"What if a lot of your suffering was actually all of the stuff that you are not trying to burn itself off so you can find out what's actually underneath it?"
If you're anything like I was, sometimes it takes suffering to the point where it's actually more comfortable to be courageous and do the scary thing (dating again, putting ourselves out there, disclosing, opening our hearts, etc.) than it is to sit in our self-pity and aloneness for one more minute. That's where pain can be a powerful teacher and motivator for our growth.