Growing pains are the crucial symptom of normative development. Normally we think of these as physiological aches, but rarely as emotional struggles. In fact, it seems that the most impactful growing pains are within our own minds. These are the psychological and emotional aches of coming to realize what we want and need from our lives and the work required to bring those concepts to fruition. But, just as the physical growing pains lead to a stronger, sounder body, the mental ones lead to a more whole emotional self.