Pain Is Inevitable; Suffering Is Optional cont. When it comes to how we respond to physical and emotional pain, we have a choice
– Psychology Today Suffering in general, as well as specific to chronic pain, is a function of imbalances in physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual functioning. Suffering is both a cause and an effect of the catastrophic cognitions and distressing emotions For people with chronic pain, there is a direct correlation between negative thinking and the level of pain they experience. Pain leads to negative thoughts/self-talk/beliefs lead to feelings of frustration/anger/anxiety/fear/sadness/depression/hopelessness lead to suffering leads to muscle tension and stress lead to more pain leads to increased negative thoughts/self-talk/beliefs lead to increased frustration/anger/anxiety/fear/sadness/depression/hopelessness leads to greater suffering, and so on. The longer such a cycle continues, the more out of balance a person becomes. Suffering can be modified when people become consciously aware of this chain reaction and learn how to respond differently to their pain. https://qoto.org/@FailForward/105618890739804299