EXPERIENCING PLEASURE THROUGH PAIN

 

Waking up at 4.30am is never a challenge for me, especially on the days I have yoga class. The mind never gives a second thought. Though I am regular in my exercise (five days a week), I still experienced pain in my left leg. I immediately decided to see the doctor. I was assessed and the therapist put me on a myofascial trigger release treatment because my muscles were very tight. I had not done stretches after my exercise, which led to all these issues. Warm up and cool down are a must.  Those who don’t know what is myofascial trigger release, I must say that it is the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced in life. You will not be willing to go there the second day. It is like being in a Nazi camp. It is actually a torture! But you go for these sessions because you know that this is the only way you will be relieved of your pain, permanently. So, temporarily you need to embrace pain for a pain free life.

 

This is true of all the temptations in life. As a student, we may be tempted to use up all our time in pleasurable ways. Time management is not clock management; time management is life leadership. Is it bringing about our growth? Then it is time invested. I understand that when there are many ways to keep oneself occupied through gadgets, social media, television, or with friends, it is very difficult to do what is more important. Rather, resisting such temptations is very painful. When you are engaged in an activity that you enjoy, your brain produces dopamine, a chemical that promotes feelings of pleasure, happiness and excitement. Gaming, social media, mobile phones, even gossiping, become addictive because it triggers the release of dopamine. So, you continue to chase this feeling consistently.

 

Thus, what is most important in life is at the mercy of what is least important in life. We get carried away by these pleasures and live life frivolously. The pain that we go through for not getting our life right, becomes permanent. If we realise that, we will willingly embrace the temporary pain of avoiding such pleasures that will not take us anywhere in life. Attach pleasure to what is right. Visualise a successful and happy life. If that is the goal in mind, we will start investing our time in productive ways. When we start seeing positive results, we will be motivated to go more and more in that direction. Between watching television serials and exercising, between tasty food and healthy food, between sleep and early rising, I chose the latter always, and that made all the difference to my health. A balanced diet and healthy lifestyle can go a long way in increasing your body’s natural production of dopamine. In fact, playing a game, learning an instrumental music, painting, singing, dancing, etc can increase the dopamine levels. Indulge in activities that produce positive results and experience joy in it. Ultimately that itself will become an obsession in your life. Start getting addicted to anything that promotes your growth and well-being. It may be painful initially, but sure enough, it will give you pleasure eternally. Give it a shot!

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