FRIENDLY

It is said that “Suffering = Pain x Resistance.” When we are in physical, mental, and/or emotional pain, it is hard enough. Then we add our own resistance to the pain because we want to fix it or get rid of it. Sometimes, when it is do-able and not too overwhelming, it is useful to soften into the fact that pain is here—even to become a bit friendlier with the reality of now. This keeps us from adding suffering onto an already difficult experience and sometimes will help the pain to shift.

In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

Painful feelings are, by their very nature, temporary. They will weaken over time as long as we don’t prolong or amplify them through resistance or avoidance. The only way to eventually free ourselves from debilitating pain, therefore, is to be with it as it is. The only way out is through.

—Kristin Neff