Possibilities for Pain

Any challenge is met with a ton of resistance to change, but it is up to us to push through and find solutions. The same is true when we experience pain. Essentially, pain is discomfort communicated through the nervous system. There are many different sources of pain, so it helps to discover the source of yours so you can correct it or work around it to maintain a good quality of life.

At times, pain can be a mystery to solve, especially functional pain, which does not appear from an obvious source. Functional pain includes conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, temporomandibular dysfunction, cardiac chest pains, and many other invisible or unnamed sources. 

It is important not to get overwhelmed by it and not to give up on the activities you love. Even when we cannot completely relieve the pain, we can soften it with our perception. Meditation is a powerful tool for this, as it helps us reframe our experience and boost our awareness. We can tap into our intuitive guidance system for what to do next.

One interesting commonality with most pain is inflammation. Inflammation could come from a workout, injury, misaligned posture, improper diet, chronic health conditions, and even emotional disturbances and trauma. It’s extremely beneficial to take an integrated approach to healing and reducing pain. When we become better in every way, eventually, our bodies will run out of reasons to complain, and we will notice other off-putting sensations also leaving. 

Self-care in the form of cold immersion, contrast therapy (hot and cold), anti-inflammatory diets, and detoxification all provide opportunities for us to level up and send our pain packing. Pain can keep us from being active, and it can also keep us from spending precious moments participating in the best that life has to offer with our families and friends. We can never get time back, so time spent on our health is a financial investment as well as an investment for our family.