I’ve been intending to write a book called, Things I Do When I’m In Pain. It’s a double entendre. 1) All the silly, destructive, naturally human ways I react and behave when I’m suffering or slipping out of my heart center. And 2) All the wise, devotional tools and practices I use to heal such pain.

SO! In Eps 4 of Grace for Impact, I attempt to condense years of lessons, self-help fatigue, scheisters and false gods, questionable gurus, powerful shamans, atonement, euphoric meditation, heart centered prayer, ecstasy, tantric simplicity, mystical presence, and common sense into…

60+ things to do when we’re in pain.

Fun with suffering! Let’s go.

My personal favourites:

#6. Remember the definition of compassionto be concerned for one’s suffering. “Concern”, not worry. Just pure, loving attention applied to the pain.

#24. Shower as soon as you wake up. Not just to be clean, but to shake off the energetic residue of what you have been processing while sleeping. Cleanse as a multidimensional ritual.

#34. Vigilantly nourishing thinking. It’s ridiculous to pare this down to a bullet-point list because this is the essence of healing and creating your life with intention. But here it is: Use your thoughts to direct your feelings.

#35. One day at a time. That’s all the Buddha ever needed to say.

#36. Aim for transmutation. You’re not just aiming to get back on track or to keep surviving. This is a vortex of metamorphosis. It might be soul soup time.

#39. Love your sadness. Because it’s not going to last. Sadness gives you the chance to be still with the most tender place of your being. By loving your sadness, you’re respecting your truth. And freedom always follows truth.

#40. List all of the things you’re still successfully doing. Here’s a note I wrote to myself on an almost unbearably painful day (that involved honouring my promise to take my kid to a concert, despite my preference to take a hot bath and pray myself to sleep):

I danced at a Def Leppard concert. I was kind. I smiled. I laughed with the tea guy.

Small victories can give big hope.

#46. Listen to a lot of George Harrison (but do skip his Travelling Wilburys phase.) Specifically: Give Me Love.

#47. Keep in mind that you’re undoing millions of years of human conditioning. #Perspective.

#48. BREATHWORK. Any time. All the time. Especially as you wake up and go to bed. A powerful ally through these times is our breath and our awareness of breath—the Spirit that connects us all. Left nostril breathing. All the way. Activates the parasympathetic system. Calmmm.

Get all of the pain remedies in Episode 4:

 

Note: You’ll find an expansive list of “Things to do when you’re in pain” in the Grace for Impact ebook. There are 60+ points in full, with links to videos. And I include 3 prayers, extended reflective writing exercises, and resources at the back of the book. Pay what you wish for the ebook HERE.

With Love,

Danielle


 

Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries. Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.