Discomfort

Let's face it, who wants to be uncomfortable? In an ideal world, we would never have to deal with pain, loss, frustration, doubt, fear, or any of those other unpleasant emotions. Sadly, the world we live in is not perfect. It is full of obstacles, and all of us unfortunately must feel unpleasant emotions from time to time. What I know about discomfort, is that it is a part of life. I know there have been times in my life that I wanted the discomfort to end. I wanted to go to my happy place, plug my ears, and bear down until it ended. In fact, I tried that route to no avail. So why couldn't I just ignore my discomfort? Because it seemed ignoring it only made it worse, rather than going away, it became a constant, nagging, dull pain. 

I am reminded of a cartoon I watched on PBS when I was a child. It was about a boy who could pull a string whenever he wanted to avoid something. It could be a test he didn't study for, a fight with the neighborhood bully, his parents yelling, etc. He would pull the string and wind up somewhere in the future, quickly moving past and avoiding his discomfort. Ultimately, he was an old man, who felt as though he rushed through his life, and that in avoiding discomfort, he also missed out on a lot of good times. For some reason, that story stuck with me, and in moments of discomfort, I would think of it. The lesson in that story is huge, maybe even bigger than I realized at the time. You see, the lesson is about being present, facing discomfort, allowing yourself to feel, and growing because of it. It is also a reminder that riding through an uncomfortable time, does not mean there is no joy to be found. 

I would not be the person that I am today had I not experienced discomfort. Discomfort has taught me more about myself, than anything else in world. Allowing myself to feel pain, also allowed me to fully feel joy and happiness, and to be present. As tempting as it is to wish discomfort away, I'd suggest you sit down and make friends with discomfort. Find out what discomfort can teach you, and if you allow it, it will help you grow!