Interestingly there is a concept in learning research called "desirable difficulties". The idea is that learning something, forgetting it and then struggling to learn it again leads to faster learning times. It may be that struggle is inherent in the process of learning something complex. If you equate struggle with pain, then I think it makes some sense. I have found that the best learners I know are also a little bit obsessive. They can't let go of a problem. So for them, the struggle in inherent in the way that they operate. For others, I think, the struggle can seem daunting. I think it's reasonable to suggest to those people that when learning something complex you are likely to place yourself in uncomfortable situations. However, it's important for those people to realise that the discomfort is not harmful and, in fact, can be challenging and rewarding.

Often I think it is quite similar to the situation where some people can not conceive of doing endurance sports. They view it simply as pain, or at the very best boring repetition. Others thrive on it. But if you want to learn how to enjoy endurance sports, it's probably a good idea to acknowledge that there will be times where you will be uncomfortable (possibly intensely so).