Back pain has made me wiser. I know if you’re in the middle of a severe and/or long-lasting pain, this statement is likely to be pretty irritating, but I’m a great believer in looking for the silver lining in a cloud.
Now I’m taking the definition of wise to be having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgement”. How has back pain made me more wise?
Experience
I can certainly demonstrate a lot of experience on the sujbect of back pain, having seen thousands of people with it. However my own back pains have provided the most memorable experiences. It often puzzles me when people don’t know the answer to questions such as “What makes your back pain worse?”; “What makes it better?”; “What can you do to help yourself?” The experience that you gather through back pain should at least make you wiser in this way.
Knowledge
Most people I meet can tell you a lot about their back pain; they’ve gained a lot of knowledge on the subject, and some – particularly a lady I met at a Christmas drinks party on Saturday night – could write a book on the subject of their own pain. Acquiring knowledge is necessary to becoming wiser – that’s why we provide you with the active X backs university.
Good Judgement
In my experience, this has been the hardest bit to achieve, but I think it’s the most important part of becoming wiser – exercising better judgement. There’s little use in having these exeperiences and knowing more about your back pain, if it doesn’t convert into better judgement. I now bend more efficiently, have better posture, do heavier tasks in smaller batches, and think twice before lifting very heavy logs (men like to do these things to demonstrate their masculinity). Consequently I am also less anxious about my back.
Bigger Picture
But I’m not just wiser in relation to back pain and its avoidance. The lessons learned have broader applications. I’m more mindful of daily habits, and more appreciative of my health in general, and keen to maintain it. I imagine this is the purpose of pain – to act as a warning system in order that you change your ways, in the short and the long term. Otherwise, there’s likely to be more pain coming your way.
Take a moment to think about your own back pain experiences and determine whether they have made you more knowledgeable, and whether this could lead to better judgement on your part. If so, you just became a little wiser. 😉 Please share your insights in the comments section below…
PS If you’re struggling to find anything positive about your back pain, drop me an email and I’ll help you! Note, that you’re only likely to find this particular silver lining if you let go of any anger and fear you have related to your pain. Again, if you’re struggling with this, get in touch.
