How to Navigate the
Stress of Pain – Part 2

Refill your sails by trading the stress of hurrying for this.

“If you are in a hurry you will never get there.”

– Chinese Proverb

When stress is overwhelming (as it is for people in pain) that sense of hurrying and urgency can be paralyzing and an additional layer of mental and emotional pain.

Taking the stress of hurrying out of the equation makes it easier to navigate pain of any kind. It’s a trade-off of one challenge which uses up energy for one that makes it easier to spark new, positive energy for being resilient.

Pain happens in the moment, yet so does resilience; it can even transcend the moment.

Practice this way…

The Three Steps of Resilience

TUNE IN

Consider the ways you process and respond to whatever form of pain it is. Are there times when you’re fighting it mentally, emotionally, as well as physically?

PLAN

If you’re in pain right now, take a deep breath or two, then chose to “let it go” and to not fight. Rather, in a gentle yet bold way say, “I am going with the flow.” If you’re not in pain this moment, commit to yourself that you’ll practice this when you need it most.

BE YOUR BEST

Especially when the pain is overwhelming, be deliberate about repeating the TUNE IN and PLAN steps, then follow through. Observe how much or how little of that fight, that cyclone of thoughts and pain you’re able to release. Practice is the key.

There is no perfection in pain management, yet in the practicing you’ll find that your best gets better, to the point that your best is greater than the pain.