Reflections

The Pain of Change

• By Abel
• June 30, 2015
• No Comments

Pain, it’s been said, is a signal that the person experiencing it needs to intervene in some way, in order to stop or lessen the discomfort. And I agree that this is sometimes the case but not always and it’s important to understand why.

You’ve heard the term “growing pains”? Usually it is associated with children who are going through growth spurts and who feel aches associated with their changing bodies. But this term is also used when a person is going through the beginning stages of a new endeavor. The period when a habit or skill that can lead a person to attain a goal is not yet solid, not yet completely formed, but it has been attempted. It’s the period that follows the excitement associated with learning something new or intentionally starting a life-changing habit. It’s where the rubber meets the road and you realize it’s not going to be as easy as you’d hoped it would be and you think to yourself, “it would be easier if I just stopped trying to learn to speak French. Or, Will changing my eating habits and tracking what I eat every day really be worth it?”

And it can be very uncomfortable, at times painful. But painful in the sense that you can’t run on autopilot. You actually have to become aware and think about what you are going to do next. This pausing, thinking, being aware takes time, time that we often don’t think we have and we become impatient and consider throwing in the towel. The day to day routine feeling of apathy that accompanies inertia is gone and this new awkwardness can be disconcerting.  But for good reason, after all, you are stepping out of the norm and into your possibilities – the beginning of your dreams for the future start here.

This pain you might group with the pain I described at first and decide, yeah, pain….isn’t this bad for me? Shouldn’t I be avoiding this shit? But this pain is the good kind that if you persevere through it you’ll come out on the other side feeling accomplished and more self-confident, not to mention if your new habit is one that promotes health, like eating right or exercising more, you’ll feel better physically.

When I was at the beginning of my weight loss journey there was a Special K commercial that aired with the slogan, “What will you gain when you lose?” And after losing 75 pounds  I can say  that I gained confidence, fitness, and a belief in myself that I am capable and worthy. Though your goal might not be weight loss, this idea can apply to you as you work toward your dreams. When you start a new undertaking and it seems painfully hard ask yourself “What will I gain when I work through the discomfort and pain of change?” And then keep on changing!

Photo Credit: Nicoletta Antonini