9 ways to use pain to be strong and compassionate.

I have witnessed friends endure tragedy and use their pain to gain strength and humility.

I have personally experienced the pain of loss, heartache, and adversity and leveraged its power to transform my response.

We have two choices when confronted with pain. Use it as motivation or allow it to drive us deep into a dark place. 

The dark path makes dangerous devices seem like the obvious solution to mitigate our pain. Sadness, loss of hope become plentiful, and depression is often the result of allowing feelings of sadness to spiral out of control.

The alternative is to embrace our pain and commission its power to serve as a catalyst for positive change.

It seems counterintuitive, but when pain is pounding at our heart, we have one choice that liberates remarkable potential, and it's the only choice that prevents the prolonged sadness which can lead to depression.

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it”. Helen Keller

Here are 9 ways to use pain to become stronger and more compassionate:

Improved relationships

Many people become isolated and push people away when they suffer pain. The better option. Move closer to those you love and cultivate stronger connections. Be vulnerable and watch our connections grow deeper. Close friends hold each other up during difficult times and our relationships flourish when we are transparent.

More compassion

It's easy to become bitter when we experience pain. The alternative is to gain greater compassion and appreciate everyone suffers pain. When we have this epiphany, we become more empathetic. We also start to focus more on helping those around us that might be suffering. That shift takes the emphasis off us and places it on someone else.

Wiser

We gain wisdom when we suffer pain. It puts things into perspective and helps us appreciate the importance of time.  It also helps us learn to prioritize. We start to focus on what matters most and spend less time worrying about what people think. We concentrate on being more generous and resist being a taker. We listen more attentively and become less flustered by the little things that are insignificant in a much broader reality.  

Stronger

Turning pain into something positive is like body building. We gain strength, mental fortitude and grow. Each obstacle helps us get stronger as we push past the pain and acquire evidence, we have the ability to overcome adversity. 

“Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you”. Ovid

Reorientate

Suffering pain helps us reprioritize what matters most in life. We focus more on family, health, and friends. We pursue work that has meaning and don’t waste time doing things inconsistent with our purpose. Pain can help us get focused on living a life of intention and become more comfortable with calculated risk.

Inspiration

Pain is a powerful source of inspiration. I know when my father died, I made the decision that day to amplify my efforts to be relevant. I wanted to share my knowledge with others to leave a permanent mark on the world. I had always been incredibly successful, but now life had greater meaning. I started writing every day and began my podcast. Let pain inspire your projects.

Joy and happiness

Some people debate the difference between joy and happiness. Both are essential. Happiness is a decision supported by good choices that increase its prevalence in our life each day. Joy is a product of momentary feelings that surface each day that remind us how fortunate we are and how beautiful life truly is. Experiencing more joy improves our prospects for creating a happier disposition.

Less selfish

I have discovered by focusing on other people we spend less time ruminating about our pain. Give generously to those around you. Be assiduous and help other people achieve their goals. Pour time into your kids, family, and friends. Be a giver not a taker and watch how much better life becomes.

Humility

Pain can make us incredibly humble by appreciating how fragile life is and by understanding how similar we truly are. We relate better with people and spend less time judging one another. We use our pain as a tool to be more relatable and nurture a spirit of kindness in everything we do. The negative feelings become less common, and we focus on being a source of positive energy in a world that seems lost and without hope.    

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings”. Lao Tzu

Sum it up

Have you ever turned pain into something positive? Share your thoughts in the comments section and please like and share this article. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.  Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming. Steve is an author and host of the podcast program Anatomy of Success. Reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn. Learn more about my work and grab the free Weatherology mobile app by clicking any picture in this article!