Pain: the final frontier. It is the four-letter word that conjures up debilitating movement and the need for stasis. Pain can cause a powerful ripple, or fully cripple a person.
Pain is detected within our body as it is on our skin. Superficial pain is usually manageable, however, deep-rooted pain, manifested in the major muscles and joints of the body can impede our physical and athletic outcomes. Consider the lactic acid ‘burn’, albeit temporary, can cause our muscles to fatigue, cramp or stop moving altogether. By the way, lactic acid is not the enemy, for it can be converted into more energy when there is more oxygen supplied to the bloodstream.
How can we manage our pain?
1) Through conditioning: deal with pain by getting used to it.
2) As long as it is not sometime organic, and caused by disease, you learn to cope with it.
3) Slow down our pace; take a break if necessary.
4) Shift the focus of the pain to something else.
5) Pre-empt it, with nutritional means.
6) Use the pain to stay alert and lucid. Pain can be a process of self discovery.
7) Use mantras and self-talk to focus on other aspects of your condition.
If you want to be an Ironman, you got to toughen up. If it were that easy, everyone would be an Ironman! The discomfort of waking up early to train and the rigorous long mileage covered, serves to build personal courage, tenacity, resourcefulness and resilience.
Here’s a piece on how hot coffee and love lost are similar in the part of the brain they influence.
Leadership Lessons: How do you cope with the pain of disappointment? How do you lead those who violate your trust? How do you break bad news to another?
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