“It’s been a summer of growing pains”, I explained to my friend. As a child I had suffered a lot with what doctors referred to as growing pains. Essentially, at times of rapid growth it felt as though my bones had lengthened before my muscles… and they were painfully stretched taught, being pulled by the growth of the bones. My summer had felt similar – I could recognise areas of rapid personal development and growth and this was exciting, but I felt exhausted and drained by how surprisingly painful that growth was.
Have you had seasons of growing pains? Where you can feel your mind and emotions stretching tall, growing taller and more confident, and yet you feel astonished by how exhausting and painful the process feels. After all, we are glad for the growth. Why would it come back and bite us like this?
Change is stressful. Even positive change. There does tend to be a kick back effect when we have moved forward positively in one or more areas of our lives, and this kick back seems to be designed to send us shuffling back to the old familiar patterns of behaviour that feel safe and, frankly, less sore!
So often we need support, help, resources in our times of growing pain. As a child I needed rest, gentleness and understanding from my family that I wasn’t ‘imagining’ this invisible pain that made walking so difficult. As an adult and in my seasons of growing pains I need similar; self care and kind hearts that support me in my growth, reassuring me that the pain isn’t a sign of breakage. Rather, the pain is a sign of new life.
What growing pain are you going through right now? Do you need support? If you need a listening ear and support from one who knows first-hand what growing pains feel like, get in touch. I would be honoured to accompany you in this season. Contact me here for a free consultation.
What a great reminder that the pain is caused by something good: growth. I am catching up on growing after standing still for years. And Yes, it hurts, it is tiring. Often I go back to old behaviour for a while, just to catch my breath, until I can find the strength again to face the new, the exciting ànd the pain. I find it tiring to have to think about my (new) behaviour, to consiously choose the new (the scary!). This post is a good reminder to be gentle with myself, to make sure I care for me. Thank you.
Thanks for reading, Heylane! So glad this was helpful to you – yes, it’s completely okay to rest from growth too. When we exercise we are often told to rest our muscles the day after, and this is a crucial part of the strengthening process. Be gentle with yourself and have courage!