In life, we all experience pain, but we don't have to suffer. Pain is a physical or emotional response to a stimulus. Suffering is a choice. Those of us who live with chronic pain or disease can do so with a conscious decision to not let the pain victimize us. Likewise, when our hearts get broken, we can choose to let go of the past instead of clinging to it. When we grasp for what was, or hold on to identities that keep us in a negative space, what good are we creating for ourselves? How does suffering benefit us? The answer may be surprising.
Although suffering cannot exist in a positive energy space, it serves those who choose to suffer by fueling their created reality of being a victim. It allows them to continue to suck the energy from those around them, and in return receive all the benefits of dependency and codependency. By choosing to persevere and live in the moment rather than suffer, we can break the cycle of suffering and begin to heal for good.
Cat Carrel is a certified life coach in Spokane.
