When I share with you it is from my own experience.
For years I have shared how to be with emotions. I don’t believe I have talked much about how to be with physical pain. I am now because I now have the experience.
I have never experienced physical pain for long periods of time - maybe a few days here and there at most, until recently, when I experienced back and neck pain for over a month.
It’s hard to be with pain.
It was tiring, hard to focus, I didn’t sleep well, and I couldn’t do things I would normally do. I felt restricted.
I feel for any of you who have long-lasting pain. I know some people deal with pain day in and day out for years. My experience was only a month and it felt much longer.
It can become all encompassing; easy to get caught up in the judgment of the pain, wishing the pain was gone, thinking about it or trying to push it away.
What I know about our thoughts and emotions is what we resist persists and pain is no different.
Having physical pain gave me an opportunity to put my mindfulness practice into action in a way that I hadn’t before.
When I judged the pain or tried to push pain away, I was adding fuel to the fire. The game changed when I started to have compassion for the pain.
The body is our subconscious mind. It holds all the memories from our past. It doesn’t forget.
Physical pain can be from an injury and it can also be related to an emotional pain that shows up as a physical pain to get our attention and be healed.
I am very clear this pain was from the trauma I experienced in October of last year. It took two months for the pain to surface. The subconscious was clearly ready for things to come to the surface to be felt, loved and healed. And that is what happened.
It was longing for compassion and kindness. Pain in the body is a sign of distress and quite often it is connected to our emotional distress from our subconscious. It shows up to get our attention and presents an opportunity for healing.
I was very intentional with this healing process and I want to share some of things I did which were very helpful…
EFT (Tapping). I have mentioned this technique many times before that I use with my clients to remove anxiety, limiting beliefs or blocks by tapping on specific energy meridian points on the body. It has also been very effective to release the pain from my body, recognizing most of our physical pain has an emotional component. It was game changer.
Deep Breathing. I do a lot of deep breathing every day now. Inhaling 4 and exhaling to the count of 8 (or whatever count you want). This calms the mind and the nervous system down. On the inhale I was thinking ‘I am breathing in life and healing’ and on the exhale I said ‘I am releasing and letting go of the pain’.
Positive Thinking. The mind is the master and the body is the servant. I became very conscious around my thoughts about the pain. Instead of focusing on how much pain I had or how much I didn’t like the pain, I started to think positive thoughts like:
‘I am grateful the pain is being healed and released.’
‘I am grateful to have a healthy body free of pain.’
Treatments. I received incredible treatments from very skilled practitioners: chiropractic, osteopathy and massage.
Receiving Love + Support. I have been open to receiving love and support more than I ever have before in my life. It has enabled me to relax, feel safe and heal. I am deeply grateful.
I have been very present with my experience and it’s from this place that I am sharing with you the challenge, but more importantly, the tools and practices I’ve utilized to find my way out the other side of it.
It’s interesting to observe how there have been different stages of healing, including this one, and I am trusting that everything is unfolding at the perfect time.
Again, and again I am presented with the truth that I have no control over what emotions arise, what pain arises in my body, or what happens on the outside - I do, however, have control of how I respond.
Today my body feels good. I am living more in the moment than I ever have. I feel more energized and inspired. I went to my first yoga class in over a month – yay! And I have learned so much from this experience.
The more I continue to be present with each experience the more I am connected to who I am. A presence beyond thought; what I do or what I have. It is the essence of truth, wholeness and peace.
With love and gratitude,
Diane