Discern Between Discomfort and Pain

"We must learn to distinguish between what is truly painful and what is just uncomfortable;

what is just sensation and what are the growth pains of change."

Mark Nepo

THE ENDLESS PRACTICE

The stretch marks on my belly are a reminder of my body expanding and contracting.  Seldom do I recall the actual pain of labor, as my focus zooms in on the gift of birth.  I make this comparison in other areas of my life, especially anything dealing with change.  When I become very specific with my lovely self, I discern between pain and discomfort.  

Sensation of Discomfort:  awkwardness in social settings; speaking in front of an audience; forgetting a person's name;  or ungracefully tripping.  These situations may trigger fear, but the sensation remains discomfort and not pain.

Growth Pain for Change:  depression or anxiety; divorce or separation; death of a loved one;  or personal illness.  We anticipate pockets of relief while enduring the pain of living.  In time we come to see how the experience of pain stretched us into a different way of framing our earth experience.

Human beings do not escape the experiences of discomfort or pain while living.  Eventually, we are pointed to the meaning of such situations and we discover how we have expanded.  Even in excruciating pain, when we catch a glimpse of insight, our tolerance shifts.  

When we differentiate between discomfort and pain, one can move forward more fluently.  When we blend in positive thinking our attitude allows us to experience situations without fear.  We are then more open to the lessons at hand.