We spend a lot of time trying to avoid discomfort. We’ll never succeed though. Preparing for discomfort by getting used to it only makes sense.
Avoiding discomfort doesn’t just make us unprepared for the unavoidable difficult parts of life. If we avoid too much uncomfortable activity, it can lead to a downward spiral. As Zen Habits puts it:
The problem is that when you run from discomfort all the time, you are restricted to a small zone of comfort, and so you miss out on most of life. On most of the best things in life, in fact. And you become unhealthy, because if eating healthy food and exercising is uncomfortable, then you go to comfort foods and not moving much. Being unhealthy, unfortunately, is also uncomfortable, so then you seek distractions from this (and the fact that you have debt and too much clutter, etc.) in food and entertainment and shopping (as if spending will solve our problems!) and this in turn makes things worse.
What’s the solution? Try at least one uncomfortable thing every day. Eat something healthy that you’ve never had before. Do maths without a calculator. Walk to work instead of driving (if it’s feasible). The more you choose to tackle uncomfortable tasks willingly, the more you’ll be able to handle it when you don’t have a choice.
Why Fear of Discomfort Might Be Ruining Your Life [Zen Habits]
Picture: US Army/Flickr
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