Why Feeling Uncomfortable Never Goes Away
Do you ever get a little tired of that unsettling feeling of not knowing how it will all work out, if you did or are doing the right thing, or if you’ll make it to the other side?
I often refer to the feeling as “uncomfortable” - pretty literal I guess. To me, it feels like the opposite of that comfy, warm feeling of being on the couch with someone you love watching a movie, or for a more active example, going for a walk in your neighborhood on a beautiful day with perfect weather and sitting down as your usual brunch spot ordering your favorite, reliable breakfast and coffee.
Instead, this uncomfortable feeling is more like slight nausea, effort, a bit of circular thinking, unsureness, hesitation. It might be the feeling of being on a job interview, being in a social situation where most people know each other except you, traveling to a new country for the first time or trying to learn a new sport.
There’s something in common with each of the uncomfortable scenarios and it’s that most of them are new situations. So, to remain comfortable, we just have to not do anything new. Ha! Even if we wanted this, it would be impossible, because everything is always changing. And there’s the other piece is that we often really do want change. We often want the promotion at work or to be a healthy eater, and no matter what, our journeys to those things will require us to do new things.
Let’s establish a law of life - If you’re up-leveling your life and work, you’re going to feel uncomfortable.
And since we can’t really “get rid” of this feeling of uncomfortable-ness, instead, here are some things to keep in mind -
Like we just said, discomfort = up-leveling, and so we can use feeling uncomfortable as a sign that we’re moving towards our goals.
Knowing this, instead of trying to squash discomfort, we can welcome it. I love the saying “Get Comfortable with the Uncomfortable.”
Use a mantra to tell yourself that even though you are uncomfortable, you are still safe. Eventually, your body may not react with the same physical stress/anxiety signals, or at least you’ll build your capacity for uncomfortable things.
Uncomfortable-ness is a muscle we can build. If we continue to pursue things that push us a little, our tolerance for facing what feels scary will grow.
If you’re taking on a lot of uncomfortable things at once, give yourself some time to do the opposite, like watching a movie, taking a bath, enjoying a drink with friends.
Tell me below what thing has made you uncomfortable this week.