I have noticed in myself a tendency to worry about pain as "taking over" my meditation practice or life in general. If something is blocked in my body, I will spend more time worrying about the blockage itself, when meanwhile the block is something that can theoretically be managed. An analogy might be something akin to seeing a mule lying on he road, and fretting over the fact that the mule is there rather than accepting that you might need to step over it or find an alternate route. In worrying about the obstacle itself, I am adding a layer of psychological or emotional stress to the experience that would not otherwise be there.
Part of the problem, as I see it, is that I might have been conditioned to enjoy the sense of relief that comes from "lifting a burden" from my body or mind, and this conditioning becomes highly addictive. In retaining the memory of a sudden or unexpected solution to a problem (which, I repeat, often comes unexpected or as a pleasant, happy surprise), I expect that the next episode of challenges or problems will have a similar outcome. In fact, this is hardly the case; more often than not, the problems we carry stay with us as a result of previous karma, and they might just linger until the conditions have changed or the situation has naturally exhausted itself. Having such a belief in the timeliness of difficulties and their "natural life cycle" might mitigate the sense of expectation that they be resolved quickly or suddenly. It also allows me to include the obstacle in my daily life rather than struggling to get rid of it, which in turn reduces my anxiety and stress in not being able to control it.
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