Have you ever noticed how fast you try to stop a bad feeling? When something hurts—your body, your heart, or your thoughts—your brain wants it gone right away. That is normal. Our brains are built to keep us safe. They think discomfort means danger, even when it doesn’t.
So I distract myself.. I chose from one of my “pacifiers” as I call them. I watch explosive cyst popping videos. I listen to music or Masterclass, I joke; shop, eat, smoke, exercise-yep, get lost in nature, read, drink Diet Coke (Me!).I stay busy. I tell myself, “I”m fine. It’s fine,” even when it’s not. I do this because sitting with discomfort is quiet, and quiet can be loud inside my head. ESPECIALLY, for me, “sitting with it” is hardest for me in the early morning. Morning anxiety is a real thing! Over time, avoiding it became my survival skill.
So why is it so hard to be uncomfortable? We forget, discomfort is not the enemy, it’s a signal that growth can take place.Sit with it:
- Don’t drink it away
- Don’t smoke it away
- Don’t sleep it away
- Don’t eat it away
- Don’t run from it,
- You need to feel to heal.
Mindfulness does not mean liking discomfort. It means noticing it without running away. It means saying, “This feels HORRIBLE,” and staying anyway—just for one breath. No matter how much that one breath sucked.
- You don’t have to stay there forever.
- You don’t have to enjoy it.
- You just have to let it exist.
If you can sit with discomfort today—even for a moment—that is enough.
Until next time, breathe deep and here’s to progress, not perfection.
Bren
