Although seeking comfort seems ideal, embracing discomfort is key to creating happiness.
Think of something fun and exciting that you do. Do you remember the first time you did it? It was probably uncomfortable. Fighting through that discomfort gave you the gift of this activity that means so much to you.
Why Not Try to Be Comfortable?
Being comfortable isn’t the problem. Fearing and avoiding discomfort can be a problem. Much of life is spent being uncomfortable. You can’t control everything. You can’t shave all the edges of the world. Expecting a world without discomfort is an unrealistic expectation.
Have you ever had a task that you didn’t want to do? I’ve seen people put more work into avoiding a task than the task would have required. They created more discomfort by trying to avoid something uncomfortable.
The work required to avoid the uncomfortable situation is almost as uncomfortable as the situation. In other words, you create more discomfort by trying to avoid discomfort.
Let uncomfortability be your compass. You’re already comfortable being comfortable. If you’re comfortable being uncomfortable, then you’ll spend more time feeling contented. As Marcus Aurelius said, “What stands in the way becomes the way.”
“So, to be happy, you have to first learn how to be strong; to pick yourself up after a fall, detach from sadness when you don’t succeed, and find the will to persist instead of getting depressed when things go awry, which they often will.”
5 Powerful Benefits of Increasing Your Uncomfortability
1. Embracing Uncomfortability Fosters Physical Flexibility
One thing I remember from my Personal Trainer certification classes is that muscle flexibility is related to pain tolerance. Although you should never stretch far enough to cause pain, the more you can endure the discomfort of stretching the more flexible you can become.
2. Increasing Uncomfortability Mods Mental Flexibility
Pain tolerance is often a mental barrier rather than a physical one.
My personal trainer in time when I have prepared for the competition in fitness always encouraged me to keep going, to not give up. He reminded me our minds would give up before our bodies would. That mental flexibility or mental toughness helps you keep going when others give up.
Whether in exercise, writing, or coding, the willingness to keep going even when the circumstances are unpleasant is key to progress. Furthermore, the resilience you build from knowing you can persevere if you keep trying will foster your happiness.
3. Improved Uncomfortability Builds Resilience
A flexible tree will survive a strong wind. Conversely, a strong wind will snap or uproot a tree that won’t bend. Flexibility increases recoverability. The ability to recover from a challenge or setback is called resilience.
4. Playing Outside Your Comfort Zone Makes Your Comfort Zone Bigger!
When you get more comfortable in a situation that was previously uncomfortable, your comfort zone broadened!
5. Discomfort Supports Confidence
Every time you choose uncomfortable over easy, you build confidence. After you endure the situation, you get to say, “look what I did!”
Even if you only get to say it to yourself, you earn feeling proud. You learn that you can not only complete that difficult task again, but you’re capable of accomplishing something even more difficult.
Enduring even the tiniest discomfort confirms you can do more than you previously thought possible.
Embrace Discomfort
Why am I writing about uncomfortability? A lot of people are unhappy with the job they do for different reasons: they hate their boss, their co-workers, their work is not well-rewarded, and they don’t believe the work. They fear change and they prefer to stay and continue what frustrates them. They are afraid to leave the comfort zone. They fear failure, they fear they will not have enough money, they afraid of discomfort.
Just I want to say, don’t worry, uncomfortability is a way to have a happiest life. I know what I am talking about. Just do not give up. The Education, know something new, what have you never did before is a hard work. With the support someone who has experience, this way can be easier. Just believe yourself.