Choosing Joy in the Midst of Relentless Pain

Trauma.

Most of us have experienced it. Some of us wonder, “will it ever end?”.

My trauma started as early as four years old. My “dooms day” of trauma hit me when I was a mere eight years old. My teens, 20’s, and 30’s are also splattered with trauma. I’d love to say my 40’s escaped the realms of darkness, but they did not. Nor has my 50’s.

Trauma has attempted to knock me down – even take me out – in so many ways!
I can courageously say I belong to the “Me too” movement, in multiple facets. I can boldly say I once knew how to throw a punch – sadly out of defense, rather than boxing lessons. The automobile accidents are too many to recall, with the most horrendous resulting in half of my body exploding through a windshield and banging against the hood of the car, until we ferociously met a tree. My body then slammed back into the car, where the lower half of my body was pinned by part of the engine. Then there’s death of loved ones: a close friend; a parent; a grandparent; a sister; the love of my life. When does it end!?

January 10^th, 2024, answered that question with, “maybe never”.
This was the day I accidentally got Carbon Monoxide poisoning. My “everyday life” has not been the same since then.

I am the same. Yet, I am also a new me.

You see, the body never forgets. Seeds of trauma plant themselves that can resurface as triggers – automatic responses to reminders of past pain. Over time, these experiences condition the nervous system to stay on high alert. Since my body has been through all this trauma – and remembers it all, I tend to have increased sensitivity to pain, even if and when the event seems minor.  My body is always on “high alert” because of the amount of trauma it has endured, and it reacts strongly – even when one might think, “it shouldn’t be that bad”.

This can show up as a heightened sensitivity in the body, where pain feels amplified and everyday experiences can become overwhelming.

So, see – there is a reason why some of us feel a lot of pain – so often. It’s not “in our heads”. Your pain – my pain: it’s legit.

The GOOD NEWS is it is manageable! We don’t have to be stuck! There are ways to navigate life with our pain and still find Joy! I believe this to be true with all of my heart. Not because someone said so – but because I live it, daily.

Daily!

It’s intentionality with my choices: stay stuck or seek joy.

It’s never a choice of, “pain or no pain”. My pain persists. I can live in it or with it… I choose, the majority of time, ‘with’. Because the moments I choose, ‘in’ – I find myself getting stuck, making Joy feel so far away.

Be intentional, today… make a choice… choose Joy.

If this resonates with you, please let us walk alongside you on the journey towards a meaningful, sustainable life.

Yours Truly,

Izzy