Sitting in discomfort is noone’s idea of a fun time. It’s almost akin to voluntarily inducing anxiety and not doing anything about it. At least, that’s what I used to think. It turns out, sitting in your own discomfort has many benefits and lessons for life.
- You are cultivating self-awareness.
Sitting in discomfort means staying present in your current situation. Most people spend life in the past or the future. It’s either ruminating about what happened or what needs to happen. Sitting in your discomfort allows you to stay present in the current moment and figure out your feelings. This practice can help keep you present in more comfortable situations later on.
- You conquer fear.
Discomfort is part fear. Sitting in it is learning to accept that fear happens and that you can face it. It makes you stronger as a person and makes challenges easier to overcome.
- You learn to accept the uncontrollable
Our biggest sources of discomfort come from the fact we can’t control a certain situation. Most things in life are uncontrollable, and sitting in the fear and discomfort teaches you that things you can’t control shouldn’t control your life.
- You learn to stay positive
After a certain amount of discomfort, you reach a point where your body wants something positive out of the experience. You start getting creative in your predicament and turn your attention to something more positive.
- You celebrate the small wins
Discomfort invites smaller progress, which is all you can do when the problem you’re facing seems overwhelming. As a result, you learn to celebrate the small wins in life rather than trying to conquer the overwhelming wave of fear.
- You learn how to stay humble
When something is bigger than your own life and you have no way of controlling it, you get humbled in your own efforts and your life. You realize your ego can’t carry you through every problem and you learn to count your blessings.
