Be happy and smile those pains away....

@alokn99 (5717)
India
January 8, 2009 12:43am CST
I have read about and even seen some TV programmes about how being in a happy state of mind can help you deal with pain quite easily. There were instances of people having undergone some surgeries without anesthesia while laughing and joking away while the procedures were being done. Although my experiences have not been to that extent, the positive frame of mind and thinking of things that made me happy certainly helped in reducing the pain and trauma of a recent procedure that i went through. It was so noticeable that even the doctors did show some amount of surprise on my review with them next day.The pain was hardly there a day after the procedure with absolutley no need to take any pain killers at all. It certainly made me believe that if we are able to deal with a lot of physical discomfort and pain very easily if we keep a positive outlook and keep ourselves happy , preoccupied and smiling. Would you have any similar experiences or thoughts on this ?
2 people like this
15 responses
@mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
10 Jan 09
Alok I feel, there are two types of people. 1. Happy kind 2. Not-so-happy kind. The happy people are happy no matter what, even with the meagre they have while the other kind just would not find solace even with hordes they have! And strangely, for some reason, the happy people can fight with their drudgeries, hurdles, traumas with ease and confidence. This is not the case with the other category. It has been seen that diseases get on the gloomy people easily who obviously lead a miserable life. They die long before they actually die! On the contrary happy people have the strength to live longer even with their diseases and mishaps in life. Just imagine, you are sitting on the chair full of technicalities in a dentist's chamber who in turn is busy whetting his swords, drills, knives, scissors and whatever.. just before digging the boulders inside and you sitting on the chair with your mouth wide open to the extent of accommodating a whale and thinking over the plight that you are going to withstand in the next hour or so. In such situations, if you are a happy kind, you can hum a song inside and think about all those beautiful moments that life has bestowed you with in recent times...you continue on your enlivening and transfiguring and you hear the dentist mutter..OVER MR A. N.!! Now that's the beauty of happy thinking!
1 person likes this
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
10 Jan 09
I could keep my eyes shut and imagine the drills,knives and scissors to be the tasty food items that i enjoy, but the dentist would say keep your eyes open. Humming the song in mind would be ok, but any attempt at making it audible would make the dentist think he has injected to much anesthesia. Well i prefer to be the happy kind and remember the beautiful moments bestowed and things which make me relaxed without a wrinkle on my face. Then One hour does not seem so long , the dentist did something, and only when i lok in the mirror do i get reminded about it. Now that i do agree with you Mimip, is the beauty of happy thinking and smiling away the pains..
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
10 Jan 09
Sorry about the typos Mimpi..,
@mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
10 Jan 09
who cares about the typos when you are smiling away the pains and also with that dose of anesthesia...
1 person likes this
@JOIEMARVIC (2335)
• Philippines
12 Jan 09
When you start the day with a happy and positive outlook,most likely,you will have a nice and happy day.but of course,you still need to exert effort to do that.and the effort you would do is not that hard.Smile..a smile can brighten up your day as well as someone else's.Do a good deed,this can make yu feel proud of yourself,and this is also a way for you to discover that your life is worthy,that day,you had a purpose,and you did it well. My good day exercise is like this. 1.Face the mirror. 2.Say this 3 times,like a chant. "I am healthy" 3.say this again 3 times. "I am happy" 4.3 times again. " I am great " Afterwards You will definitely feel that all you said were true.
1 person likes this
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
12 Jan 09
Thanks for sharing this. It's great
@eby0193 (30)
• India
8 Jan 09
the secret of avoiding pain is being happy.if ur happy then noting els matters .so just be hapy and keep smiling
1 person likes this
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
8 Jan 09
Thanks, Appreciate it.
@mayka123 (16583)
• India
12 Jan 09
Actully I think that when we are in a happy state of mind we are distracted and our mind is away from the pain. That is why we find it easier to deal with the pain. I remember when I was in labour pain for 22 hours I kept talking to the people around me and I was able to bear the pain very easily. The doctor himself was surprised how I was not sleeping in bed and crying out in pain. Throughout the 22 hours I kept myself preoccupied and was able to cope with the pains. Similarly during a surgery too I was busy talking to the doctor while the operation was going on!
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@alokn99 (5717)
• India
12 Jan 09
The preoccupation does help. And our state of mind does matter. Thanks
• Philippines
10 Jan 09
I couldn't say an opinion for someone who truly experience physical pain, but I do believe we all have a certain pain that we face every single day. The insurmountable challenges that we face has all an ill effects if we don't handle it with a happy state of mind, being happy doesn't necessarily constitute something called laughter but it is an inner joy within that you have face for yourself. I am with you in this post alokn and I totally agree on you.
1 person likes this
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
10 Jan 09
Thanks for agreeing with me on this. It is the inner joy indeed.
@siomaiii (238)
• Philippines
8 Jan 09
Everything that's happening to us is for our advantage and benefit. Whatever situation we are into, let's always put in mind and in our hearts that it can make us a better and even stronger individuals. Being happy is a choice. A choice that no matter how much pain we've been through, still we should be thankful to God for another waking day, the gift of Life.
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
8 Jan 09
I do agree with your words. Thanks
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
8 Jan 09
I have no doubt in my mind that we can block out pain if we are distracted. I remember many instances when I was a child where I would cut myself for example, yet I never actually realized I had injured myself until I saw the wound. It was only at this point that it would suddenly start to hurt! Laughter, hypnosis, redirection etc are all diversionary tactics that cause the brain to focus on alternative things and reduce the immediate reaction of focusing in on the procedure and any pain associated with it. A positive outlook overall will definitely assist us to deal with many hardships or challenges that are both physical AND mental in nature; but a positive attitude alone I don't believe is enough to fully block out physical pain and discomfort. It needs to be supported by an intense focus on something tangible to misdirect the mind.
1 person likes this
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
8 Jan 09
I've been through those childhood experiences wherein i had not realised about the injuries till i became aware of them . You are right about the intense focus part as well James. Thanks for the response.
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Jan 09
I have fibromyalgia & I have tried being happy the pain just gets worse. I also try to watch funny movies to keep me from feeling the pain..but all that happens is I end up laughing so hard that not only do I hurt myself laughing, I am in more pain. I was recently preganat and although I did miscarry, my pain went away while I was pregnant. As soon as the pregnancy hormone started to wear off I started to feel pain again. I wish I could smile away my pain, and maybe I am just trying to hard and that is why it is not working.
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
9 Jan 09
Sorry to hear about tht. Maybe you are trying too hard. Try to concentrate on other things which make you happy. Thanks
@dpk262006 (58675)
• Delhi, India
9 Jan 09
Yes, happy state of mind may lessen your pain. Intensity of pain depends upon the factor how much it is felt by a particular person. If he diverts his attention towards laughing and joking, while undergoing some kind of minor surgery, he may not feel the pain. You would have noticed that if you are unwell, however, you remain damn busy in any kind of activity, you would forget about illness while you are busy. All feeling are connected with our brain, it is upto us, how we divert it.
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
9 Jan 09
Yes Dpk, What you say is right and this is how i have experienced it of late. Keeping the mind diverted with happy thoughts certainly helps.
• Malaysia
8 Jan 09
I once focused on being happy alone but I realized that human being sometimes need something else in life which is self-actualization. You can't rally truly be happy if you haven't reached your maximum potential. So I guess even if life is not too happy, we should do what we are supposed to do which will actually makes we truly happy. That is only my opinion.
1 person likes this
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
8 Jan 09
Your opinion makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing it.
8 Jan 09
Totally agreed with ur views, We should remain cheerful even if life throws a little curves in ur way , at times it becomes diffcult to keep up the spirit though but unless we will start thinking postivily we can't move ahead Cheers
1 person likes this
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
8 Jan 09
Thanks for this.
@shanemre (357)
• Saudi Arabia
8 Jan 09
Smiling is a wonderful ability that was given to men. I personally think that being happy is a choice. It comes if we choose to be happy. We take control of our emotions. If we think happy, then we become happy, but when we dwell on the bad things, then we become miserable.
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
10 Jan 09
Very true. It is important to dwell on thoughts that make us happy. Thanks
@CJay77 (4438)
• Australia
8 Jan 09
I think be happy and have a big smile when we get up in the morning will help us also to feel positive and happy for the rest of the day. Its just sometimes that its hard to convince ourselves or mind. But I agree with you that if were happy it helps our pains to go away. The only thing I can remember is when I was a kid and playing with other kids and my brother, I get a huge cut on my knee from barbed wire and I never noticed, neither feel the pain until I get home and my brother sees it.
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@alokn99 (5717)
• India
8 Jan 09
We do not see it, the less we think about it , we do not feel it. That is so true Cjay. A lot of it is in the mind. Thanks
@pehpot (4762)
• Philippines
8 Jan 09
I guess that smiling helps a lot. Happy disposition in life can make a big difference. You know I have an aunt, who thinks of herself as a very unlucky person and she envies a lot of people. You now she is sick most of the times. She feels a lot of pain.
1 person likes this
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
8 Jan 09
What you say is very true. Thanks for responding.
@riyasam (16556)
• India
8 Jan 09
being in a happy and positive state of mind has miraculous healing powers.but it is easier said than done.Everyone goes through that process in a different time frame. In general the stages of grief are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Tears are healing so it's okay to cry.The idea behind hypnosis is that the mind will respond "behind the scenes" with a positive approach to the messages being "placed" inside your mind while it "sleeps".the same theory applies when being happy.You can be in control of your body when you learn how to take control of your mind.Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way,Enjoy the moment.Live One Day At A Time
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
8 Jan 09
The behind the scenes thaeory makes a lot of sense. It is easier said than done no doubt. Thanks for the response.