Day 157 - A Year to Clear - Being with Pain

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Lesson 157: Being with Pain

“The best way to get rid of the pain is to feel the pain. And when you feel the pain and go beyond it, you’ll see there’s a very intense love that is wanting to awaken itself.”

— Deepak Chopra

When you feel pain, do you ever notice that there are physical sensations that accompany it? You may get a stomach ache or chest pain, and although they might pass quickly, it can teach us about practising detachment from that emotional pain. This is how we clear and start to practise spaciousness. Today we are to recognise what first thought comes to mind when you experience pain. From there, do you try to understand it or use a distraction like medication to ease the pain?

There has been many ways in which I have dealt with pain – crying, being alone, being around people, felt sad, avoided the pain and sometimes I have had panic attacks. It can be a combination of all those things or maybe just a few. I am very aware of how I deal with pain. I will wallow in it for some time, but I now know that I can face it, learn from it, accept it and grow. I haven’t really used medication to deal with my pain. Like, I haven’t gone to a psychologist for the purposes of getting a prescription in order to overcome pain. I think it’s necessary for some people when they are sucked way into the darkness and finding trouble getting out, though I haven’t personally needed it.

I think everyone deals in their own ways and I’m not one to judge how they go about that. I think having a deeper understanding of self helps you deal with pain or at least manage it better. I think when people are ready to really find the answers in their pain, it opens them up to more awareness. It can be a real life changing moment when that happens.

Day 60 - A Year to Clear - Feeling Check

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Lesson 60: Feeling Check

Today we are to check our energy level and all the current sensations we may be feeling – cold, sweaty, breathing heavily, hot? I am to notice if by paying attention if anything changes by this simple act. In addition to this, I am to notice if my energy level changed when I have no attachment to the outcome.

When I tried this exercise, I was just so tired at work. My mind was so cloudy, I couldn’t concentrate on anything for a few minutes. I was very much depleted and felt like I needed another hour of sleep. I was cold because the office was blasting aircon. Didn’t notice any bodily sensations. Honestly, I didn’t feel anything by simply paying attention. I was still cloudy and fogged up in the brain even when I had no attachment. Maybe it wasn’t the best day to try this exercise.

I mean, even as I sit here at home, my energy is picked up a little bit from earlier today, but that was more from seeing a friend after work and having dinner for a catch up. Maybe this is one of those days where it’s like, maybe it’s something to work on.

Day 58 - A Year to Clear - Noticing Knots

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Lesson 58: Noticing Knots

Today is about being aware of the sensations as you complete the following statement:

• Something that worries me about my______[fill in the blank: health, finances, career, family, relationship with X]

Did you notice a rise in heart rate, did you start to sweat in your hands, did you get flustered or feel a knot forming in your tummy? Whatever you may have felt, Stephanie mentions are stress hormones and it’s a good thing to catch before they are triggered.

I think I completed that sentence with the word “life” which is a bit ambiguous but I wasn’t really concentrating and letting whatever flowed to my head come about. I didn’t feel any sensations arise but I did think what kind of silly thought is this. I think I just need to trust more that it will work out.

The thing about this lesson was that Stephanie did not mention how to catch these before being triggered. I wonder if that’s in lessons to come, but I feel like today’s lesson may be just to be aware of what’s going on in the body before actually going onto dealing with the emotion. I guess we’ll find out.