I know tolerance has been given a new (or should I say more popular) meaning, that it means acceptance of others in spite of differences. But I want to talk about the original physical and mental definition concerning individuals, not social norms or groups.

This led to the thought about endurance. So I started wondering what the difference was between tolerance and endurance, then I looked them up and found the following:

Endurance: the ability to withstand hardship or adversity

Tolerance: the ability to accept, experience, or survive something harmful or unpleasant; medically, your body’s ability to become adjusted to something so that its effects are experienced less strongly

And someone summarized the difference as: Tolerance relates to how much someone can withstand or be affected by a substance or situation, while endurance relates to how long someone can sustain physical or mental effort.

They both have thresholds, but I’d consider endurance as having the higher threshold because there is no adjustment or acceptance of whatever you’re going through. And acceptance sounds too much like acquiescence if you’re enduring something that shouldn’t be in the first place. This thought came because I was thinking of how people tolerate or fold in situations and why.

Personally, I can’t stand pain, but I can endure it because it’s what I consider to be my body’s signal that something’s wrong and it needs attention. I endure the pain and listen to my body in order to repair whatever it is versus getting a temporary solution like a pill or other substance that in turn creates a tolerance that will not alert me the next time something’s wrong.

On the mental and emotional front, though, I find it interesting about how much I will tolerate, and that’s not good. Signals come screaming at me loud and clear – including through the voices of my children – but I don’t always listen. And I have to ask myself why.

We cause ourselves so much pain by ignoring what our minds and bodies are telling us.