If It Hurts, It's Not Normal

The human body is amazing in so many ways. We can’t even begin to fathom everything it is doing in a single moment to keep us alive. It happens independently with its own consciousness. The body knows when you have a cut and it works to stop the leak. It knows when you’ve ingested something toxic and filters it out. It knows when you’re in danger and prepares you to respond. It’s truly remarkable.

Our body is designed so intricately and with so much complexity that it’s truly a miracle. And while it’s not perfect, like any system it's perfectly designed and calibrated for the results it produces. 

I feel like someone needs to hear this: If it hurts, it’s not normal. Things aren’t meant to hurt. That’s not the way the body was designed to be. If you get bloated and have pain after eating a certain type of food, that’s not normal. If it’s painful to use the bathroom, it’s not supposed to be. If sexual intimacy hurts, that’s abnormal. It might be more convenient or comfortable to act like that’s just the way things are, but pain is your body’s way of indicating that something isn’t working right. It’s a sign that you should pay serious attention to and do something about. 

There are two things that may cause pain, which introduces two points of intervention. The first is what you put into the system. Whether it’s something you consume, a movement you initiate, or anything else that you choose to do, if it hurts it’s very possible that it’s not compatible with your body. Pain is your body’s way of saying that whatever just happened is bad for you.

The second is there could be some form of dysfunction. This is when the body is incapable of performing a certain process as it normally does. Identifying the root cause of a dysfunction is the work of doctors and medical workers, but if something is painful and you don’t know why, it’s likely because something isn’t working properly.

Our body is our vehicle that we get to explore the world with and experience life within. If you want to make the most of it, you need to make sure you’re taking care of it. Any form of pain isn’t normal and should prompt you to think about what you need to do differently, what doesn’t belong, or what underlying problem might be present.   

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