Dings or Drama?
The more you think about something, the stronger that vision becomes. Consider your next vacation, the excitement of a new baby, or the fear of scary rides at an amusement park. Now consider pain. It has a mind of it’s own. Say you stubbed your toe walking down the street, bent your finger back a little too far, or rose too quickly from the sofa. A little twinge kicks up. The pain should be gone momentarily; you hardly hurt yourself. But it persists, getting stronger. And now your toe and part of your foot really hurt, your finger pain has moved up into your forearm, and that twinge from rising too quickly is now shooting through your back. Pain begets pain. We give it power when we think about it, surround it with fear of the unknown. Is it something? Or nothing?
The next day, you still have the pain. What? That little accident was nothing. How can you still have pain? You are astounded that the incident drama has lasted this long. Pain is like that. Unpredictable. The more you think about it, the more the neural pathways for the pain signal become stronger, wrapping the nerves in myelin. The more myelin that wraps, the stronger the signal. The message becomes intense, and dominates your thinking. Pain is like that. We give pain power when we think about it without analyzing the source.
Understanding what is happening and the seriousness of it is the first step to relieving pain. I stubbed my toe or rose too quickly from the sofa; I didn’t damage anything except my dignity. Is it serious, yes or not? If the answer is no, rub the toe, ice the finger, and move on. Swearing just after the incident helps. Mainly, it’s recognizing that no great damage was done. Don’t make it something that it isn’t by thinking about it. Or talking about it. Or sharing the experience on FaceBook. Try, instead, breathing long deep breaths, to relax the body, and forgiving yourself for being human.
Sometimes you injure yourself, it’s painful and serious, and you have to see a doctor. Fair enough. Usually, though, pain is fleeting and in the moment, unless we allow it to become bigger than it is. Life is a series of pleasant happenings, and a few dings. It might help to appreciate and share the pleasant things that happen, and move on from the dings of life. Humor helps everything.
That’s Aging Intelligently