Constant Pain & The Human Spirit

In the medical world, long-lasting physical pain is often to referred to as chronic. I’ve never been much a fan of the. word. Nonetheless , those professionals that choose a career of caring for those with physical pain must also understand the detrimental effects that long-term pain has on the human spirit and the psyche.

As humans, we were made to undertake a certain amount of stress. Without it we would be unable to perform many tasks. As appealing as a life without stress seems, eventually you would become incredibly bored and unmotivated to do much.

Pain creates stress, there is no doubt of that and perhaps its initial nudge is to coerce us into taking action such as making the right phone calls for a doctor’s appointment, therapy and so on.

However, as time goes on and we choose to ignore these signs our bodies are giving us we may get worse. Yes, it’s true that the body has the capability of healing itself although after some time (a week or two) if the pain worsens or simply stays the same this is the time to strongly consider intervention.

But how annoying is intervention? Stopping in your tracks, interrupting your flow of life. It seems frivolous…until we become desperate. The pain never seems to go away. It prevents us from moving our bodies well. We have to think twice before doing something. In meetings, social gathering and church functions you are in constant pain, it never leaves you and it eventually wears you down.

It begins to chip away at your zest for life. Your feel tired and your mood begins to change for the worse. You have less patience with others and with negative situations.

This can be a time where self-pity could easily creep up. I know, perhaps you have cancer and some other terminal illness and no amount of intervention seems to be helping. I know that losing hope and giving in to the pain seems to be the only way. After all, no one is going through what you are.

But how wrong you are. Many in this world suffer from physical pain (and even emotional pain) on a daily basis. However, if intervention is possible it’s time to loosen the wallet, open up our schedule and seek help. There are programs, organizations and health professionals that have made it their life’s work to help those with pain. Don’t lose hope! There are passionate professionals that find joy in helping people just like you. And yes, perhaps your journey is long and expensive. No one knows what you feel until they experience it themselves. However, I encourage you to create a plan and a strategy to care for yourself and come out of the other side. Wallowing and lashing out at loved ones strain relationships. I know your energy may be depleted, perhaps your pride is too great to ask for help. But simply do it. Don’t drop hints or clues, be direct “I’m in pain with xyz and I need help.” You’ll be surprised how the right people will rally around you and help you find the resources. But you must be consistent about your care, don’t use your pain to manipulate others or even to lie to yourself that you are less than you are. An ailment may limit you but pain can be a magnificent lesson in humility, a characteristic we are all deeply in need of. Pain is also an activator of compassion for others when you are well and they experience something similar.

Pain can be many things but it cannot be the thing that crushes your spirit. That beautiful entity can still serve and can still soar.