28 December 2020 — PAIN THRESHOLD — PHYSICAL AND MENTAL

Physically, I see myself as a ‘baby’ when it comes to having to endure pain and would say that my physical pain threshold is very, vey low. However, I am one of the ‘grin and bear it’ types. I dislike having to take tablets but ‘when needs must….!’

What I think is very important, however, in ‘grinning and bearing’ it, is that one doesn’t off-load one’s problems on to others. We all have problems of our own and although, a recent blog was about telling the truth to others when they asked how one was instead of merely saying the expected ‘I’m fine’ when we very much are NOT: I certainly believe that if one can tell the truth but make light of how one is feeling and keep a smile on one’s face then everyone gains all around. Us, the people in pain because we have allowed ourselves to be distracted from our pain and the people who are enquiring about our pain because hopefully to some extent they will be uplifted by our attitude.

When one’s arm is in a sling as mine is at the moment it is obvious to the onlooker that there is something wrong, what, of course, is not so obvious is when one is suffering mentally. When we are worried, not coping well at these present times, spending too much time alone, losing our businesses or our jobs etc etc it does sometimes help, I believe, to ‘off load’ as long as the person to whom one is ‘off loading’ is able to be EMPATHETIC and SYMPATHETIC and make the person sharing the load feel loved and cared for.

AND, there comes that word again! LOVE. When we can respond to the other with LOVE we are giving her or him all they need and often all we are truly capable of giving them. If we find our minds judging them and telling ourselves unsympathetic things about then-m, then we most certainly need to ‘move on’ and enquire within why we are unable to feel sympathy and empathy for OURSELVES. AND why we are unable to LOVE ourselves.