Health and Wellness
For the Whole Family
PAIN as Your Guide:
What to Do When It Won’t Go Away
by Dr. Barry S. Weinberg
Pain is something we need to deal with in Life. We hate it. When we have it, we want it to go away. Often, no matter what we do, how many doctors we see, how many things we try…it doesn’t budge…or it goes away temporarily and comes back. Sometimes it feels like an enemy inside us whose only goal is to stop us from doing what we want, take away our Joy and interfere with our lives!
I get it. Years of migraines, multiple spinal and other injuries, and working with thousands of clients for over 32 years has given me this compassion. I’ve been there and I know how it feels. I want to share with you what I have learned about Pain and how to work with it. If you choose to read this and apply it, I promise you will be freed from Pain’s grip.
Pain Is Not Your Enemy — It’s Your Guide
First of all, it is important to understand that Pain is not your enemy…it is your GUIDE. The first thing I would imagine you think when you feel pain is “Something’s wrong.” I am here to tell you that if you are feeling pain, it is there for a reason and something in your life needs to change for your well-being to expand.
If you step on a nail or touch a hot stove and don’t feel pain, then I would say, “Something’s wrong.” If you eat a horrible, unhealthy diet and put things in your body that are not supportive of health, and you do not feel pain, I would say, “Something’s wrong.” If you are in a job that you hate or a relationship that’s not supportive and loving, and you do not feel pain, I would say, “SOMETHING’S WRONG!” Get my point?!
Pain is a GUIDE that tells you 3 things:
- Stop what you are doing.
- Pay Attention.
- Make a change.
That’s it. So, how do you deal with Pain? Following the above understanding, here is a step-by-step process to create the change necessary to eliminate the need for pain. This process takes courage, patience, and use of your WILL. And sometimes it’s as simple as pulling the nail out of your foot.
A Step-by-Step Process
- Step 1 — Stop and breathe. Stop what you’re doing and take a deep breath.
- Step 2 — Feel it. Stop trying to get rid of the pain…stop resisting it…and focus all of your attention into it and allow yourself to FEEL it. Sometimes this is enough to allow it to stop. It may take minutes…sometimes hours…but often enough for the pain to relax. It is how I eliminated my own migraines.
- Step 3 — Listen. Ask yourself: “What is my body, mind, or emotions trying to tell me? What do I need to change?” You may not get an answer right away. But stick with it and you will know.
- Step 4 — Make the change!
A note about pain that increases during healing: It is very common that when something is healing or changing, you may feel more pain. Why? Because when something is healing or changing, you will become more aware of it. If there was pain before, it may feel like it’s increasing. If you had no pain, you may start feeling pain. A great example is when your arm or leg falls asleep — when it starts waking up, it often hurts. You are simply becoming more aware of the area as nerve and blood flow is restored. So if something physically or emotionally hurts during this process, follow the steps above and it will pass.
- Step 5 — Seek professional help, if necessary. Preferably a natural, qualified practitioner who understands what we have been discussing, such as a Chiropractor or Licensed Mental Health Counselor.
- Step 6 — Avoid numbing it out. Do your best not to numb it with medication, unless absolutely necessary to accomplish an important task or responsibility.
I hope you received great value from this article, apply it, and create great results supporting your ongoing optimal health and well-being.