Why Suffering Can Be Useful for You in Daily Life?
If you want to choose to suffer, there’s always room for it. But why? What for?
Everyday on the external level there are so much suffering. Ukrainians and Russians are dying, Palestinians and Israelis are caught in conflict, kids in Africa don’t have enough food, cartels kidnap people, drug addiction, suicide… so many things you could worry about if you wanted to.
But even on the internal level there’s sometimes a lot: my old cat is dying because of kidney failure, stress because of moving, childhood traumas and many other things.
Look, I’m Not Saying Be Super Positive About Everything
I’m not saying let’s all be super positive, nice, polite and pretend nothing is bothering us. That’s just fake and doesn’t help anyone.
I’m saying something different. What if suffering can actually be useful? What if it helps you grow somehow?
Turns Out Science Backs This Up
There’s this thing called Post-Traumatic Growth - basically, researchers found that around 50-66% of people who go through really hard stuff end up growing from it. Not just “bouncing back” but actually becoming stronger.
They discovered people start:
- Seeing new possibilities they never noticed before
- Having deeper relationships (because shallow stuff matters less)
- Realizing they’re stronger than they thought
- Appreciating life way more
- Sometimes even spiritual growth
And get this - brain scans show that going through difficult experiences actually rewires your brain. Like, your brain physically changes to handle things better.
But here’s the thing:**you can be both hurting AND growing at the same time.**It’s not like you have to choose one or the other.
So What About Gratitude?
Scientists did this huge study - 64 different experiments - and found that people who practice gratitude get:
- 5.8% better mental health
- Almost 7% happier with their lives
- Way less depression and anxiety
And you don’t need much. Just 15 minutes a day, 5 times a week for about 6 weeks. That’s it.
So I’m Saying: Look Around - What Do You Have Today to Be Grateful For?
Sometimes it’s hard to find these things at first. But hey!You are alive!
Do you know what the chances were that you were going to be born, and not be dead by this age? Philosophers say it’s like 1 in 400 trillion. Some say it’s way, way lower than that - so unlikely it’s basically impossible.
Maybe you have food for your breakfast? Maybe you have a partner? Kid? Friends?OMG! YOU ARE EXTREMELY LUCKY PERSON! Here’s the Thing Though
Yes, what you have doesn’t underestimate the suffering of others. But what can you actually do for them? If you really can somehow make an impact - do it! And then continue your current life with gratitude and joy.
Not because you’re ignoring the bad stuff. But because you’re choosing not to let despair win.
Look, suffering is going to happen anyway. But how you deal with it? That’s up to you.