As much as we may try to ignore pain and suffering, Dr. Robin says these feelings are a significant part of the human experience. "If you spend your time avoiding pain, running from pain, resisting pain, you also diminish your opportunities to embrace joy, to smile more freely and fully, and to celebrate the fullness of the life that you've been given," she says.

While it's only natural to want to push pain away, Dr. Robin reminds us that it's in our life for a reason. "If you'll find a way to take a few deep breaths and to notice what your pain is in your life to teach you, what will happen to you is not disaster but the ability to craft, create and to live your absolute very best life," she says.