Leaning into the Pain

Photo by: Ian Dooley

I felt myself hitting the wall a few times this week.  And it stung a bit.

My hitting the wall involves coming to that point of insurmountable pressure...when you feel like you can't move forward. I was in the spot that some people call being "between a rock and a hard place".  I felt like there were too many things that needed to be taken care of.  And there was only one of me.  

You know the feeling you get when you want to run and hide under the bed until it just goes away. Or when you start to question your sanity in the midst of it all. 


Yep, that feeling.  

My hitting the wall did sting a bit each time it happened. But in retrospect, it didn't sting as much today, as it had in the past. And I wondered why.

“Leaning Into Our Pain”

I think that I am getting to a better understanding of moving in the rhythm of it all... sort of like when they tell you to "lean into the pain". To get some additional knowledge on the topic, I did what most of us do...I googled it.  And here is what I found.   

The article by Pratibha gave me another perspective on trying to avoid pain and discomfort. Essentially it told me that "things come together and fall apart again and again like waves in the ocean"1. So that feeling of being tossed back and forth is both a natural and normal part of the process.  And there is no need to resist it.

A quote by Will Smith provided additional insight:

“Something hurts, lean in. You just lean into that point until it loses its power over you. There’s a certain amount of suffering that you have to be willing to sustain if you want to have a good life. And the real trick is to be able to sustain it with your heart open and still be loving.”

This quote really provides me food for thought.  It seems that when the discomfort comes, you must lean in and acknowledge it. However, I also must remember that the discomfort that I am experiencing only has the amount of power that I give it.  

So, I am challenged in this moment to consider all that is taking place. I must make the important decision to embrace the discomfort. But in the same token, not to empower it. 


So, I am interested in finding out, what do you think?

When have you found that yourself hitting the wall? 

What has helped you through that process?

1 (Article taken from the Huffington Post, updated April 21, 2017. "Leaning into our pain", Pratibha, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pratibha/leaning-into-our-pain_b_9734116.html.)