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I try to do a few things differently in 2025.
Specifically, the transition to moments or things that make me uncomfortable.
(I do not mean “times I am in natural danger”, of course.)
But rather I will run to The things my brain tells me, “this is inconvenient, I don’t like it, avoiding at all costs.”
I am afraid to open. I’m afraid to have. The question I am afraid to ask. The ability to be alone with my thoughts (yikes).
When I arrive for my phone or Netflix or PlayStation controller to avoid bored or feeling uncomfortable or sad or guilty …
I try to build some discipline to stop first.
In order not to avoid, distract or have fun myself away from what is really happening.
In order not to go out or escape, Monastery style.
If I have the courage to sit there and really ask the question, “Why does that make me feel uncomfortable?” There are valuable lessons to learn.
Touch in the hassle
Writer Pema Chodron determines the following in her book When things collapse:
“We consider discomfort in any form as bad news.
… emotions such as frustration, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy and fear.
Instead of being bad news, these are really very clear moments that teach us where we are holding back. ”
These things can be incredible teachers if we give ourselves the space to learn.
But this is exactly the question in 2025:
Thanks to our internet and phones and tradition of the same day, we can spend every minute every day hiding from almost every uncomfortable feeling in our lives. We should never get bored, we should never feel “bad”, we should never go to the elephant in the room.
We can simply push, play, click or disconnect to avoid all the “bad” emotions.
We can hide from them with endless entertainment and comfort (even if we keep us getting what we really want).
Of course, these bad feelings do not go away – they are still there, and the things we avoid must ultimately be addressed.
When I try to hide with discomfort, I know I don’t really avoid it. I don’t keep it.
Be trapped in Pandora’s box with monsters.
Blaise Pascal, a 17th -century philosopher, said it was better:
“All the problems of mankind come from the inability of man to quietly sit in a room alone.”
These feelings try to teach us!
Many feelings of discomfort are shouting to teach us something if we can redefine how we feel about them.
As Chodron points out:
“They are like messengers who show us. With frightening clarity. Just where we’re stuck.
This moment is the perfect teacher and, lucky for us, he is with us wherever we are. ”
Life has a way of doing that quiet, uncomfortable feeling Take louder and louder until we don’t help, but to deal with it …
But we can save ourselves enough time if we recognize fear, we lean earlier and recognize that life is trying to teach us something.
This is my challenge for you this week.
What if…
We asked: “I am really hungry, or just relax with food? ”
We recognized that we were frightened or anxious or nervous and then asked (with compassionate curiosity) what was behind the feeling?
Life tries to teach us lessons every day.
We just have to be courageous enough to be uncomfortable to see it.
-Steve
