Thanks for being a consistent voice and presence and encouraging others to share, Mary!
Before the Pandemic (can we start an acronym? B.P.?) I was part of an immersive yoga class. The teacher asked for a word or phrase to explain what motivated each of us to participate in this committed, long term class. My phrase was embrace discomfort. It sounds kind of masochistic but to me it meant accepting what is, welcoming all the circumstances and situations of life, letting them be teachers, at the same time softening, allowing, and cultivating awareness. Growth is available in discomfort. Opportunities are available in discomfort. Joseph Campbell said "Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging." And in Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron (my favorite!) it says .... "the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and they fall apart again. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen."
This makes me think of making room for discomfort. The only thing constant is change. And change is uncomfortable.
It's been 5 years since the inception of that immersive yoga class, I'm still working with it!
Yes! I definitely remember you telling me about the yoga class. In fact, that may well be the seed that planted the idea in my mind. It's been germinating and growing (if slowly)!
I like your phrasing - "Growth is available in discomfort. Opportunities are available in discomfort." I hadn't heard the Joseph Campbell quote, but the Pema Chodron one is also a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lori!
Ooof! I saw the title and right away thought, yep - don't like it. I have weekly discomfort. Every Sunday morning I wake up with discomfort. I am trying to figure out how to address this weekly ritual of discomfort. I have it many other times too as I work through a lot of changes. I think I am in a decade of change. There is a lot being processed and revealed and it all requires some change, be it mental or physical. So, discomfort and I are good friends. Making decisions and making changes are uncomfortable. I've heard from a couple of trusted sources to welcome and embrace the discomfort. I understand the thought but I find this to be head/heart struggle. Great topic. One I will be working on for a while.
Thanks for sharing, Sandy. Yes, it's tough and an ongoing learning process to embrace discomfort. And you've been through so much.
I was thinking last night about how maybe our culture's tendency toward "quick fixes" makes the discomfort even harder for us. Like, we're sold the idea that everything has an easy solution. And that's simply not the case.
I think there is a lot to say about our fast paced, quick reward culture. We've lost touch with the best things in life take time; stop and smell the roses. I find it hard to slow down in a world that never seems to sleep. It used to be that was just Vegas...now it's everywhere! LOL
Covering all the ground!
Thanks for being a consistent voice and presence and encouraging others to share, Mary!
Before the Pandemic (can we start an acronym? B.P.?) I was part of an immersive yoga class. The teacher asked for a word or phrase to explain what motivated each of us to participate in this committed, long term class. My phrase was embrace discomfort. It sounds kind of masochistic but to me it meant accepting what is, welcoming all the circumstances and situations of life, letting them be teachers, at the same time softening, allowing, and cultivating awareness. Growth is available in discomfort. Opportunities are available in discomfort. Joseph Campbell said "Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging." And in Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron (my favorite!) it says .... "the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and they fall apart again. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen."
This makes me think of making room for discomfort. The only thing constant is change. And change is uncomfortable.
It's been 5 years since the inception of that immersive yoga class, I'm still working with it!
Yes! I definitely remember you telling me about the yoga class. In fact, that may well be the seed that planted the idea in my mind. It's been germinating and growing (if slowly)!
I like your phrasing - "Growth is available in discomfort. Opportunities are available in discomfort." I hadn't heard the Joseph Campbell quote, but the Pema Chodron one is also a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lori!
Ooof! I saw the title and right away thought, yep - don't like it. I have weekly discomfort. Every Sunday morning I wake up with discomfort. I am trying to figure out how to address this weekly ritual of discomfort. I have it many other times too as I work through a lot of changes. I think I am in a decade of change. There is a lot being processed and revealed and it all requires some change, be it mental or physical. So, discomfort and I are good friends. Making decisions and making changes are uncomfortable. I've heard from a couple of trusted sources to welcome and embrace the discomfort. I understand the thought but I find this to be head/heart struggle. Great topic. One I will be working on for a while.
Thanks for sharing, Sandy. Yes, it's tough and an ongoing learning process to embrace discomfort. And you've been through so much.
I was thinking last night about how maybe our culture's tendency toward "quick fixes" makes the discomfort even harder for us. Like, we're sold the idea that everything has an easy solution. And that's simply not the case.
I think there is a lot to say about our fast paced, quick reward culture. We've lost touch with the best things in life take time; stop and smell the roses. I find it hard to slow down in a world that never seems to sleep. It used to be that was just Vegas...now it's everywhere! LOL
Love it!
Thanks, Anna! xo