Painful experiences are best avoided. However, whether resulting from a physical or mental context we all experience suffering or discomfort from time to time.

Dealing with pain can be an opportunity for gain, in fact, trainers often use the old saw “no pain, no gain”.  Pain and suffering can also lead us to a downward spiral of doom.

Accentuate the Postive

To borrow a little motivational advice from the movie Mary Poppins, focus on how to improve and resolve things.  This is a great way to leverage painful situations as a wake-up call.

This is not about ignoring things that cause you pain.  Rather focus on a resolution that surpasses the status quo.  Use pain as an opportunity to make things better.

Our perspective is an important influencer of our actions.  What we do, that is our behavior, is very much based on the way we regard something; our point of view.

Act to your Benefit

Pain can influence our perspective toward sadness and pity, neither of these emotional views is likely to result in positive action.  Overcoming the pain we feel by rising above and beyond it, seeking positive change is far more personally enriching.

Being mired in sadness or self-pity can become self-fulfilling prophecies.   The results are far better when we act in a way that benefits us.

Allowing external circumstances to become detrimental to our health and well being is a choice but is probably not the best choice for you.