Why You Should Embrace Mental Pain as Personal Growth.
I believe one grows most mentally when overcoming emotional pain. In contrast to other states such as happiness or feelings of love.
I believe that pain and in particular the act of overcoming pain is one of the strongest factors when shaping one’s personality. Love, for example, would in my mind be considered more of a reactional-driven personality change, rooted in one’s social drives. Happiness I would consider merely an incentive for overcoming pain, a breeder of comfort rather than growth. Humans incentive to continue striving towards pain and ultimately growth. Lessons learned in pain are yours and yours alone, defining who one is in the face of adversity.
My definition of “Pain”.
For this article “Pain” is to be understood with quite a broad definition. It’s not necessarily the feeling of “pain” as an emotion or as an physical sensation. “Pain” could for instance be considered the “resistance” a flower overcomes in the task of growing new roots pressing against the dirt. “Pain” would be the “emotion” one feels after a break-up, or as the “resistance” one feels getting back into the dating game after a break-up. Or as the “physical pain” one feels working out.
Pain comes in many forms and what unites them in our context is the act of overcoming pain as it leads to growth.
One seldom grows mentally as much as when overcoming pain.
In particular when overcoming a challenge that forces one to grow one’s personality into something new, something more. The cause might be something very disrupting such as a breakup or the loss of someone close to forcing the effect which the old personality breaks down. The sort of pain that utterly shatters the notion of what it is to be you. Years of building layers, making your identity yours. Suddenly broken.
Pain often leaves you with your life and personality in pieces, one is faced with the choice to either lay down or to grow into something more, someone wiser and someone stronger.
A human’s opportunity to rise from her self-imposed vulnerability lies in the act of prevailing over pain.
I often find these topics to be commonly talked about in the terms of a personality crisis, often caused by a mid-life wake-up call from a life of no meaning to oneself. A sort of personality that is often built on the avoidance of pain rather than founded on the triumph over it. And as a result, a fragile foundation and loose values.
For those who never embrace pain and rather hide from it.
To you I say, there are few hiding places and pain always catches up to you one day. All you can hope for is for that day to be embraced by someone wise and strong enough to make the climb back up. Building one’s new self and growing more mature in the task.
To you, who have felt what I am describing and survived, I salute you for your growth and I know you hear me in my writings.
Pain is a lesson for one to learn to survive, and mature.
I believe it to be firmly rooted in humans’ biology and subconscious. Still, one seeks relief from the feelings of pain rather than welcoming the wisdom it could bring. But I encourage you to embrace the challenge as an opportunity for growth and to do an effort to learn about yourself in moments of pain. It’s often the best way upward.
With the right mindset, one turns pain into strength. Someone stronger and wiser emerges. Someone new, defined by you.
Remember, this is to be considered my humble opinion.
If you care for more of my thoughts I would be happy to welcome you among my followers. I intend to happily answer all comments and such, I relish all thoughts and ideas added to the conversation. I hope to see you around!
