Pain. An uncomfortable sensation that is synonymous with sadness and anger. Pain can be as miniscule as an annoyance or as great as an ache or sharp stabbing-feeling. Pain is something that is not always able to be dealt with easily. Some pain you can just shrug off and continue on with your day. Other forms of pain can have a crippling effect on your mental and physical health. One person's pain can cause another person’s pain. The effect of pain on an individual can spiral into other issues and other emotions.
Pain and its definition cannot accurately describe the exact feeling of emotional pain for
any one individual. For some, the pain, and the emotions that stem from it, never truly go away.
People attempt to give comfort in saying “It’ll just take some time.” But that amount of time is
an unknown factor. A person can take hours, days, or even years to fully understand that
sensation and find a resolution. In a severe instance of emotional pain, no one can tell you how to
fix it immediately. As hard as it may be, you have to overcome it on your own. A quote that I
find describes pain in the best way possible is from Nina Guilbeau’s Too Many Sisters.
“Everyone keeps telling me that time heals all wounds, but no one can tell me what I’m supposed
to do right now. Right now I can’t sleep. It’s right now that I can’t eat. Right now I still hear his
voice and sense his presence even though I know he’s not here. Right now all I seem to do is cry.
I know all about time and wounds healing, but even if I had all the time in the world, I still don’t
know what to do with all this hurt right now.”
Some people choose to avoid confronting their pain which snowballs into a bigger issue and builds up to the point where the most minute thing can cause an explosion of raw emotion. Doing so is very crippling to your health. Pain has the ability to make you experience a great empty feeling within, almost as if something is missing that you feel as though you cannot get back. It instills a lack of interest, a lack of motivation to do anything. It can cause you to lose your sense of reality and purpose. This raw feeling, may force you to lose the things that you care about that you may not have realized before. The relationships you’ve made, the fun you have had. The “good times…”
Pain is such a harsh emotion. It invokes sadness or anger or both. It promotes bad habits and poor quality of life. Pain is something that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. No matter if you have practice after school, no matter if you have a competition this upcoming weekend. An assignment due tomorrow. None of that matters if you are not physically and emotionally capable of doing them. Express your pain, your sadness, your anger by any means you deem appropriate. At the end of the day, nothing is stopping you from what you strive to do than yourself and your own pain.
Even if you believe your pain is resolved, some form of it will always come back to haunt you one way or another. The resolution? Strive to accept the outcome that caused you that pain and accept that whatever feeling you had, is in the past. You live in the present. Ask yourself, “Am I truly happy with what I’m doing currently?” “Can I be reminded of that harsh, empty feeling, and accept it and brush it off?” It took me a long time to be able to answer these
questions with certainty. Whenever I reflect on something that has caused me pain, I look for the good that came before that and the good that came after it. What I learned from the pain, what I regret from it. Pain can be an extreme sensation, but with perseverance and patience, it can be turned into something that builds upon your character and may aid you in the future.
Work Cited:
Guilbeau, Nina. Too Many Sisters. Nina Guilbeau, 2008.
Pain is a tough feeling. Alex this is something people try and brush off, thank you for giving advice to the ones who may need it the most. Piling up pain is the worst thing anyone can do, I have learned from personal experience and it didn't help me find the happiness i needed. I let it all out on ones I loved when in reality, I needed to let it out on things that can help me through the pain and tears. So thank you again Alex.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot emotion in this piece, you did a great job of conveying it. It invokes self-reflection and can definitely get at least some of us to relate to the process of healing. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteYes! This is true, every experience has an alternative side that grants new understanding, awesome job on this piece and exploring the concept of pain.
ReplyDeleteAlex this was extremely well written, pain is emotional and triggering and something we've all felt. You found a way to describe and define it in a way that was unique and meaningful. It was not painful to read this while thinking of one's own experiences with pain, rather it was hopeful and it forces the reader to acknowledge they are not the only one and that they will get through it no matter how painful it feels at the time. This was a really great piece, thank you for sharing. - Nicole Lillie
ReplyDeleteWow! What an emotion piece! I loved reading this so much i’m going to read it again! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this, you executed this piece beautifully. Pain is tough but is also inevitable. Your piece can be helpful to make others feel like they aren't alone, since we all have experienced pain in one way or another. Amazing work.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I liked how you began with the definition of pain and gradually expanded on the concept. The quote you chose goes along perfectly with your piece, overall-- great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a great way of perceiving pain. The resolution is definitely relatable to the times, as things are constantly changing and life seems unpredictable, as pain and disappointment seem almost inevitable with most things that we hope will spontaneously work out now. Thank you for analyzing what I know we've all been through at least a few times in the past year. Great piece. -Evan Nguyen
ReplyDeleteThis was such an emotion filled piece, it was truly moving. Thank you for writing this and explaining your definition of pain. Great work!
ReplyDeleteWow, Alex! This is such a great way to look at pain. Your definition and overall view of emotional pain is something that I know all too well but the way that you wrote about it made it incredibly easy to read and understand. The quote that you included made your article even better and really encompasses what happens when people start the grieving process. Looking back on how what i've been through has changed me is something that I do often and more often than not, it has changed me for the better and I loved how you included that at the end. Really great job! :)
ReplyDeleteI completely 100% agree with everything that you have stated. No one deserves to go through pain and honestly I wish the feeling never existed, but it is better to let it all out instead of bottling up your feelings inside. Thank you so much for sharing this and giving me some advice Alex!!
ReplyDeleteGood Job describing the different ways people deal with pain. I haven't truly found the best way for me yet, but I'm sure I will. This definitely did a great job explaining the positive and negatives when dealing with pain. Good Job dude!
ReplyDeleteDealing with pain is something nobody really wants to do, but it is something that can truly make you stronger and just an overall better person. By looking at the good that comes out of it as you said, it makes it much easier to go through. Thank you for sharing, this was extremely well-written.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is so great it really shows how pain is unavoidable and something nobody wants, yet showing how there is always a reason for everything and that we should look for the good that comes out of it.
ReplyDeleteYou did a fantastic job explaining all the forms of pain, it helps make your feelings more relatable to us and it helps us start to understand how you feel.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this piece, I completely agree with opening statement about pain and how it can either be very minuscule or very severe with detrimental effects. I feel like healing is one of the most important things a human can ever learn to do but the process seems very difficult and most don't know where to start. Thank you for showing us how to deal with pain in our lives.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an emotional piece, I very much enjoyed reading this, you did an amazing job, Pain is something we all go through and some of us really don't know how to deal with it. Thank you for sharing and giving such great advice!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great explaination of pain. I definitely relate to everything you said on this subject. It is true that the pain we feel has different levels and it does depend on the person who is dealing with it too. Thank you for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great explaination of pain. I definitely relate to everything you said on this subject. It is true that the pain we feel has different levels and it does depend on the person who is dealing with it too. Thank you for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteAmazing job :) I enjoyed your writing so much, and I loved the new perspective that the quote brought in. I feel as though people say pain will "just take time to heal" as a way to avoid the issue without feeling guilty for not taking the time to help. I think living in the moment, especially when the present moment is full of pain, is one of the hardest things to do. I often feel stuck in my pain and trapped in the midst of a bad depressive episode, and it is so difficult to see the future beyond that pain when all you can see directly behind and ahead of you is more pain. Thank you so much for the new perspective and for the encouragement you are giving to others. It can be so difficult to remain strong, but I hope you do through whatever pain you may experience. Once again, exceptional work :)
ReplyDeleteTouchingly heartfelt! By far my favorite take was your treatment of the all too familiar "give it time" advice. You've recognized the real importance of reconciling with our pasts, pains, and difficulties. The ability to confront them and accept them as part of our lives is a skill that is only refined by further experiences and intimate expression. This was a wonderful reminder to reflect and appropriately act upon our emotions.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your insight on pain. I really liked the quote you used to describe pain because I completely agree with how the saying "it'll take time to heal" doesn't solve the current distress someone feels when they are in pain. The saying only helps provide hope for the future but not a solution to how someone feels in the present. I think the advice you give towards the end is a really great way of reflecting on yourself and could even help someone who is currently hurt.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this! Personally for me I tend to try to ignore the things that cause me pain. Sometimes I ignore it for so long I even stop realizing that I am feeling pain in the first place. Thank you for helping me realize that I need to confront my problems and move on from them and live in the present:)
ReplyDeleteThe way you worded this piece was very well done. I often ask my self if life would be better without pain, but like you said, it helps to strengthen our character and prepares us for the challenges we may face.
ReplyDeleteI felt all of the emotion reading this I appreciate you writing this I like it a lot thank you for sharing, -Leah Thompson
ReplyDeleteAlex,
ReplyDeleteThis was incredibly well written and truly powerful to read. Everything about this, it's just so impactful, and something I can relate to on a personal level. The concept of not confronting problems is what I resonated the most with, and you wrote about it perfectly. Amazing job, man. Thank you for sharing with us!
Best,
Jesse Ortiz