When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they may turn to distractions and temporary pleasures to cope with the void.

Viktor Frankl

"In the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act."

Rebecca Solnit

What differentiates masochism from healthy effort is whether something meaningful is on the other side. If you manage to figure that out, and you are in touch with what you really want, learning how to recognize and push through the wince can help you create better patterns.