Pain & Stress: No Pain / No Gain? Nuh-unh!
By award-winning author and stress-relief expert Susie Mantell
No Pain/ No Gain? No Way!
Pain is a signal that something is wrong. It is the body-mind saying, "Stop! There has to be a better way!" We feel pain in very different ways from one another and to varying degrees. One theory suggests that some people have fewer receptor sites, or perhaps different levels of endorphins or the chemical called "Substance P."
The human stress response to pain causes muscles to tense, thereby exacerbating pain.
• Imagine a dull headache. Now imagine a dull headache in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
• Our emotional state in a given moment will influence how we experience pain.
Our past experiences, our expectation, and even lack of sleep all influence pain tolerance.
• Imagine hosting your four-year-old son's birthday party at home -- on a rainy day.
• Now imagine ten little four-year-olds suddenly arriving at your house for the party, unexpectedly.
• Now imagine hosting that party on two hours of sleep.
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One's level of understanding of a physical or emotional injury often mitigates the degree of pain.
• Imagine a drawer slamming on your fingers.
• Now imagine being fast asleep in the middle of the night when a drawer suddenly slams on your fingers.
• Without the visual cue explaining that a drawer is the reason for this terrible but temporary pain, it would be excruciatingly traumatic were that pain to come as a total shock from your deep, trusting sleep.
Mother Nature has hard-wired us to seek pleasure, and avoid pain.
Introducing new and varied "feel good" activities is a practical and delightful way to boost endorphins, and to generally enhance overall quality of life. On my website, you might enjoy the tip entitled,
"70 Ways to Feel Really Good...Fast!" at www.relaxintuit.com
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Award-winning stress-relief expert Susie Mantell ...is the author of the deeply soothing relaxation CD, "Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace,” clinically approved for symptoms associated with stress and sleeplessness, depression and grief, anxiety, P.T.S.D., Fibromyalgia, caregiver stress, cancer, pain, divorce and addiction recovery. Featured in The Los Angeles Times, NBC, ABC, CBS-TV, Town & Country, The American Pain Society, Hazelden and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, listeners include The Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Betty Ford Center, V.A. Hospitals,and Canyon Ranch (#1 Spa.) Customizing stress-reduction for Fortune 500 companies, distinguished hospitals and spas, Mantell has facilitated thousands in relieving health-related, work-related, chronic or traumatic stress. Her multi-sensory, mind-body techniques appear in national media, medical and corporate publications. Susie Mantell's Stress-Relief & Wellness Tips are intended as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, professional health care. Order “Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace” and find more of Mantell’s stress-relief tips at www.relaxintuit.com