Pain Builds Character
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Pain Builds Character

Pain will trick you into thinking that its breaking you, but its just shedding the weaker version.

833
Pain Builds Character
quotesgram.com

Walking down the middle school halls at eleven years old is weird enough. New school, new kids, new teachers, everything as you know it is changing. Sixth grade for me was the first of five years I would deal with a condition known as RSD, or chronic regional pain syndrome. Of course at the time I had no idea of the road ahead and facing a condition that disables people at such a young age.

RSD is a condition that occurs when your brain is sending pain signals to a region of your body for no reason. The nerves are hyperactive and its constant pain. I was put through months of physical therapy and took medications and did acupuncture, water therapy, shock therapy and countless other forms of therapy that were suppose to help my condition. But nothing worked..

So there I was a fifteen year old three sport athlete, student, friend, sister and daughter that had her perfect life ripped out from underneath her. I spent more hours in a hospital than on a soccer field, my friends watched as their bubbly, vibrant and goofy best friend slowly have the life sucked out of her. Depression set in, if I wasnt at school I was sleeping, I didnt want to attend games or practices or go hangout with my friends because I knew I would hold them back.

I had lost sight in where I wanted to go until one day I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the person looking back at me. I had lost the spark in my eye and drive in my heart that made me into the person that I was and I hated it.

So I stopped feeling sorry for myself and got better. I realized that I had wasted so much time believing that someone or something else was going to get me better. It hit me that the only way I was going to beat this was doing it on my own. So I stopped worrying about my condition and started living my life the way that I wanted to. Yeah there were days where I fell down and locked myself in my room but eventually i came out and faced the world again until living didn't hurt anymore. And to this day I still cherish the time I spent pushing through, I remember the time I wasted being crippled by this illness, and how I let it become my life. That I let it become the only important thing people had to know about me. Do I still have bad days? Hell yeah, who doesn't? But I've learned they're all just days, and there are plenty more where they came from so stop dwelling on the bad ones.

I was scared of life, I was scared that I would have to be in pain everyday for the rest of my life but what i neglected to realize, was that I had this amazing life in front of me. Beautiful family and friends, skills and gifts that other people in this world will never have but yet, I was so focused on the fact that I was in pain. Nothing else mattered. If I had to go through those five years of my life over again, knowing what I do now? I probably would make the same mistakes I'm not going to lie, because pain does crazy things to people but at least I would know that I'm going to be okay, in pain or not. Because I knew that underneath all that pain and suffering was the same person that there had always been, and that all this struggle was making her so much stronger.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

57672
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

37172
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

958883
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

191740
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments