How can pain be motivating?
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Dr. Dean Ornish answered:Part of the value of pain is to help motivate you to change. All change is stressful at first, because it disrupts the familiarity of the status quo. It perturbs homeostasis. When the status quo becomes painful enough, then changing begins to make more sense.
Getting in touch with the pain of isolation and loneliness can be a way of capturing your attention and motivating you to change old patterns. Even self-destructive habits - like overeating - can be hard to change, because change itself is stressful. When the pain of old patterns becomes intense enough, then change becomes easier.
Find out more about this book: Eat More, Weigh Less: Dr. Dean Ornish's Life Choice Program for Losing Weig...
Part of the value of pain is to help motivate you to change. All change is stressful at first, because it disrupts the familiarity of the status quo. It perturbs homeostasis. When the status quo becomes painful enough, then changing begins to make... More -
Amy Colgan-Niemeyer answered:I agree with Dr. Ornish. But what about pain from exercise? "No pain, no gain" is an archaic concept. If you experience muscle soreness, okay. Work through that. But if you're experiencing sharp, throbbing, stabbing, persistant pain, stop your workout. That kind of pain is not and should not be motivating except for getting you to seek medical attention.I agree with Dr. Ornish. But what about pain from exercise? "No pain, no gain" is an archaic concept. If you experience muscle soreness, okay. Work through that. But if you're experiencing sharp, throbbing, stabbing, persistant pain, stop your... More
