Stop Running From Pain To Make Real Changes

Originally, getting back to non-distorted states did not require suffering, but much of humanity has gotten so off track, in order to make positive changes, suffering is unavoidable.  The suffering is not permanent though, subsiding after various amounts of time.  Here are some examples:

Taking a cold shower or ice bath seems unbearable at first, but after a couple minutes or so, the water starts to no longer feel cold, and the mind, body, and soul are rejuvenated.  Chanting in cold water is especially effective.  

To cut out sweet foods from the diet, seemingly unbearable sweet cravings will manifest for someone who is used to often eating sweets.  Yet, after a couple days or so of not eating sweets, the sugar cravings disappear.

Doing pushups when not feeling up to the task can seem like an agonizing chore, but after the pushups are finished, the mind and body are enhanced.

Meditating and/or doing breathing exercises when not feeling like it can feel like an eternity at first, but afterward one is more clear and content.

(There are many other examples, but these are some that come to mind.)

Increasingly, we live in a world of comfort seekers who want to avoid suffering at all costs.  The irony is that by trying to avoid suffering, this creates incredible suffering in the long run.  

Example: 

Someone eating sugary foods every day (maybe 100 grams of simple sugar per day) for several years, which causes diabetes and other chronic health conditions that manifest astronomically more suffering than the scenario of this same person avoiding sugary foods for several years. 

Not all healing is pleasant.  Tough shit.