Becoming Comfortable with Discomfort
It may sound paradoxical, but becoming comfortable with discomfort is one of the MOST valuable skills we can learn in life.
Why? Because in the process of growing, healing and evolving - whether as an individual or in relationship to others - it's necessary for us to leave, or sacrifice, our comfort zone.
Think of planting a seed in the soil. Our expectation in us doing that is for the seed to transform and grow into a plant. Essentially, "unbecoming" itself and sacrificing its identity as a seed in order to fulfill its full potential. Now imagine planting seeds in the soil and not wanting them to sprout and transform. Going through the motions of wanting them to grow and yet hoping they'll remain seeds. Wouldn't that be strange?
And yet, that is what we often do to ourselves. We panic when things get uncomfortable and uncertain. We complain when the growing pains start to kick in. We get in our own way and sabotage opportunities to grow because we interpret discomfort as a sign that something's wrong or bad.
But what if you didn't think that way?
What if you interpreted discomfort as an indicator that you're approaching an opportunity to grow and transform? To make a new choice? To rewrite your story? What if you embraced discomfort as something challenging, but ultimately positive and potentially good for you?
Here are 3 simple ways that you can work towards rewiring your perception:
When you get an itch, give it a few moments before you scratch it.
When there's silence in a conversation, let it be silent and don't fill it in.
When you're in the shower, use cold water only for 5 seconds.
It'll be hard at first to resist reacting. But, over time, you'll notice how it gets easier and easier and how building the muscle of increasing your tolerance and acceptance of discomfort starts to manifest in your life and in your relationships. Becoming more responsive, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic, more positive, more hopeful, more understanding, more receptive...and the list of potential benefits goes on.
Now, just to be clear, I’m not saying that you should seek to dwell in discomfort and reject comfort. That’s not what I’m saying. But rather, that we can learn to embrace that both comfort and discomfort are a part of life’s journey. And in overcoming the knee-jerk reflex of rejecting discomfort and attaching to comfort, that we can cultivate better balance, resilience, more honest self-awareness and gratitude for life’s lessons and all the many ways they are granted to us.
So give it a try. Consider learning to become comfortable with discomfort as one of the most important skills you can master in your life. And see for yourself how it impacts your freedom to grow, to heal, to evolve and to experience the fullness of life and the fullness of you.
