“If you want to end your suffering, enter your pain.” ~ Robert Augustus Masters
It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? I completely understand but I also know past pain patiently waits for you and can show up as DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, FEAR-BASED LIVING, TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS, WEIGHT ISSUES, ADDICTIONS, OVER-SPENDING, GAMBLING, ANGER, LOW SELF-ESTEEM and HEALTH ISSUES.
If something is not working in your life, the first step is to have a deep desire to understand your behaviours and patterns. You must have a strong inner commitment to seek to understand yourSELF.
Find yourSELF and you will find your JOY. This is how to let go of pain.
So what do I mean by that?
If you had some childhood trauma, you dealt with it in the best way possible with the child skills and understanding you had at that time.
You were young. Counselling is incredibly beneficial and necessary; however, because you were a CHILD, you may need to revisit this wound when you are older. As an adult you will understand a different level of the emotions and situation, with more life experience, perspective and maturity.
It doesn’t mean you have to sit and stay in your pain, but it does mean you have to ACKNOWLEDGE, VALIDATE, PROCESS and then slowly HEAL that wound. This takes time and compassion and is how to let go of pain.
I don’t want you to live in the past; I want you to learn from the past. There is a big difference.
Living in the past means you are stuck there, keeping the pain and chaos alive. It doesn’t serve anyone in a positive way and becomes a method to create more painful events. This is very dangerous to all involved and simply repeats the cycle.
When you learn from the past, you seek to understand yourSELF and ultimately change your behaviours.
You HONOUR the emotions and feelings you felt at that time understanding why you were angry, scared or sad. I believe in forgiveness but it’s at the end of the process and I believe you need to forgive yourSELF first. Often times it wasn’t your fault, yet the tendency as children is to view it as your responsibility. “I should have known better” is a common misconception we tell ourselves.
With time, love and nurturing SELF, forgiveness of others may come.
“If you want to end your suffering, enter your pain.”~ Robert Augustus Masters
- Find a nurturing, loving and safe support network, whether it’s trusted friends, family and a counsellor, life coach or psychiatrist.
- Be surrounded by POSITIVE people who will help you rebuild yourSELF.
- Feed your mind with messages of LOVE, HOPE, STRENGTH, COURAGE and KINDNESS.
- Take care of your body by some form of EXERCISE and eating HEALTHY, nutritious food!
Make a deep, inner commitment that you will seek to understand yourSELF, and then you will find your JOY.
I realize it doesn’t feel like it, because pain is so painFULL (overwhelming, all consuming) but walking through your pain can be a way to gain greater understanding and depth of love, compassion, kindness and forgiveness, both for yourSELF and for others. It’s a journey we all experience and it is a way to let go of pain.
Remember YOU are very COURAGEOUS and the journey through your pain is a way to let go of pain lifting you to greater heights than you ever imagined.
With love and compassion,
Tina
PS. Here is another powerful article on this topic called “The Prophecy of Pain”.
