Why You Should Embrace Discomfort?
Takeaway: Most of us love to feel comfortable, so we avoid embracing discomfort. Since pain and unpredictability are a part of life, it can be beneficial to learn how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Embracing discomfort can lead to progress, growth, and achievement.
Why Do People Avoid Embracing Discomfort?
People tend to avoid embracing discomfort because most of us simply enjoy being comfortable. This is a normal part of being human.
We love to avoid, run and hide from things we perceive as being painful. However, discomfort isn’t the same thing as pain. Discomfort is just the feeling you get when you are out of your comfort zone.
Everything in life that is meaningful and helps you grow usually has a component of discomfort.
For example, if you want to develop a relationship, you must seek out companionship. This might lead to loss (discomfort) but could also lead to love. If you want to improve your public speaking skills, you have to speak in front of an audience. This could lead to performance anxiety (discomfort), but could also lead to better speaking skills.
Since discomfort is a part of being human, why do most of us tend to avoid it rather than embrace it?
Biology
The human mind is hardwired to avoid pain and most of us view discomfort as pain. We’re innately inclined to seek safety and comfort as a basic survival instinct. Blame it on the brain!
Society
The idea of “comfort” is highly advertised in our society. We are taught that discomfort is something negative and therefore something to avoid. Many people now use food, shopping, or alcohol to escape discomfort. Blame it on society!
Personality
We all have a threshold for tolerating discomfort. Some of us are naturally able to tolerate discomfort better than others. In addition, some of us are already in the habit of pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones. Hint: you can learn to do this too!
How Discomfort Can Be Good For You?
If we continue to avoid discomfort, it will limit our ability to change and grow. Discomfort is unavoidable so we might as well learn to embrace it.
Sign of progress
If we get too comfortable, we probably won’t make much progress. Change requires us to feel uncomfortable.
If I wanted to get physically stronger, I would need to push myself outside of my comfort zone and lift more weight over time. This would be hard at first, but I would become stronger over time.
If I wanted to become better at skateboarding, I would need to push myself outside of my comfort zone and skateboard more frequently. This would be hard at first (and maybe I’d get hurt), but I would get better over time.
Discomfort = progress.
Catalyst for growth
It’s very hard to grow if you remain inside your comfort zone. Most people experience more growth when they step outside of their comfort zone.
When you experience something uncomfortable and overcome it, you are more capable of handling a similar uncomfortable situation in the future. This increases confidence.
The more confident you are in your ability to experience discomfort, the more willing you are to take risks.
Discomfort = growth.
Facilitates achievement
If you want to achieve something great or reach a challenging goal, it’s most likely not going to be easy.
If you want to run a marathon, it’s going to be hard.
If you want to open a business, it’s going to be hard.
If you want to set boundaries, it’s going to be hard.
Discomfort = achievement.
Disclaimer: I do want to clarify that I am talking about being uncomfortable and tolerating discomfort not being scared and tolerating pain. You should never tolerate or embrace something dangerous happening to yourself.
What Are Some Ways To Embrace Discomfort?
Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is a valuable life skill. Now how do you do it? Below are some ways to practice:
Seek out little bits of discomfort
The best way to start is with something small and gradually expose yourself to voluntary discomfort.
Wake up 10 minutes earlier than usual.
Take a cold shower.
Try a food that you think is gross.
Go in public with unmatched clothes.
Skip dessert.
Don’t have a beer at happy hour with your friends.
Practice willingness
Willingness: that is, the willingness to embrace discomfort instead of avoiding it. This does not mean you are comfortable or that you enjoy the experience, but rather are you willing to tolerate it?
Breathe into it - breathe into the feeling of discomfort.
Normalize it - discomfort is normal when we are taking a risk.
Name it - label the feeling mindfully: Here is discomfort, I’m having the feeling of discomfort.
Allow it - see if you can just allow the discomfort to be present.
Shift your mindset
Your mindset is your outlook and influences the way you perceive experiences.
If you view discomfort as negative, it will most likely be something you want to avoid. If you view discomfort as a part of growth, it will most likely be something you are more willing to embrace.
Here are some ways to work on your mindset: get curious, meditate, journal, set goals based on your values, or practice perspective-taking.
Therapy
You can also seek help from a professional. Therapists are trained to help people learn new skills.
Therapy is a great way to explore your relationship with discomfort. Speaking with a therapist can help you learn more about why you avoid discomfort and how you can learn to embrace it.
If you are a teen or adult in the state of Texas or Illinois and want to learn more about how to embrace discomfort, contact me today to schedule an appointment.
