I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: when it comes to coping with physical and emotional pain, change your mindset is everything you need.
The way you react to the bumps and obstacles in life is a clear reflection of how strong you are mentally and emotionally. If there is one thing I’ve learned during my time battling chronic pain, it is that it can be easily overcome by changing the way you think.
Think of pain as a narrow street that leads to two broader roads. Road-A leads to never-ending misery, emotional distress, and failure. On the other hand, we have Road-B which leads to strength, happiness, success, and the will to live your life in the best way possible. Which road are you going to take? The choice is yours completely!
You must be wondering: “How in the world could pain possibly result in something positive?” All your life, you’ve been conditioned to perceive pain as something to be afraid of. I’m here to tell you otherwise. In fact, you can turn this “curse” into a source of strength, the likes of which you’ve never experienced before. But, how are you going to do that? By simply changing your mindset! In this blog post, I’m going to share with you 9 amazing ideas (or steps) which helped me completely transform my thinking and leave pain behind. You too can get something out of them and emerge victorious in this battle. Let’s start!
1. Start looking at problems as unanswered questions
Problems, collectively, are a part of life. The beautiful thing about problems is that they almost always become the source of our strength. However, it is human nature to react negatively to the problems we face in life. Therefore, I want you to know within your heart that if you are afraid of pain, it doesn’t make you a weak person. You are strong and you have the power to overcome anything life throws at you. So, start looking at your problem, in this case, the pain you are suffering from, as an unanswered question. Try to get to the bottom of this condition if you haven’t already. “What’s causing it? How can I overcome it?” These are the questions that you should be asking yourself.
2. Stop taking time for granted
In economics, there is a brilliant concept which summarises the simplicity of life. Called “opportunity cost,” it basically says that in order to achieve something, you have to give up or “spend” something in return. This essentially means that nothing in life is free or that there is no such thing as a “free lunch.” We all spend resources to fulfill our needs but there is one resource which we tend to take for granted and waste carelessly…TIME! Yes, your time is the most valuable resource ever. It is this time which you must invest in taking the necessary steps to get rid of your pain, be it emotional or physical. You can either spend it worrying about the future or you can spend it trying to improve the quality of your life – once again, the choice is yours!
3. Stop delaying progress
Trust me when I say that the most dangerous thing you could possibly do to yourself is to delay your healing! Procrastination is the number one enemy of progress and a top mate of misery. It robs you of your life, one second at a time. Those who procrastinate eventually find themselves walking on Road-A (remember?) and realising that when it’s too late. So, change the “I’ll do it tomorrow” attitude, get up today, and go for a jog, do some yoga, meditate, or hit the gym. Do at least one thing that will help you slip from the handcuffs of pain.
4. Become the leader of your life
Chronic pain, if left unattended/untreated, can actually start to control how a person lives their life. You have to ensure that you don’t go down that road and always stay at least one step ahead of pain. Take charge of your life. No matter how much you feel the urge to not leave your bed in the morning, find the courage to wake up, stare pain right in its eyes, and say: “I know your game. I know what you want. And you’re having none of it!” Decide today that you want to be the leader of your life.
5. Know that getting out of pain takes work
Start struggling for productivity and results. Pain does not have an on/off switch that you can flick to get the results you desire. You have to realise that getting out of pain requires hard work and an immense amount of effort. Do everything within your power to get one step closer to success and healing every day.
6. Increase your self-confidence
Once you start believing in your abilities and strength, you will start mustering up the courage to work on your healing. That is exactly what I help my clients with – I assist them in improving their confidence regarding their body, abilities, and skills. This is extremely crucial in getting out of pain and filling your life with health and happiness.
7. Start seeking the truth
People suffering from pain are susceptible to feeling envious of those who enjoy healthy lives. No good ever comes out of envy, therefore, you should never compare yourself with others. Also, an important thing to remember is that everything you see is not necessarily true. A person might appear to be the happiest soul alive but, inside, they could very well be battling with hidden illnesses and different sorts of pain. I personally believe that vulnerability is a sign of bravery as it shows that you are strong enough to acknowledge your REAL problems, come face to face with them, and eventually fix them.
8. Know that you have the power to take care of your health
While it’s true that we don’t have 100% control over our health, we certainly can take some measures to improve it. Once you realise that you have the power to influence your short- and long-term health, you will do all you can to make sure that you eat right, sleep right, and basically live right! Like I said above, you need to do at least one thing every single day to get further away from pain.
9. Realise that you have to CHOOSE to be happy
Happiness does not choose people…people choose happiness. This simple truth was a hard pill to swallow but once I did accept it, it turned my life around by 180 degrees and I’ve been actively working on achieving happiness since. Start consciously controlling your thoughts. In simple words, develop a “glass-half-full” mindset.
To conclude…
In order to build a positive future for yourself, you need to start thinking positive thoughts. Stop perceiving pain as a monster. Instead, start looking at it as an opportunity to make yourself stronger. I guarantee that by simply controlling your thoughts, you will be able to beat pain in no time. If you want to learn tools and techniques how to do that join my Free Support Community “Heal Yourself”.
See you there. All the best!
