle and the next moment you are in debilitating pain, worried that you won't be able to continue earning a living. But it's not limited to that one experience. Everything you have in this life, on this earth, can be taken away from you in a short moment. We forget that most times.

But lying awake in the middle of the night with a neck ache so bad that you can barely sleep makes you acutely aware of how precious things like your health truly are.

I was lucky enough to find someone who could help me get better -- to lead me through the pain and out to the other side. And I think that's true of any kind of pain -- physical and emotional. Although life is tough on this planet, we are not alone and I think one of the most important things to realize that there is help out there to get through just about anything.

Pain has been a great teacher to me: it is tough but it is not insurmountable, particularly with help. On the other side, life looks different -- you realize there's just not enough time in this short life to take things for granted.

This post is part of the Self-Discovery Word by Word Series. For more information and to participate, check out November's kick-off post here.

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2 comments

  1. I love that there are others out there that are learning that every emotion/feeling is a temporary one... I'm glad (hope) that you are starting to feel better physically now with the help of physio!

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  2. I am doing much better, thanks. But it hasn't been an easy journey and things have flared up over the holidays due to long flights, strange beds and being out of my routine. The difference now is that I have the tools to cope with such things and take care of my body. Thanks for stopping by!

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