5 Lessons Learned from Pain

Over the last two months, I have found myself in the space of frenzy. Although I am in a season of stillness, there is an uneasy urge to do something. To be productive. Then I realized this urgency to do is a way of avoiding the pain of traumatic experiences. When we go through something traumatic, sometimes our natural reaction is to panic. We search our inner beings to make sense of the experience. We frantically Google ways to overcome the pain. Or we drown ourselves in activities that take our focus away from our feelings. In this frenzy of the unknown, we avoid acknowledging what took place. The challenge with this is we never take stock of the moment. We avoid the pain of hurt and rush our way through the experience without taking time to acknowledge the lesson in the harm. As I sit and think about the moments where I ignored the pain endured from failed relationships, unexpected life changes, and the uneasiness of the unknown, I reflect on five lessons that I have learned.

1. Life truly is not a marathon; it is okay to enjoy the slow motion;

2. Hearing "no" is not the end of the world; it simply means your "yes" is closer than you think;

3. Being uncomfortable with the unknown is ok;

4. It is okay to smile and laugh when you are not sure what else to do; and

5. There is strength in pain; do not ignore it.