{"id":131885,"date":"2024-10-01T12:51:25","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T16:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=131885"},"modified":"2024-10-04T14:11:19","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T18:11:19","slug":"why-pain-is-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Why is pain important in life? Can pain be a bearable feeling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phil Stutz and Barry Michels explain that our natural avoidance of pain\u2014emotional or physical\u2014keeps us from stepping out of our comfort zones and engaging with opportunities that lead to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/living-a-fulfilled-life\/\">fulfilling life<\/a>. For example, if you&#8217;re scared of the inevitable pain of losing a pet, you deprive yourself of a meaningful relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out three reasons why pain can be a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-reason-1-embracing-pain-makes-it-bearable-running-away-makes-it-worse\">Reason 1: Embracing Pain Makes It Bearable; Running Away Makes It Worse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Phil Stutz and Barry Michels explain why pain is important in their book <em>The Tools<\/em>. Avoiding the discomfort of a difficult situation not only allows the problem to plague you for longer, but it wastes time and energy that you could spend overcoming the issue and moving on. Instead, embracing problems puts you in sync with the natural, universal power of <em>positive momentum<\/em>: an onward movement that keeps you in motion. When you persist through challenges rather than run from the pain they might cause, you also build positive momentum by proving to yourself that you\u2019re capable of overcoming challenges. This builds your confidence, which helps you more readily embrace the discomfort of future challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Avoiding Discomfort Can Worsen Your Fears<\/strong><br><br>Avoiding uncomfortable situations also disrupts your life because it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/anxious-minds\/202009\/facing-your-fears-dispelling-the-myths-exposure-therapy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reinforces and further amplifies your fears<\/a>. You may start to make unconscious associations between whatever you fear and other things that feel similar\u2014causing your original fear to expand and you to avoid new things. For example, say you fear not being good enough for a promotion at work, so you avoid opportunities that could lead to advancement. Your own avoidance of these opportunities further convinces you that you aren\u2019t good enough to be promoted. This spiraling behavior may cause you to avoid opportunities to perform well and worsen your feelings of inadequacy until you leave your job altogether.\u00a0<br><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-face-your-fears\/\">Facing your fears<\/a> voluntarily may feel uncomfortable in the present, but it will decrease your stress in the long term. Psychologists put this idea into practice with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/ptsd-guideline\/patients-and-families\/exposure-therapy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exposure therapy<\/a>, in which you gradually expose yourself to increasingly intense versions of your fear. As you progress, your fearful associations with whatever you\u2019re avoiding will fade and your confidence will improve. As your confidence improves, you\u2019ll be able to take on more intense triggers. In other words, exposure therapy can help you initiate and sustain the positive momentum that Stutz and Michels describe.\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-reason-2-perseverance-makes-suffering-meaningful\">Reason 2: Perseverance Makes Suffering Meaningful<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors point to Victor Frankl, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, as an example of how you can view loss and suffering as opportunities to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/\">grow spiritually<\/a>. Although Frankl lost all his loved ones and material wealth, he still preserved his integrity and spirit to move forward. He says that if he hadn\u2019t done this, he would\u2019ve succumbed to the suffering he experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Can We Find Meaning in All Forms of Suffering?<\/strong><br><br>In his book, <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/man-s-search-for-meaning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Man\u2019s Search For Meaning<\/em><\/a>, Victor Frankl identifies <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/man-s-search-for-meaning\/chapter-4#the-third-path-suffering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">three forms of suffering<\/a> and offers corresponding strategies for finding meaning in each one. He argues that by deriving meaning from our suffering, we\u2019ll be able to cope with it better.\u00a0<br><br>Stutz and Michels highlight the first kind of suffering Frankl discusses: pain. To overcome pain, Frankl suggests reframing it as an opportunity for personal triumph. For example, say you suffer from a chronic illness that isn\u2019t obvious to other people. Instead of conceptualizing it as pointless suffering, focus on how it makes you aware of the fact that many other people like you are privately enduring pain. In this way, your pain can help you become more understanding and empathetic toward others.\u00a0<br><br>The second form of suffering Frankl describes is guilt. He says that to overcome feelings of guilt, you should recognize what makes you feel guilty and learn from it. For example, if you feel guilty about excluding your younger siblings from fun activities growing up, you could learn from the guilty feeling and decide to make your siblings feel welcome to hang out with you in the present.<br><br>The third form of suffering Frankl discusses is death. He argues that we can make death meaningful by viewing it as a reminder that life is limited and we shouldn\u2019t take it for granted. Thus, death can spur us to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-live-a-meaningful-life\/\">live a meaningful life<\/a> that we can look back on and be satisfied with when our time runs out.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-reason-3-embracing-pain-allows-you-to-chase-your-purpose\">Reason 3: Embracing Pain Allows You to Chase Your Purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors explain that when you aren\u2019t deterred by the discomfort that\u2019s inherent in meaningful pursuits, you can pursue them without reservation and live a more fulfilling life. For example, if you\u2019re a romantic person who\u2019s too afraid to ask someone out because you fear the pain of rejection, overcoming this fear will allow you to express and receive the romantic love that will fulfill you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The idea that discomfort is inherent in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-create-meaning-in-life\/\">creating meaning<\/a> is consistent with<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/12-rules-for-life\/rule-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Rule 7 <\/a>in Jordan Peterson\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/12-rules-for-life\/1-page-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>12 Rules for Life<\/em><\/a>, which says you should try to reduce unnecessary suffering in others and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-push-yourself\/\">push yourself<\/a> beyond your comfort zone in order to live more meaningfully. For example, reducing unnecessary suffering might mean <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-have-uncomfortable-conversations\/\">having an uncomfortable conversation<\/a> with someone who could use forgiveness. Though it\u2019s uncomfortable, Peterson contends that this philosophy leads to more learning, more satisfaction with your life, and ultimately a more meaningful life.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why is pain important in life? Can pain be a bearable feeling? Phil Stutz and Barry Michels explain that our natural avoidance of pain\u2014emotional or physical\u2014keeps us from stepping out of our comfort zones and engaging with opportunities that lead to a fulfilling life. For example, if you&#8217;re scared of the inevitable pain of losing a pet, you deprive yourself of a meaningful relationship. Check out three reasons why pain can be a good thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":131903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9,6],"tags":[1612],"class_list":["post-131885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-psychology","category-spiritual","tag-the-tools","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pain is inevitable in life, but it shouldn&#039;t be avoided. Here, we&#039;ll explain why pain is important for your personal development.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pain is inevitable in life, but it shouldn&#039;t be avoided. Here, we&#039;ll explain why pain is important for your personal development.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-01T16:51:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-04T18:11:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"616\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katie Doll\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Katie Doll\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Katie Doll\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937\"},\"headline\":\"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-01T16:51:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-04T18:11:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/\"},\"wordCount\":922,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"The Tools\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"Psychology\",\"Spiritual\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/\",\"name\":\"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-01T16:51:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-04T18:11:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"Pain is inevitable in life, but it shouldn't be avoided. Here, we'll explain why pain is important for your personal development.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp\",\"width\":1100,\"height\":616,\"caption\":\"A man crouched over in different colors, wondering why pain is important\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937\",\"name\":\"Katie Doll\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239731a3fc739640b80be30f2b1727a055d3535d0ee4569e8282faa323e47fc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239731a3fc739640b80be30f2b1727a055d3535d0ee4569e8282faa323e47fc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Katie Doll\"},\"description\":\"Somehow, Katie was able to pull off her childhood dream of creating a career around books after graduating with a degree in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. Her preferred genre of books has changed drastically over the years, from fantasy\/dystopian young-adult to moving novels and non-fiction books on the human experience. Katie especially enjoys reading and writing about all things television, good and bad.\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Bachelor of Arts in English With a Concentration in Creative Writing\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/katie\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth - Shortform Books","description":"Pain is inevitable in life, but it shouldn't be avoided. Here, we'll explain why pain is important for your personal development.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth","og_description":"Pain is inevitable in life, but it shouldn't be avoided. Here, we'll explain why pain is important for your personal development.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2024-10-01T16:51:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-04T18:11:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1100,"height":616,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Katie Doll","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Katie Doll","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/"},"author":{"name":"Katie Doll","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937"},"headline":"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth","datePublished":"2024-10-01T16:51:25+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-04T18:11:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/"},"wordCount":922,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp","keywords":["The Tools"],"articleSection":["Lifestyle","Psychology","Spiritual"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/","name":"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp","datePublished":"2024-10-01T16:51:25+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-04T18:11:19+00:00","description":"Pain is inevitable in life, but it shouldn't be avoided. Here, we'll explain why pain is important for your personal development.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp","width":1100,"height":616,"caption":"A man crouched over in different colors, wondering why pain is important"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-pain-is-important\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The 3 Reasons Why Pain Is Important for Personal Growth"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937","name":"Katie Doll","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239731a3fc739640b80be30f2b1727a055d3535d0ee4569e8282faa323e47fc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239731a3fc739640b80be30f2b1727a055d3535d0ee4569e8282faa323e47fc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Katie Doll"},"description":"Somehow, Katie was able to pull off her childhood dream of creating a career around books after graduating with a degree in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. Her preferred genre of books has changed drastically over the years, from fantasy\/dystopian young-adult to moving novels and non-fiction books on the human experience. Katie especially enjoys reading and writing about all things television, good and bad.","knowsAbout":["Bachelor of Arts in English With a Concentration in Creative Writing"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/katie\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/importance-of-pain.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131885"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131937,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131885\/revisions\/131937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}