Purpose of pain

One of my team members needs a knee operation. He has been putting it off for some time. Recently the pain is at an intensity level that makes his condition very difficult to ignore. Pain is just feedback within our system yet most people prefer to not experience pain. Notice I said system and not body because we don’t only feel physical pain we also feel emotional pain. When something is wrong our nervous system generates pain to get our attention. Memory of pain will also stop us from doing something that might result in injury. Some people are born lacking the ability to feel pain. As you can imagine these people succumb to injuries because they lack the feedback mechanism to warn them that the are experiencing a harmful event. When we have the ability to experience pain, instead of suppressing the pain we need to find the source of the pain and address it. I don’t consider all pain as bad. I enjoy the pain in my muscles after a workout. It’s a sign of growth. Similarly when we overcome bad pain we also grow. The trick is not to stay stuck in the situation and wallow in self-pity but to take action. Seeking professional help or discussing your issues with someone is an action step. Don’t be afraid of pain and don’t try to avoid it because it is our system giving us feedback.