Everybody Has Pain

As a result of my many hospitalizations, I learned two lessons in life very well: (1) Everybody has pain, and (2) Somebody always has it worse than I do.

Since the last four sections have been about maintaining mental, emotional, and spiritual health, you might wonder how the idea “Everybody Has Pain” fits in with what’s already been discussed. As with so many things in life, perspective makes all the difference. When you understand your pain is no greater than the person sitting next to you and you aren’t the only person living with hurt, it’s easier to not have a “woe is me” attitude.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking you are the only one that has it hard. Pain takes many forms. Some people have a bad family life or the pain of having no family at all. Many struggle with crippling depression or other forms of mental illness. Some live with terrible phobias that control their lives. Others have constant bone, muscle or other forms of pain and disease that far exceeds your own. Some are bed ridden, unable to move or speak. Others live with traumatic memories that haunt them day and night. The list is endless.

I know many people who live with chronic back pain or some other kind of physical discomfort. Often they’ll say to me, “I know my pain doesn’t compare to yours . . .yadda yadda yadda.” It makes me sad when people express such things to me. I don’t believe my pain is any greater than Billy-Bob’s broken butt or Tiny-Tim’s twisted toes. Everybody’s pain tolerance is different.

Try to not think of your discomfort as being greater than Jittering Jane’s next door. In doing so, you may find yourself growing callous to the suffering of others and insensitive to their needs. If and when that happens it won’t be long before the negative energy from such self-centered thoughts begin to influence your 4-Points of Health in undesirable ways.