Whether you believe it to be true or false, you are right.
A british journal published a case of a construction worker who jumped off a plank landing on a nail that punctured straight through his shoe emerging on the other side. In terrible pain, the man was sedated with opioids. When the doctors were finally able to remove his shoe, they discovered that the nail did not puncture his foot but instead traveled between two toes.
Pain perception is a fascinating and mysterious area of science. Personally, I have observed the mystery on nearly a weekly basis for over 22 years. There are people who report ZERO pain after a total knee replacement, needing only a Tylenol. On the other end of the spectrum, others have pain so severe they can’t even stand while being administered the strongest opioids.
That being said, pain is complicated as there are many biological factors that modulate the perception of physical pain after a major surgery. However, the tale of the man and the nail shines a light on how perception can impact our understanding of reality. The “harm” we perceive to be true will become front and center of our consciousness and reshape the state of our circumstances.
I will admit, I am somewhat of a “catastrophist.” This has served me well. It is better to assume the bear will eat me than “wait and see.”
However, there have been multiple occasions where assuming “worst case scenario” does more harm than good.
I have a slightly older and wiser friend with whom I often share my worries regarding the state of our country and the world. Her response is always the same: Tara, war, protests, political “unease,”… etc., are nothing new. The only new thing is our access to the information. “We have been through times like this before, and made it through to the other side”. The point is NOT a deep statement about politics, nor the world. It is merely a reminder (to me) we have been here before. And survived.
Bad things happen. We will lose a loved one. We will be treated unfairly. We will experience unpleasant and in some cases catastrophic events. No one is exempt. We have far less control over our lives than we think. Vigilance can serve us well to minimize the impact of “catastrophe”.
However, there is a fine line between vigilance and hyper-vigilance. “Concern” and desabling stress.
Stress is a natural response to a perceived threat. Stress is necessary to initiate action toward safety. But there is a “normal” response to threat (stress) and distress. Distress is when you feel you are under more stress than you can handle.
Distress is a state of chronic stress that has many health implications including cardiovascular disease, heart arrythmias, digestive problems, sleep disturbance, hormone dysregulation, elevated blood sugars, sexual dysfunction, menstrual problems, and high blood pressure. This does not include the indirect correlation with neurodegenerative diseases, auto-immune diseases, dementia(s), and some cancers.
The story of the nail in the man’s boot has been accompanied by another story of the “nail in the face.” This second story involves another construction worker who reportedly was using a nail gun when it accidentally discharged a nail directly at his face, leaving him with a “mild toothache”. For six days, he ate, slept, and worked with no apparent problems until he went to the dentist, where an x-ray revealed a 4-inch nail embedded in his head requiring emergent, life-saving intervention. As stated by pain scientist Rachel Zoffness, “because contextual cues failed to put his brain on high alert, his pain system remained quiet”.
Having some knowledge of what is going on in the world and in our communities is valuable so that we can make informed voting decisions, travel safely, and create changes that are within our control. On the other hand, Thinking the world is going to end via natural disaster or nuclear war by 2025 is not helpful. In fact, it is potentially life-limiting.
Knowledge about healthy foods and potentially disease-causing foods is helpful so that we can make the best food choices. However, believing the next morsel of food that enters your mouth may kill you is not helpful—in fact, it can be life-limiting.
Knowledge of physical limitations is incredibly important in preventing falls and selecting the best exercises to improve mobility. However, perseverating on that tiny “hitch in your step” can be debilitating.
Knowledge of medical conditions (diabetes, latent effects of a stroke, cardiovascular disease, stroke risks, dementia, hereditary diseases, metabolic syndrome, neurologic degeneration etc) WILL empower you to live your best life here on this earth. However, giving attention to how such things will kill you is not helpful. In fact, it will be life-limiting.
I want the highest probability of success while I am here on earth. That said, I am biased toward assuming the bear will eat me. So, buyer beware regarding this source for “life insights”.
There are many things in life within our control that will likely skew our chances of success. “Not sweating the small things” is undoubtedly a component of that formula. However, even more important our ability to engineer our reality.
We can all find the nail in our face if we look for it. And maybe, on occasion, this will save our life.
However, more often than not, we are focused on the nail in the shoe. Assuming we are dying a slow, painful, long-suffering death, when at closer inspection is harmless. Or, at the very least, it isn’t killing us nearly as fast as the distress we have associated with it.
In what areas of your life are you giving more focus than necessary? Is it serving you?
What circumstances are out of your control? How much time and energy do you spend in distress over these circumstances? How can you shift that attention to something that is meaningful? What could that something be?