Chronic pain reveals a great deal about reality I would rather not know. But it also is a very distinct experience the brain has. One that consumes a lot of Attention. Because that is what it is designed to do. Pain is meant to grab our Attention so that we Do Something About it.
But unfortunately, with chronic pain we have a broken alarm system. We can’t actually do anything about it. Not in the sense of slapping a band aide on it or sticking it up or letting it heal. It never stops. The signal just keeps screaming for attention. And with it constantly screaming, obviously, we have a lot less brain space of anything else. We have a lot less focus. Less concentration. Our memory sucks. We can get moody, obviously. And it increases our chances of mental illness, and I would think that would be pretty obvious too. I mean, it is insanely stressful to maintain this existence and pretend you are not slowly going insane. Thinking is like moving through mud. Everything just gets so much more complex. And depending on the level of pain that day… things can get damn near impossible.
But no one Sees it. But I always felt like I was in this bubble… sort of isolated from the rest of the world. They were all doing their thing and I was just completely disconnected and so intently focused on getting through This moment, and then This moment and then This moment. Existence by infinitely drawn-out moments. A life crawling along by inches. And you miss a great deal when all you are doing is just trying to survive the moment to get home so you can crash.
But this Barrier goes both ways. No one sees your pain, And you are taught by society, medical professionals, employers… literally everyone in so many not-so-subtle ways to not talk about your pain, suck it up buttercup, just think positive, just smile and fake it, no one likes a Debbie Downer… So you smile. You laugh. You mask the pain. And they call you a liar when you dare tell them about it. No winning when it comes to chronic pain.
The Pain that Blinds: 8X10 Print
Chronic pain reveals a great deal about reality I would rather not know. But it also is a very distinct experience the brain has. One that consumes a lot of Attention. Because that is what it is designed to do. Pain is meant to grab our Attention so that we Do Something About it. But unfortunately, with chronic pain we have a broken alarm system. We can’t actually do anything about it. Not in the sense of slapping a band aide on it or sticking it up or letting it heal. It never stops. The signal just keeps screaming for attention. And with it constantly screaming, obviously, we have a lot less brain space of anything else. We have a lot less focus. Less concentration. Our memory sucks. We can get moody, obviously. And it increases our chances of mental illness, and I would think that would be pretty obvious too. I mean, it is insanely stressful to maintain this existence and pretend you are not slowly going insane. Thinking is like moving through mud. Everything just gets so much more complex. And depending on the level of pain that day… things can get damn near impossible.
CA$24.99
The Pain that Blinds: 11X14 Print
Chronic pain reveals a great deal about reality I would rather not know. But it also is a very distinct experience the brain has. One that consumes a lot of Attention. Because that is what it is designed to do. Pain is meant to grab our Attention so that we Do Something About it. But unfortunately, with chronic pain we have a broken alarm system. We can’t actually do anything about it. Not in the sense of slapping a band aide on it or sticking it up or letting it heal. It never stops. The signal just keeps screaming for attention. And with it constantly screaming, obviously, we have a lot less brain space of anything else. We have a lot less focus. Less concentration. Our memory sucks. We can get moody, obviously. And it increases our chances of mental illness, and I would think that would be pretty obvious too. I mean, it is insanely stressful to maintain this existence and pretend you are not slowly going insane. Thinking is like moving through mud. Everything just gets so much more complex. And depending on the level of pain that day… things can get damn near impossible.
CA$34.99
Art of the Wyrd 