IF YOU had the choice, which would you choose, physical pain or mental anguish (which to me is the intangible equivalent of physical pain)? I would like to believe that most of us would naturally choose the physical, am I right?
Anyway, I think I would pick physical pain most of the time if I had the choice. Mental hurt zaps your soul and turns you into a zombie who I don’t really want to become. Being a worrywart and a certified over thinker makes me a surefire candidate for zombieness so, I'm gonna try the best I can not to end up like one.
Physical pain would be a better I think, because it is treatable with proper medication. I think it would be easier to control although I have to say that I have been through unbelievable pain that left me bedridden, for months! It was way beyond any pain I had ever imagined and I hope I don’t ever have to go through it again.
There are times though, when one goes through physical pain and quite unexpectedly, that was exactly what I went through this week! It started as negligible discomfort that somehow managed to develop into something excruciating and awful that I had to take a leave from work in the middle of my work week!
I would normally just keep quiet and just take my pain meds but the pain I felt escalated to such unbearable levels that I began whining about it!
I have always been proud of the fact that I have quite a high threshold for pain but this week, I have to admit, I was such a crybaby! Stoicism had no place in this experience, nope! I was going to be “vocal” about it, no matter what.
Oh but I tried to be quiet about it. I wanted to be brave and told myself that I had already gone through it before. I was familiar with that kind of pain and I thought I had it under control.
Boy, was I sooo wrong! I was squirming and screaming with each muscle spasm as it got worse and worse! I was quick to realize that keeping my mouth shut about the pain only made it worse! I had tried my best to not really “bother” anyone. I took my meds religiously and appreciated the fact that at least, it gave me some relief.
I knew it would allow me to go about my everyday activities and it did for a while, but the pain would start to get worse after a few hours. I was miserable and exhausted and was very much in pain that I spent the whole morning crying and shouting expletives on the second day!
By afternoon, I was so tired and pained I was irritable and obviously in a bad mood. Pain had built a dark and somber unseen shell around me that I felt so alone. Times like this, you must know that it is all up to you to get through it.
I shared my pain. I told friends and family about it. I posted it on Facebook and updated my friends about it (whether they like it or not hehe). Somehow acknowledging the pain made me feel better. Also, prayers and wishes of healing made me feel better. It made me feel I wasn't alone and that was very comforting. It felt like I was being inconsiderate by sharing my pain, but I realized that friends and family are always willing to help in any way they could.
I prayed a lot. I was trying to accept the pain as a test of patience but when it became too much, I prayed for it to be taken away. Still, I tried to think what the experience tried to teach me. I learned that it is more to it than just experiencing affliction.
I learned that although it is quite commendable to be patient and brave with pain, there is nothing wrong with reaching out when it becomes really unbearable. The medications will help but nothing beats having someone to hold your hand and assure you that everything will be okay.
Even when the pain doesn't go away as fast as we would want it, having someone beside you makes it bearable. Nothing beats having people who care about you. They pray for you and look out for you in whatever way they possibly can.
The mere thought that someone cares about you certainly puts you on the path to recovery simply because it is a feeling that always makes us feel good. Having gone through pain allows us to sympathize with others who will go through the same thing in the future.
It teaches us empathy and allows us to be more sensitive of other people’s feelings.
So I guess we need to embrace pain and learn from it because it teaches us a lot about ourselves. And when it becomes unbearable, reach out and allow them to embrace you because sometimes, it takes more than medication to completely heal.
Have a Happy Sunday Everyone!! :)