Suffering is something that we would all like to avoid and it can be terrible, yet there are valuable lessons during it that probably couldn't be learnt in any other way. I've been going through my own particular forms of suffering for the past several years and instead of thinking of this time as being wasted, because I can't do much, I've decided to see what I'm learning from it.
The realisation of weakness that leads to perseverance:
I've become aware that I'm nowhere near as strong as I thought I was. I've been through other battles, in which I've come out the victor so I presumed that I could easily win any fight. Not so with this battle; it's extremely difficult to do the simple tasks I need to do in order to get through each day. Yet I'm doing mostly doing them and it's a hard road of perseverance, which is an attribute that's being honed.
The struggles of the mind that reveal an inner happiness
My disease causes horrendous mood swings and often I fly into a rage over the most trivial occurrences, such as losing my pen top! It also attempts to cast a shadow of depression over me and at one point I became suicidal for a short while. That caused me to make a conscious decision that I will not give in to negative emotions. Though each time I wake up it's in a state of confusion with my body feeling awful, after a few minutes I experience happiness welling up when I hear the bird song and am thankful that it's a new day! We can decide to be happy through anything.
Learning to empathise with the suffering of others
I've always been a fairly sensitive person but since I've been suffering I feel much more for others when they're suffering. It's as though their pain, whichever form it takes, is mine because I now see through their eyes. I don't want anyone to go through something this terrible or worse and this is strengthening my compassion. With my empathy this deep I can reach out to others and perhaps make some small difference.
Determination brings with it stamina
I'm so determined that I'm going to get well that I'm developing a huge amount of stamina that I didn't previously possess. I believe that I'm going to recover and have been doing everything in my power to cause this to occur but it's going to take a long time. The stamina that I'm exhibiting every day is a tribute to the power of the positive thought process!
If, reader, you're suffering ponder my words for a moment and maybe you'll strengthen your perseverance, happiness, empathy and stamina. Take a moment each day to think about the things you're learning about yourself and this'll help you to understand that your time suffering, when you could be doing so much else, is not in vain but is a learning experience.
